Instruction Manual

You always hear that babies don't come with instructions, but those people haven't read
On Becoming Babywise. This book came to me HIGHLY recommended by so many new parents. It has lived up to its reputation, and I can't imagine little Jack being the good baby that he is without this book.

Eat, Wake, Sleep. This is a huge theme in the book. Most parents will play with their baby, then when he becomes fussy they will feed him, and end nursing/bottle feeding with a nap. They say this is wrong because baby might not be getting enough to eat because they fall asleep before getting a full feeding. Since Jack is 2 months old and over 13 lbs already, I don't believe this is the case with him. They say feed the baby, play with him, then put him down to sleep. And this helps set the baby in a predictable pattern.

Let baby fall asleep alone. Put baby down in his crib and let him fall asleep on his own. If you using a sleep "prop" such as rocking your baby to sleep, it will become a horrible habit that you will eventually have to break, and it makes nap time so much harder for you and baby. When it's nap time, I wrap Jack in a blanket, give him his pacifier, and he goes to sleep on his own. He rarely cries, just lies in his crib until he falls asleep. If it's 5 minutes or 45 minutes, he eventually goes to sleep.

Keep baby on a schedule. This has been the biggest help of all. From the very beginning, I've tried to feed Jack every 3-4 hours. (Maybe a little more often when he was newborn). Now he still sticks to this schedule. So if he wakes up from a nap cranky after it only being 2 hours since he's eaten, I know he's not hungry, and 95% of the time he's just still tired, and he goes back to sleep until the 3-4 hour marker has come. Also, if I have to run an errand, I know how long I have until I need to be home to feed Jack. The book says keeping baby on a schedule allows him to eat better, sleep better, and keeps him happier.

Let baby sleep through the night. This is the newest development for baby Jack, and the reason I was inspired to write this post. Last night was the first night Jack made it through the whole night without a feeding. (hopefully a first that will last forever!) The book says a baby 7-9 weeks of age is capable of sleeping through the night, and at this point if they are still waking up in the middle of the night, it may be out of habit, rather than actually being hungry. Jack is 9 weeks old this week, and he seemed to be waking up about the same time every night - no matter what time I put him down for the night. If it was 10 pm, or midnight, he always seemed to wake up about 2:30ish. So I would automatically feed him. But last night I thought I'd try what On Becoming Babywise suggested. Let him go back to sleep! So I got up, gave him his pacifier, and it worked! He went right back to sleep until 6am. I was so excited! I actually got 7 consecutive hours of sleep last night!! (Minus the one minute it took to walk to his crib and put the "binkie" in his mouth :] )

GET THIS BOOK!! If this is your first child or your 5th, I've heard even experienced mothers say this changed the way they cared for their little ones. May I also recommend Dunstan Baby Language on DVD? AMAZING. A woman has a theory on what every cry means a baby makes, and although it sounds crazy, I swear it works :)