Wednesday, February 23, 2011

A word or two on babies and sleeping ...


I am no expert when it comes to babies, sleeping, or the two combined, but I like to think I have a brain in my head that works reasonably well.

I just have to get this off my chest because it's something that really drives me up the wall.

All people are not the same. Some people sleep long periods of time. Some people wake multiple times in the night. Some people take naps. Some don't. Some like to sleep under the covers, some like one foot sticking out. Some people crash the moment they hit the pillow. Some toss and turn for hours at a time.

What am I trying to get at? Sleeping patterns, I believe, can vary appreciably amongst different people. And as a result, so can the sleeping patterns of babies!

Do not dare to put yourself down because your baby wakes up one, two, three, eight, or ten times a night. Do not judge yourself for nursing your baby to sleep, or for "wearing" your baby to sleep. Do not feel threatened when other moms report that their child sleeps through the night if yours does not.

Babies are different. They sleep differently.

Some can be laid down in their crib when they're sleepy and will put themselves to sleep. Some require rocking to sleep and can only be laid down when they are completely "out." And still, others prefer to co-sleep all night long.

It doesn't matter how your baby or anyone else's baby sleeps. What matters is that the baby gets the sleep they need and that you do too (eventually!).

So, for the love of all that is holy, do not feel bad about your kids' sleeping patterns, and certainly do NOT give unsolicited advice to parents about their children's sleep habits.

Thank you. And thank you for putting up with my rant.

PS. This wasn't meant to be an angry post - just a shout out to the moms out there and a reminder to myself for when I'm having a weak moment :)

1 comment:

  1. Such a cute picture! I also completely agree although I have absolutely no baby experience. I do feel that mom's shouldn't be so hard on themselves about their babies not following what they are "supposed" to according to books and other parents.

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