Training Day(s)

What do E.A.S.Y., CIO, and SLS all have in common?
...
All are methods of sleep training. Why do we need sleep training? Well, because our son, yes, this one right here...

has never gone to sleep on his own. Some babies, well, they just don't get it. And Kameen, anytime I've ever put him down when he wasn't fully asleep (and I mean from day 1 people) has cried like you were murdering him. The only thing that got him there, consistently? BOOBIES, the MOBY, and the CAR SEAT. The time has just come for him to learn to put himself to sleep. I desperately did not want to do any sleep training, but after 9 months of nursing to sleep and dealing with frequent night waking, I began to see how I was doing a disservice to Kameen who seemed tired in the day despite sleeping 12-14 hours. Who wants to wait around for someone else when one is tired?

So to all you lucky parents out there with a baby who "got it" from birth, well, count your blessings, and hope that your next child is just as intuitive. And, read on if you do end up so blessed with a spirited child such as my Kameen. You'll need this information at some point.


The first, stands for:

Eat
Activity
Sleep
You (Mom)

It is a method that emphasizes routine as the key to a happy, well rested baby. It also encourages parents to use the PU/PD method. That's Pick Up/Put Down for all you parents out there with good sleepers. Well, for the most part, we've been on a routine for quite some time. This idea is great, but Kameen is so easily stimulated that picking him up and putting him down over and over again would probably just prolong his confusion about why Mommy won't just nurse him to sleep already.

The second is for:

Cry
It
Out

This method, well, it's just cruel. There are a couple of different cry-it-out methods, including Ferberizing (so named from the author of the book) and extinction (which to me, just sounds mean, harsh, and inappropriate for little babies). Ferberizing involves leaving baby alone to cry, and going in to calm baby at increasing intervals (so, 5 min., then 10, etc.) until he finally falls asleep. This method did not seem good for us because I didn't want to leave Kameen alone, in the dark, to cry when he is used to snuggling up to Mommy and nursing to sleep. Too big of a change in my opinion.

Extinction was not and never will be an option for us. It involves leaving baby to cry and not going to comfort him at all. Eventually he would just pass out from exhaustion and confusion. Uh, they are BABIES!

Next we have:

Sleep
Lady
Shuffle

This method comes from the book Good Night, Sleep Tight. This is the method that our pediatrician recommended at his 6-month check. Well, I looked into it, and I didn't like it. It sounded like just another version of cry-it-out. So, I bought The No-Cry Sleep Solution. This was all a couple of months ago. I implemented a few of the ideas in No-Cry, but it's so subtle, that it seemed almost TOO kind.

So, now, this past week, we're back to SLS. The method involves sitting in a chair right by baby's crib and patting/talking to him intermittently. Then, after a few nights, you move the chair across the room and just soothe with words. Then, to the doorway, until finally you're out of the room. We started it on Saturday, and it has been tough. Of course he has had to cry some, but it's mostly been whining, and if he gets really worked up, the book allows you to pick baby up and soothe them.

Tonight, the fourth night, Kameen,

yes him...



went to sleep in his crib, without crying, on his own. Mommy doing happy dance...

Now, this is supposed to take about 2 weeks, so we could be in for more rough nights like the first 3 were. But hey, he is learning, and I'm right there with him the whole time. I get to watch his face and tell him he's fine. I also get to see him learning to go to sleep on his own, and that is so satisfying. I'm one proud momma tonight! Time for ME to go get some sleep!

Taking the Long Way

Well, I never seem to do it like anybody else
Maybe someday, someday I'm gonna settle down
If you ever want to find me I can still be found

Taking the long way
Taking the long way around

-song and lyrics by The Dixie Chicks

I have to admit, I often do things the "hard way"...or what others would consider the hard way. Why? Well, because I'm a little old fashioned, and modern conveniences can often complicate our lives more than we like to admit (think pitocin = more pain = epidural = failure to progress = cesarean....hmmm, how was that an easier birth?). So, in my mind, what others consider the hard way (midwives, cloth diapers, exclusive breastfeeding, homemade baby food, etc.), I consider to be the natural way, a simpler way.

I am delighted to see so many other mamas doing the same, and taking "the long way." There is something to be said for the way things were once done, before daycare, before supermom, before...dare I say?...feminism. Now, I know I'll catch some flack for saying such "outlandish" things, and I'll admit, I like being able to select a female doctor, but there's a reason God created TWO parents. And it wasn't so they could both work outside the home and send their children off to a building all day for someone else, who probably has children to take care of but has to work, to take care of their children. It's a vicious cycle.

That being said, things are as they are. Our society perpetuates consumerism, and we like it. So, we work, all of us. But, I'm glad to see that many companies are coming around to things like telecommuting and job sharing, etc. This is one way that our modern "conveniences" like the internet and cell phones come in real handy. So, I'm all for us using these "conveniences" to get back to a simpler way of life, where Mama takes care of children and the home, and Daddy takes care of Mama. Even if that means Mama works at home from 9 pm-midnight to earn some income. :)

Let the criticism begin...