Sleep Training: Does it work?

     I see it all the time, mom's on the edge because baby wakes up frequently at night. Then, comes the inevitable advice, "Put him in his own bed in his own room and let him cry." Let's discuss that shall we? Ok sure, your kid is now screaming in another room all alone...what is your first instinct? Could it be to run and pick up your baby and comfort it? If it is, why do you feel this is such a bad thing to do? Why fight nature? Babies can't talk, their only form of communication is crying. Babies can't understand time and what is "normal" for us adults. Babies ARE very dependent creatures...they rely on someone to help them, to feed them, to hug them, to do everything for them. Why deny them of all that just because it is nighttime?

     Now let's discuss if this does in fact work. Well, I see it all the time on other pages..."My son was doing well with (insert crazy training for sleep here) and then he stopped, he is 11 months and has been waking up every hour."  Ok, so maybe instead of FORCING this sleep onto them, why not figure out what it is your child is needing, what may be happening?

    I, as an adult, do NOT always sleep for 8 straight hours without waking. I wake up when I need to pee, I wake up when I need to roll over, I wake up when I hear things, I wake up after a dream, I wake up just because and I wake up if I am too hot or too cold. Now I want you to read that again, think on it for a second. Think long and hard about how you sleep every night. Do you always go right to bed and pass out hard and sleep 8 straight hours non-stop every night? I highly doubt it. Do you experience episodes of awakening? Pretty sure you do. Now, your baby has a tiny tummy, an inherent need of someone to do everything for it, a tiny bladder, acute hearing, no experience with house noises or much else...it cannot talk and communicate any need, fear or want to you except through cries. So, I ask, why do you expect this little one to sleep like a rock all night long almost from birth? Not saying it doesn't happen, but, why expect it to happen as though it is a definite set in stone thing? It is far from it.

 Also, studies show that mommies who breastfeed get better sleep than their formula feeding counterparts. Although, at first, your little one will stay attached to the breast non-stop for maybe even the first 2 weeks. No need to panic though, it definitely does even out and become better.