How To Get Your Baby To Sleep Through The Night

The way my parents tell the story, they were nineteen and eighteen when I was born, the doctor told them to let me cry until I feel asleep. So within the first week they let me cry. The first time I cried for an hour and kicked myself all the way around the crib before I fell asleep. After that I'd cry briefly then fall asleep. To this day I'm a very sound sleeper and yet I just couldn't bring myself to do the same for my first born. Dr Sears, was popular when I had my first and I didn't totally agree with his philosphy either so I attempted to do something in between. My oldest did not learn to put herself to sleep until she was almost two years old and continues to have sleep problems to this day, she is in her 20's. With my second, I decided she could cry for five minutes and she would be OK. About half the time, she worked things out within those five minutes other times she need help. She slept in our room and was doing OK until about six months and I saw some bad habits starting to form. I didn't want to put her in her crib, which she used for naps, in the room with her older sister who still wasn't a fantastic sleeper. So, when she would wake up, I took her to the living room and put her in a portable play pen. I would let her know I was there, pat her on the back occasionally then sleep on the floor so she could see me. After doing this for less than a week, she was able to quickly go back to sleep if she woke up. We put her in her crib and told her sister that she might cry a little but it would be ok, she would fall back to sleep and she didn't need to wake us up. If it bothered her she could go out and sleep on the couch. Within the first week of the youngest being in the crib, I think her sister was only on the couch one or two times. To this day she is a good sleeper. Not very scientific, but my experience.

Creative Commons photo by abbybatchelder