tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748179198768535574.post845180418595985359..comments2023-03-31T06:31:01.370-07:00Comments on The Lioness at the Gate: The Happiest Baby on the BlockEmilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11450808986911204788noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748179198768535574.post-74729688576422590502012-03-28T01:23:01.516-07:002012-03-28T01:23:01.516-07:00My feeling is follow your gut. Pray about it if th...My feeling is follow your gut. Pray about it if that clicks, but imo, those books can make us crazy. Sometimes I think we as moms these days have too much info and we don't trust ourselves to do what makes sense or feels right. <br /><br />My first baby was like this. It was hard! We did what made sense, and it probably violated rules in all the major books and latest 'wisdom.' We figured out more scheduled sleep stuff later on, as we went, not according to any 'rules.' <br /><br />If cuddling helps, do it. My personal feeling, too, is that as they get older, they can be 'trained' better. I've liked to work with my babies for those few early months. I think the transition to mortality can be hard for them sometimes, maybe depending on their personality or biological adjustments to living in the world.Mormon Women: Who We Arehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02479667028999828222noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748179198768535574.post-87339276971036236232012-03-23T15:11:16.493-07:002012-03-23T15:11:16.493-07:00I agree with Raisin 4 cookies. God gave baby to y...I agree with Raisin 4 cookies. God gave baby to you, and while you may be able to find some nice tips in books, you can also drive yourself (and everyone else) crazy trying to implement other people's techniques. Listen to your inner voice, listen to your baby, and enjoy them. In the olden days, babies weren't really expected to be independent little bundles...they were expected to be, well, babyish, lol. I have slept with my babies, rocked them to sleep, never used a binky, ect...some of my kiddoes were and still are great sleepers, others weren't and are now, and was wasn't and still has a hard time. She has allergies/intolerances and finding those out and eliminating them from her diet did help a ton! But she is still my most sensitive child--and often has a tough time sleeping at age 7. <br />So do what works best for you. (it could be a food issue, though. Many babies are bothered by certain foods. Dairy is the number one culprit...just FYI)<br />By the way, I've enjoyed your site in the past. I hope I didn't come off too strongly, lol. I've just seen some friends drive themselves to distraction trying to follow a program to "independent-ize" their babies and then wish they would have just relaxed a bit more and enjoyed baby a bit more. =)<br />I have also had good luck taking my babies for a chiro adjustment...it has helped alot with the colic stuff.Nicolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15307653141415408322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748179198768535574.post-22378169746762084182012-03-22T20:49:31.220-07:002012-03-22T20:49:31.220-07:00I can't read those books. The author doesn'...I can't read those books. The author doesn't know my baby!<br /><br />Just enjoy your baby and follow her cues.... you know her best.Avtar Ram Kaurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14788058935893109235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748179198768535574.post-17838938139431409312012-03-21T10:38:52.423-07:002012-03-21T10:38:52.423-07:00I'm sorry she's having a hard time sleepin...I'm sorry she's having a hard time sleeping - that sounds just like Rachel! She would sleep for the shortest increments ever and was just always tired! We also had the binky falling out problem which was so, so frustrating. I've read all these books too and my favorite is Healthy Sleep Habits... However, looking back, when Josie started getting extremely fussy liked that we 1) put her on relux medicine (I've heard that "every baby" could be diagnosed with reflux, so I don't know how much this medicine actually did) and 2)I totally cut out dairy from my diet and I know this made the difference for her. If I accidentally had dairy I would find her fussy and waking up more easily within a couple hours of nursing. Good luck though - it's crazy how different these babies come! We can't wait to meet her when you're up to it!Bridgethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07730337486122095101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748179198768535574.post-79501678378442576322012-03-21T09:01:50.692-07:002012-03-21T09:01:50.692-07:00I have found many of the ideas in Happiest Baby on...I have found many of the ideas in Happiest Baby on the Block helpful. Not every baby was the same for what they liked and how. I think it is so important to listen to our mother's intuition on those things. Tune into our babies, not tune them out. <br /><br />I don't mind rocking my babies or nursing them to sleep. They are only babies once. We gently move them from stage to stage as they and we are ready. I think a parent can use methods to teach their babies to sleep better but it needs to be done in a way that the baby knows they are safe. Obviously you get that because you noticed that not all your babies were the same on this issue. Some babies respond well to one thing but not another. This is from the Parent's Guide:<br /><br />"To guide their feet properly, we must show natural affection to children from the very beginning. Infants need to be physically and emotionally cared for. They need continual intimate contact with their parents. It is in this intimate closeness that their future relationships begin to develop.<br /><br />To develop close, loving relationships with infants, keep them clean and fed, and meet all of their needs kindly and consistently. From this steady, predictable care, infants develop a sense of emotional security and learn that they can trust other people. Constantly give approval to them. Watch, applaud, hug, and kiss them when they lift their heads, turn over, crawl, sit up, or stand." <br /><br />The Parent's Guide also states,"avoid making a child fearful by locking him in a dark room or threatening to leave him alone."<br /><br />I think the important thing is to not get caught up in thinking this baby is going to be the same as the others or the next door neighbor's who is perfect. Every family is different and has different expectations about what is normal. <br /><br />Want to laugh about sleep deprivation? http://mamabirth.blogspot.com/2012/03/because-sleep-sucks.html<br />Just so you know she is being sarcastic. She happens to be LDS too. <br /><br />Sweet dreams, enjoy the babymoon. I love the first days and weeks. I just nap with my newborn baby as I am able. That helps.Robynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14190424982007854792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748179198768535574.post-36877996425354223532012-03-20T20:25:37.437-07:002012-03-20T20:25:37.437-07:00Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child is the best slee...Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child is the best sleep book anywhere. Not necessarily because of the "methods" but because if you read that book you will become an expert on sleep - it explains a lot of the science behind sleep and why sleep matters - which is really vital to helping your kids sleep. <i>How</i> you get your kid to sleep varies from parent to parent and kid to kid and household to household, but understanding what sleep is and why we need it was really beneficial for me.<br /><br />I also wrote a few posts about <a href="http://wherelearninghappens.blogspot.com/2012/03/preparing-for-sleep-trainingor-sleep.html" rel="nofollow">training babies to sleep</a> based on a lot of reading I did. It's what we did with #2 and she was always a great sleeper (she's about 3 now and is having problems staying in her own bed at night, but a lot of that is related to her daddy being gone a lot :( )<br /><br />Good luck!Beccahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748179198768535574.post-25388193377928135352012-03-20T17:34:16.670-07:002012-03-20T17:34:16.670-07:00I'm a baby-wise fan through and through. And ...I'm a baby-wise fan through and through. And I like baby whisperer too. The fourth trimester thing scares me to death - I've already been suffocated enough for 10 months:).Polly Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07783818896431918768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748179198768535574.post-8953713638843963102012-03-19T21:36:43.791-07:002012-03-19T21:36:43.791-07:00I have to second the Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy C...I have to second the Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child (after having read all the other books you mentioned as well). It gave us schedule and routine, while still allowing room for plenty of flexibility and snuggles. I did snuggle my daughter to sleep when she needed it, but it was the exception. we also did small periods of crying to sleep. When she was two months, she slept through the night. At seven months old, she'd hardly ever cry when we put her down. Now, at a year she has one nap from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (give or take,) and her bedtime is at 8:30 p.m. and she wakes up at 9:30 a.m. HEAVEN! Anyway, I really think I owe it all to that book, because she did NOT start out a natural sleeper and was never a sleepy newborn and initially took short little naps. Good luck with things!Stephaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15398124772872927641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748179198768535574.post-32300776509425790692012-03-19T17:50:34.137-07:002012-03-19T17:50:34.137-07:00Jocelyn -- I did wonder if he wrote Happiest Baby ...Jocelyn -- I did wonder if he wrote Happiest Baby just to see if he could get people to follow his advice -- whether it's good or not! My husband would do something like that!<br /><br />Julie -- I'll have to check that one out! Thanks!Emilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11450808986911204788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748179198768535574.post-23383543966088415932012-03-19T17:43:51.415-07:002012-03-19T17:43:51.415-07:00I thought that Happiest Baby on the Block was a jo...I thought that Happiest Baby on the Block was a joke. It actually made us laugh to read. Actually it did give great tips on how to soothe a colicky or gassy baby, etc...but Babywise was by far my pick for actually having the happiest baby on the block!:)Jocelyn Christensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10342635172904848811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748179198768535574.post-46289425592047375392012-03-19T17:37:35.689-07:002012-03-19T17:37:35.689-07:00I'm so sorry it's been rough! My favorite...I'm so sorry it's been rough! My favorite sleep book is Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. But it doesn't even start talking about sleep training or give any suggestions to use until baby is 3 months, I believe.Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01959841561323203499noreply@blogger.com