Save Our Sleep

[Taurean]

I bought SOS while pregnant. I knew before the end of the first chapter that it definitely wasn't for us. One of my close friends has followed SOS religiously since her DD was 3 weeks old and swears by it. SOS, in her opinion, is her saviour. I don't agree with the routine but I don't judge her for using it. It works for both her and her DD and both are happy, lovely human beings. Her baby sleeps really well, but doesn't 'sleep through'. It means things are predictable for her but also VERY restricting. She is often house bound.

We choose to use gentle parenting techniques - mostly. My DD struggles to have naps in her cot during the day but she sleeps brilliantly on the go - so in the car, the pram or her favourite spot, in her sling attched to me. We don't really have a routine during the day, I just look for tired and hunger signs. It works for us.

We have a very successful breastfeeding relationship after 8 weeks of hell in the beginning. My DD has ALWAYS demand fed. We don't co-sleep. DD went into her cot in her room at 10 weeks. She slept through three nights running at 9 weeks then consistently from 10 weeks. Besides a few night feeds during wonder weeks and a couple of unsettled nights due to moving house recently, she has slept through since 10 weeks of age, anywhere between 10 and 12 hours straight.

We did not train our DD to fo this. We don't 'not hear' her at night (as I've been accused of in the past) as the Angel Care monitor is always on - I couldn't sleep without it! On the few occassions DD has woken during the night, I feed her. My boobs are always there for her . DD is rocked to sleep every night and for day sleeps, she doesn't self settle.

I guess I'm trying to say that babies are individuals, just like adults. They want to eat when they are hungry, they want a drink when they are thirsty and like to sleep when tired. Some need more food/drinks/sleeps than others. They are all individuals.

So whether you opt for routine or gentle parenting I think the most important thing to remember is we are all raising our children the way we think is best for our families and at the end of the day, the little individuals we are raising will often dictacte the way they are raised.

I hope that makes sense!