Our Smart Baby

I just read an article about getting children to sleep through the
night. It made me remember when I was pregnant with my daughter. Our
family doctor told me that in order for my daughter to get adequate
nutrition when breastfeeding, I needed to feed her on demand. She may need to
feed every hour for the first several weeks and then at six months of
age she may be ready to sleep through the night.

After my visit, I went home and called my mother. Since she raised
five kids, I felt that would make her something of an expert. When she
heard what the doctor advised, she asked me if that was what I wanted to
do. Guessing that I was hoping for an alternative, she told me that
all of her babies had slept through the night by the age of two months
because she placed us all on a schedule.

She said it was simple--just feed the baby for about 20 minutes or more
every three hours during the day. If she tries to sleep longer than
that three hours, wake her up and feed her. During the night, feed her
whenever she wakes up. The three hour time frame is just a guideline.
If your little one needs fed every 2 1/2 hours, then feed her. Just try
to keep the feedings somewhere between two to 3 1/2 hours. After she
eats, try to keep her awake and spend some quality time with her. Then
put her in the crib and let her fall asleep. Rocking is a great time to
bond with your baby but rocking her to sleep will teach her that she
can only get to sleep with your help. She will not understand how to
fall asleep on her own.

So did it work for me? Check back next time for the rest of my story.

by Leisa Leininger Wilson