14 Comments

  1. Thank you so much for this very real post on sleep training. Sleep training – and sleep in general – can be such an overwhelming topic for us moms, especially in the midst of those baby days when we are worried about our own sanity and the future sleep health of our child.

    I used to be so worried that nursing my daughter to sleep and co-sleeping with her for so long would create “bad” sleep habits that all the experts warn against. But you know what, I’ve come to realize that those habits are not “bad”. Is it really unhealthy for your baby to sleep with you? No, not as long as you can do it safely. It’s only “bad” or unhealthy if it is causing problems for someone. If everyone is sleeping happily, it’s totally okay and, IT WILL END one day.

    I read so many times while I researching this topic, “your child will not still be sleeping with you when she’s 18 years old.” I did not quite believe it in the midst of my insecurities about my daughter’s sleep, but I can tell you now that it’s true. My daughter, who had to nurse to sleep and back to sleep for the first 3 years of her life ultimately became a great, independent sleeper virtually on her own (you can read more on that in my blog post on the topic: https://mamarissa.com/what-will-happen-if-you-dont-sleep-train-your-baby/).

    Thank you for describing your experience with multiple methods along with what went well and what didn’t. I totally agree with you that a mama has to do what she feels is best for HER child. And that might look different for every mama. But a mama knows her baby best.

  2. Thank you so much for this post. I have a 3 month old daughter (who also has a hemangioma, coincidentally) and our sleep journey seems strikingly similar to yours so far— that in and of itself is comforting, to know I’m not alone. I felt like I’d tried everything, but I learned of a quite a few new resources from you, and more importantly, that I need to stop killing myself trying to get these methods to work! Thank you for the empathetic advice and for sharing your story.

    1. Thanks for reading Jenni! I felt like a total failure when it came to getting my daughter to sleep so I’m glad our story helps you feel not so alone! I’m convinced some kids just have a harder time learning to sleep. I’ve also read intelligent kids have more trouble sleeping so it’s quite possible we’re just raising a couple of geniuses! 😉

  3. Viviana Bonilla says:

    I am really glad I found this article… I am thinking to sleep train my 6 moths daughter that just like yours wakes up at night to feed. And only goes to sleep when we feed her and rock her to sleep. But reading your article gave me ideas to try a method I would fell more comfortable ????

  4. First Time Mom says:

    Great article it helped so much! Best one I read so far!

  5. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Loved your thoughts on each child and family being different… I’m sure feeling like the “sleep training failure” mom now with my stubborn second boy… this post made me feel like it’s ok to fail and fail and keep on trying… it can be an exhausting and tear-at-your-heartstrings process. Thank you ????

    1. Yes, it can be so exhausting physically AND mentally but you’ll get through it! I remember feeling like I was the only mom who couldn’t figure out this sleep training thing but that’s so not true. Sending you and your little man sleeping through the night vibes.

  6. I think the most hard thing for a mom when you don’t have enough sleep. I wish l read this article with my first baby. I ll raccomand all my friends mom that are having hard time with there baby????

    1. Thanks Francy! I’m hoping to avoid some of the mistakes I made with my daughter when our second baby gets here – mom needs her sleep!

  7. This is a great post, full of loads of good information and tips.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.