My 2 month old daughter is breastfed on demand and cosleeps with me. Shes a happy, thriving baby, very alert, and has gained more than the requisite amount of weight.
When we got home after a week in hospital following a difficult birth, I realised that I wanted a good nights sleep too much to battle with her about sleeping in her cosleeper crib. She preferred to be cuddled up close to me in the bed, so I let it happen. I've tried all the tips on making the crib more cosy but none of it works, she might go into it for a nap during the day, or even for an few hours at night, but overall she needs to be close to me (and the boob!) to sleep properly.
So for 8 weeks she's most slept with me in the bed (following safety advice of course), as happy as a clam and taking feeds when she needs them. We both get 8 hours sleep, albeit broken by the occasional nappy change or wind but only for a few minutes. In the morning I wake up and eat breakfast in bed or listen to the radio while she sleeps in (she likes a lie-in!!).
We both go to bed at about 9, because I'm usually tired by then anyway.
Daddy, meanwhile, is in the guest room. There isn't enough room for 3 of us in the bed and also hes a light sleeper so every noise she makes wakes him (even with earplugs) and he has a long day at work so needs to be alert. We have some (ok, fairly rushed) "romantic time", just not in our bed!
During the day baby and I just hang out, go for walks, take baths, watch movies or I might carry her in a sling while I do housework. If she wants a feed, she has one, if she wants a nap, she takes one. Sometimes she sleeps most of the day, other times she doesn't sleep at all.
The issue is, all my friends have schedules for their babies. They feed them at allocated times and not in-between (even the breastfed ones), they put them to sleep in their cribs at allocated times. They have evenings baby-free to spend time with their husbands or partners (our baby just kind of hangs out with us). Their babies take naps at certain times and the mums ensure adherence to these routines. They all say they don't want to teach "bad habits".
So Am I doing everything wrong? I feel like it works great for me now but what about down the line, especially when I go back to work ( I can work mostly from home but need some quiet time!). Should I just go with the flow or try to "train" my baby?
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no schedule, no training
25 replies
BBLucy1891 · 09/03/2016 10:35
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