Working Moms
luvmagoldn
Can you tell me more about this lady you speak of when it comes to sleep training?
I googled her but am not sure if we are thinking of the same person.
What is her technique?
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Re: luvmagoldn
HI!
Suzy Giordano wrote The Baby Sleep Solution. The older version is called 12 Hours Sleep by 12 Weeks Old.
https://www.babycoach.net/
I read an article about her a few years ago in The Washington Post and just tucked her name away for when I would need it. Little did I know I would be having twins - that really made me want to get the babies on a schedule (sleeping, eating, etc) as soon as possible.
Suzy has five kids, the last two are twins. She starts her story by saying she didn't sleep for days when the twins were born. When she finally let her parents take over for a little while she slept for twenty some-odd hours straight! That's when she knew she had to figure out a system.
Basically, you teach babies to self soothe. This involves slowly eliminating the night time feedings and moving those feedings to the day time. In order to use her system babies need to be at least eight weeks old, weigh at least nine pounds and get at least 24oz of formula or BM in a 24 hour period.
We were lucky enough to have Suzy or a member of her team (her sister, mom and daughter) come to our house four nights a week. Suzy is such a warm and wonderful person and truly believes that self soothing is an essential life skill that all babies should be taught. The good news is, I know several moms of multiples who have used her system just by reading her book and have gotten the same results - so don't feel like it will only work if Suzy herself is involved.
The book is a pretty quick read - I would suggest you pick it up and see what you think. I will tell you that at week 10 my DH was super skeptical. He was thinking there was no way this whole thing would come together by 12 weeks. But, when it all DID fall into place at 12 weeks DH said he would have paid Suzy double!
Good luck!
My twins are 5! My baby is 3!
DS#2 - Allergic to Cashew, Pistachio, Kiwi
DS#3 - Allergic to Milk, Egg, Peanut, Tree Nuts and Sesame
How did she teach to self soothe?
I am interested in that....
I agree that it is key. My baby has all those "qualifications". I am tempted to get the book, but if you are on here, you could give me some of your thoughts if you wish
Thanks.
First you eliminate the obvious barriers to sleep (hunger, being too hot or cold, being wet or soiled, having too much light in the room, etc). Babies, like adults, wake up several times during the night. The key is to help them figure out how to get back to sleep on their own. When they do cry Suzy suggests patting their backs or rubbing their tummies or shushing them to help them settle back down. You want to limit talking or interacting with them when they wake up. You are there to reassure them but not to bring them fully awake. Picking them up becomes a plan B. You only pick them up if the other soothing tactics don't work.
Also, when they first start to cry Suzy suggests waiting a couple of minutes to see what happens. They may cry steadily, or cry then stop then start again, or they might cry and get more worked up instead of calming themselves down. A lot of times parents rush in as soon as a baby starts to cry and actually get in their way and prevent them from falling back to sleep.
Also, when they were older (four months or so I think) we introduced a lovey. The boys each have a small blanket - about 10 inches square - that I gave them for naps and night time. It didn't take long for them to associate the lovey with sleep time. To this day they still snuggle down with their loveys and fall right to sleep!
I hope this helps give you an idea of what is involved. I would still suggest getting the book though.
My twins are 5! My baby is 3!
DS#2 - Allergic to Cashew, Pistachio, Kiwi
DS#3 - Allergic to Milk, Egg, Peanut, Tree Nuts and Sesame
Thanks, I appreciate it.
It sounds a lot like the baby whisperer.