- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Attachment Parenting
5.5mo not sttn, pedi concerned?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: 5.5mo not sttn, pedi concerned?
Do what you are comfortable with. I honestly think 5.5 months is pretty young. I don't think any sleep training (including night weaning) is appropriate before 6 months.
That being said, there ARE sleep experts out there. And I'm sure most of them would agree that babies feeding several times per night after 1 year of age is habitual. Of course, this board will jump all over that because they disagree, don't want to accept blame for sleep issues, prefer to just deal with it, etc.. But as someone who night weaned both of my kids right around 10 months, I can assure you that my kids WERE eating out of habit. Breaking that habit got them STTN (quickly and gently I might add).
I have read pretty much every sleep book out there (on both ends of the spectrum). I think personal comfort in the home (both husband and wife and children) trumps pretty much everything. I think that women who say that if you don't sleep train you are a bad parent and/or that if you do sleep train that you are "training your child to know people won't come to them" are asses.
The AP board and BF boards are notorious for "hating on" the medical establishment in general. Probably because they APA takes issue with a lot of tenants (co-sleeping, no sleep training, etc). And while BFing is encouraged (in theory), it isn't supported by many medical establishments in reality. So.. meh...
Also, I want to add in defense of pedis, the women on messages boards like this one are by default more "educated" because they care to read the latest parenting things online. I would guess the majority of women here read books, articles, and all kinds of literature so they feel confident in their parenting. YOU ARE NOT THE NORM. The average new mom going to the pedi needs advice and reassurance and expects it. Your pedi is just trying to be helpful more than likely.... not be some sanctimommy with a power complex.
I am a counselor and was getting asked for parenting advice far before I ever had kids. It is hard to tread there without offen offending or hurting feelings. To this day, even with years of experience and higher degrees and the best of intentions I still feel wary about giving advice to parents. Mostly because of threads like these. If it isn't what you want to hear it is often taken the wrong way.
Married 6/28/03
Kate ~ 7/3/09 *** Connor ~ 11/11/10
4 miscarriages: 2007, 2009, 2013, 2014
*~*~*~*~*
No more TTC for us. We are done, and at peace, as a family of 4.
"Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but – I hope – into a better shape.” — Charles Dickens
Kids figure it out at their own pace. It can be frustrating and exhausting but eventually kids start to sleep all night most nights. I don't always sleep through the night if given the opportunity so why would we expect it from someone so young?
If he's waking to eat, it's because he's hungry. Feed him. Then do some research about babies sleeping through the night (good article linked in the "Self-Soothing a Lie" thread) so you can formulate your own opinion about it. Remember, doctors have this little tendency to use the color of their authority to encourage (and sometimes browbeat) patients into doing things their way. Not because their way is better, proven healthier, but just because they are of the opinion that this is how things should be done.
Ultimately, you need to find your own path with your LO. Leaving him to cry because he's hungry and waking at night hardly seems like a rational response. If he were a year old, maybe. But at 5.5 months? No way!