Does 'Save our Sleep' save your sleep??

I have been back at work for the last week or so. And I must say I have spent quite a bit of my time discussing sleep and settling and of course my ‘favourite’ book- Save our Sleep.
Maybe because my day to day processes have changed and I am open to letting things happen, I can see that the near impossible structure that many early parenting books outline  can send anyone into a deep depression.
It is interesting that we will blindly put our faith and follow steps to the letter without so much of a search on the knowledge base someone is writing from.
Again this week I have an example of this…
Soooooo I came home with a bit extra ‘America’ around my waist. I thought about watching what I eat and exercising but then thought of the hard work that would take. So in talking to a few friends we all discussed fasting and that this was a GREAT way to loose weight and seemingly easier than the traditional methods. Yep a nice easy quick fix!
So Monday approached (the day to change any habit). And thinking today I am not going to eat till 12 and wondering if I could have milk in my coffee I thought….. What am I doing!!!
I didn’t even know who had come up with this idea to fast for 16 hours of the day. Surely this was not healthy for me or those that had to live with me. So I went to the gym and didn’t have chocolate cake for morning tea and thought the traditional methods would have to do- Or I would have to go and buy more clothes!
So my point is why would you let your brand new little baby cry for 5 mins because someone told you they would sleep better- when they are screaming are they sleeping better?? Are you sleeping better with a pang of guilt in the pit of your stomach wondering if your doing the right thing? Googling lactose intolerance incase you have missed some terrible problem that could explain why your baby doesn’t sleep like the baby these books describe!
Does this baby even exist?
The short answer is no.
Yes these books are useful when your baby is older but speak with any infant specialist and we all say that any strict routine is not recommended till after six months.
Your baby will cry and wake at night- they are too little go sleeper 10 hours in a row.
You will adjust and get used to the new challenges in each day.
I always encourage people to understand the ‘why’ of the change rather than ‘what’ to do about it. So just like my new figure I understand why it has changed (the pizza was great in the US) and the what is going to take me some time not a quick fix. Yes some serious sweat is needed.
The sensible sleep solution is a great guide to help you understand your baby- Brooke is our fantastic sleep psychologist who has discussed all of these changes and challenges on The Baby Manual.
If you want to find out why things change and what you can do to make things easier join us today on The Baby Manual