On Sleeping and Eating

Boo turned 13 weeks old yesterday. She has found her voice and makes happy cooing noises when she plays on her mat or in her seat. Sometimes the noises sound like singing, but that is probably just a mommy overestimating her baby's development. She is getting much better about her carseat, and I am slowly introducing a wrap so that I can carry her around the store, etc. without bringing in the carrier (I think they put a little bit of lead in the bottom of those things).

 

So...sleeping. After little one's 4 month doctor's appointment, I plan to start getting more serious about sleeping. She is on a schedule now, bedtime ritual at 9, asleep from 10-7 with one or two wake ups and three short naps during the day - but I want to slowly extend the amount she sleeps at night - getting her into bed a little earlier so that Dave and I can have some evening time together. I have heard from several friends that this is tough with a breast-fed baby, but then I know others that do just fine from 730 at night to 7 in the morning. I have read the cry it out methods - some seem cruel, others seem a little more gentle and I have read the 'no cry sleep solution' which is very gentle but pretty time consuming. Some recommend starting at three months, others at six and some say the baby will train themselves if you give patience and time. Some say nurse the baby to sleep, others say not to nurse the baby to sleep - some say rock, some say never rock. All of the theories have pros and cons, but it seems like the cry it out methods can have some more serious consequences. I have had to let her cry in the car a couple of times and she will work herself into such a rage that I worry about her. I am not thrilled at the idea of having that kind of rage and fear associated with bedtime.

 

On eating. The babywise method involves Parent Directed Feeding, which puts the baby on a 3 hour eating schedule. All of the lactation consultants recommended feeding on demand, which is what I have been doing, but it seems like there are really nice benefits of the PDF schedule. Both methods ensure that the baby gets enough to eat, but I am just not sure that I like the idea of making her wait when she is hungry at such a young age.

 

I had no idea before I had a baby that this was even something that was theorized about. It seems like feeding and sleeping would come naturally, but that is not necessarily the case. In the end I will do what comes instinctively to us and what works for our family but being a reader and researcher I want to know as much as possible about both sides.

 

On the homefront, we're doing another honey harvest this weekend. We have a larger nuc this time, so we should get a couple gallons - very exciting. We have selected a name for our honey and have started packaging it!

 

13 week pics below!

 

Daddy dresses me after bath time, sometimes he goes a little crazy.