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I am a hardcore Babywise mama. I start implementing sleep strategies from birth to help my babies become great sleepers ( Click here for my post on how to start Babywise from birth! ). It's not easy: it takes WORK. When you put in all that work, time and effort and then your baby just isn't sleeping the way you think they should be it's beyond stressful. Sleep issues can be frustrating and it can be tempting to just say "I GIVE UP!" I've learned over my years of parenting that sometimes there are sleep struggles simply beyond our control. Enter in the high sleep needs vs low sleep needs baby.
Right now I have all three of my children in school. My oldest is going into 4th grade, my middle is entering 1st grade and my youngest will be continuing with a third year in a 3 morning a week preschool class. Babywise techniques have benefited my family in all areas of our lives but today I specifically want to focus on how Babywise has set my children up for success in a school setting:
Whew. Nothing will drive you more crazy as a mom of a newborn as much as GAS will. Gas issues not only can cause pain for your little one, but can also reck havoc on sleep. Gassiness is also something easily overlooked as a new parent who is exhausted beyond belief and simply running on fumes. I've dealt with gas related issues with all three of my children when they were babies. With my first I couldn't figure out why he was crying and seemed in pain. I rushed him to the dr, typical "first time mom" move right?, only to find out it was gas pains! By the time I had my second baby I knew gas was a common culprit and had my toolbox of tricks ready to go to help. Many people think of Babywise as a sleep training book but it's so much more than that. There is actually an entire section devoted to tips on helping relive gas issues for your little one. I have pulled out my book again and again to help me help my babies. I have also learned through the years some ex...
This post originally appeared on Mama's Organized Chaos Summer is in full swing and if you're child is attending preschool for the first time this fall, then this is a great time to start preparing them for the big transition! Here are some simple things to work on this summer to make the first day of school a breeze:
We've all heard the term "sleep like a baby." But as any mom can tell you...baby's most often don't sleep like babies . As a first time new mom parenting can feel overwhelming. I remember feeling SO PREPARED when it came to pregnancy and even labor and delivery but I felt clueless when I got home with my new baby and then had to actually start parenting him.
So often in today's culture it seems like moms are viewed as martyrs. They sacrifice their own joy, their personal goals, their sleep, their relationships, their wardrobe, their time, and so on and so on for their kids. Many times it's almost worn as a badge of honor. Something to be bragged about. I have personally received lots of negative backlash for traveling with my husband {gasp!} without our children . I get comment after comment about how do I possibly find the time to get myself ready each day. I get told I'm so lucky {insert cringe here} that my kids sleep so I'm able to be well-rested. All fellow Babywise Mama's know: it's not luck.
Ahh back to school. I have so many friends rejoicing in the break they now get. No kids at home for 8 hours a day? Such freedom! Then there is me. Me and my 3 year old. She attends a half day preschool program a couple mornings a week but that hasn't started yet so we have all day every day "just us." Don't get me wrong...I fully enjoy this quality time with my 3 year old. Quality one on one time with any of my children is rare but especially with the third one! However, it's often tricky to plan our days when we are down to "just one" at home. When you have multiple kids under your roof all day during the summer you get into a set routine of how to juggle all those balls at once. Now that school is back in? How can you productively spend your day with a little one still under foot? Structure Having a set routine is so beneficial at every stage in life. From sleep training an infant, to surviving home life with a toddler. There are endless bene...
Today is Babywise Friendly Blog Network Day and we're all talking on the topic of "How I Discovered Babywise." I have been blogging since I found out I was pregnant with my first child...back in 2008! This blog has truly covered my entire parenting journey. From before I became a parent to now a parent of three (almost 4!). If you have followed from the start (which is probably like 3 people haha!) then you have seen me grow and change in my personal life but also in my parenting. I know many people say that parenting comes naturally. I just had someone ask for parenting book recommendations on Facebook. I commented my two favorites ( Babywise and Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems ) and then noticed the other comments that said things like "you don't need a book on parenting, it will come naturally!" I know people are just trying to be encouraging when they say things like that. And I'm sure that some women DO feel like parenting "ju...
As a Babywise Mom you are a planner. You have goals. You work HARD to make sleep happen, feeding happen, and for the day to flow a certain way. But y'all, there is no such thing as a perfect Babywise baby . There WILL be disruptions. Interruptions. Days where you just feel like all hopes and dreams and hard work for that schedule just flew out the window. It's okay! Rough patches happen. It's NORMAL. I know when you're living in the rocky seasons it can feel like you're drowning and like it'll never get back on track. When I was a first time mom I would basically freak out and do a constant guess and check to try to figure out what the heck was wrong. Why wasn't my kid sleeping? Why was he so fussy? Was it gas? Teething? Was he allergic to something I was eating? You can literally drive yourself insane going through the guess and check list any mama works through when battling an upset baby! Then someone told me about The Wonder Weeks. Game. Changer...
Today is Babywise Friendly Blog Network Day! You can find my post over on Rogers Party of 5 and today Carrie, from Wiley Adventures , is guest posting here. When my son Shepherd was about 18 months old, we started receiving services for him based on some developmental delays. (You can read more about dealing with delays here) . We had an "Early Intervention Specialist" named Lindsey who came to our house weekly to work with Shepherd. One of the tools she gave us to work with Shepherd through some of his frustrations was the "first, then" strategy. This tool completely changed the game for me when it comes to parenting toddlers. Here's how this tool works. Sometime in the toddler stage, these precious snowflakes of ours learn about making demands when they want something (or even don't want something). It might look something like this: cookie! play truck! Mickey! no share! red blocks! no green bean! chips! The "f...
Today is Babywise Friendly Blog Network Day! Christine is our newest member to our group and she blogs over at Christine Keys . Her blog is simply stunning and I'm honored to have her posting here today on 5 Reasons Your Baby Might Be Crying: Babies cry. Some cry a lot, some cry barely at all, and some fit right in between. The reality is though, that ALL babies cry to some extent. It is their only means of communication. As a mama, those cries tug at your heart. I never fully understood what that meant until I had my own children, but seriously, hearing my babies cry makes my whole body uncomfortable and on alert . During those early sleep-deprived days it is normal to feel completely overwhelmed by the sound of your baby crying. What's worse is that you're made to think that because you're their mama, you're just magically supposed to know what it is your baby wants or needs. In truth, you need to learn the cries of your baby and that takes time. However, ...
There are many amazing, awesome parenting tools to take away from Babywise . Obviously, my personal favorite is the sleep scheduling. But I also am SO thankful for the concept of independent playtime. Allowing your children to learn to play on their own and entertain themselves has endless benefits. Not only are you able to get things DONE during that time period but long term it helps the child to have a longer attention span, be less likely to struggle with separation anxiety, and have the gift of enjoying time alone. I've utilized independent playtime with all of my children and start at a very early age. Here are my personal "How To" tips for successfully implementing independent playtime. Start Early Even in early infancy, I will set up a play mat in my baby's nursery. I will lay them on the mat (mine has overhanging toys) and sit a little distance away from them. I will be perfectly quiet and will be out of their line of sight, but still able ...
When I implemented Babywise techniques with my first born people didn't understand what I was doing or why I was being so "hardcore." Quickly though the benefits of a happy, well-fed, and well-rested baby started being clear to everyone and all of my family and friends became very supportive of my Babywise efforts! Then I got pregnant with my second baby. And SO MANY PEOPLE said "well you can kiss that schedule goodbye with two kids." So I proved them wrong. Baby 2: Babywise Baby 2. Then I got pregnant with my third and again laughter and jokes about scheduling being impossible with a third baby. And here we are. Baby 3: Babywise Baby 3. I think the reason people assume Babywise scheduling isn't possible with multiple children is because we do tend to "slack" more the more kids we have. You have to! Your life can't revolve around one child because you have more than one child . I'm here to say though that you don't have to veer of...
When I started Babywise with my first child I remember my mother saying to me "won't he end up being rigid and unable to be flexible due to this much structure?" I remember replying to her that if that was the only negative to come from having a set routine everyday then I was all for it! I do think it's common among Babywise babies to have some issues being flexible as they get older. They thrive on routine and structure and when things are changed up or done differently, they struggle a bit. As a toddler I really saw this as an issue for my first born. He wanted things done the same way, in the same order. At bedtime he wanted us to each say our prayers in a set order and if something got messed up with that order he'd want to start all over again with the "right" person going first etc. He seemed to go through a bit of a stage where those types of "obsessions" went into many areas of his day. He would get upset when things weren't ...
Today is Babywise Friendly Blog Network Day! I'm guest posting over on Chronicles of a Babywise Mom about one of my most passionate topics: car seat safety. Be sure to check out my post to hear 3 things you may not know about keeping your kids safe in the car! Kim from Team Cartwright is posting here today about life with twins. It's ironic timing of her post because I literally just was the person stopping a mother of twins while at the store a couple days ago. I talked her head off and probably annoyed her to death as she was trying to run errands while pushing a double stroller with two 3 month old babies. Oops. Here are some ways mother's of twins can stay mindful of the attention they are always receiving (and heck, these are good reminders for mama's who don't have twins too!). Twins garner a lot of attention. It’s understandable. There is something fascinating about the idea that two humans came into the world at the same time. Babie...
We've all been there. You're at the playground with friends and it's time to leave. And, sure enough, your toddler has an epic meltdown. How can this be avoided??? Today the topic of Babywise Friendly Blog Network Pinterest Day is transitions and I'm talking about ways to help your toddler transition to avoid those dreaded meltdowns! Toddlers feel emotions in a BIG WAY and communicate those emotions through tantrums, sobfests or just straight meltdowns. Transitions are SO important at this crucial age. Communicating with them, letting them know what's coming next, and preparing them when it's time to switch gears all help them to juggle these tender emotions and avoid meltdowns. 1. Meet Their Needs: It may seem obvious but making sure your toddler is full and well rested are both important elements to avoid meltdowns. All the transitioning prep in the WORLD won't help your toddler avoid a tantrum if they aren't previously set up for success. As...
I have breastfed three babies now and also have successfully implemented Babywise schedules with all three. It is often said that babies can't be breastfed and be on a schedule and that's simply not true. A common way the "haters" will hate on Babywise is to say that it is too structured and ruins milk supply. Again, completely untrue! It's not only possible to have a baby on a schedule while breastfeeding, but it's also beneficial! To have success with both scheduling and breastfeeding here are some tips I've learned through my experiences: 1. Focus on Full Feedings: If from birth you focus on full feedings with your baby, it will help establish your milk supply and also help keep your baby fuller longer which allows them to naturally fall into an eating schedule. A full feeding is typically defined as spending 15-20 min nursing from each breast at each feeding. Anytime you nurse your baby, focus on keeping them awake and actively nursing and ju...
Our children's generation is so blessed as it's a generation where dads are more hands on than ever before. Whereas our father's may not have changed diapers, dads today handle night duty, diaper duty, bath duty and so much more . Even though I'm a stay at home mom, my husband walks in the door each night and immediately jumps into his role as a father. Our kids are growing up with both parents pouring into their lives each day! When our first child was a few weeks old I read Babywise and we began to establish a sleep routine for our son. I tell people all the time that Babywise is hard but worth it. I truly don't know how I would have been able to implement Babywise techniques in our home without my husbands complete support. Here are some of the ways that dads' support is essential to the success of Babywise: 1. Understanding "the why": Sleep training is a lot of long term goals. What you do today helps to prepare your baby for better sle...
Hi! I'm Robyn over at The Robyn's Nest . Emily and I have been friends for almost 7 years now. One of the biggest things that brought us together? Babywise. We had our babies about 1 month apart, and we both were using the Babywise technique. While this is what we had in common and what initially drew us together, we did have one big difference: I'm a working mom. I think it's sometimes a misconception that Babywise is more for a SAHM, or that it's not possible for a working mom. But it so is! It takes some different planning, and it for sure takes a lot of work (but Babywise does for everyone!), and it might take a little modification, but it is possible! Here are some things I think you need to consider if you are a working mom and want to do Babywise: 1- Talk to your caregiver For me, I was very lucky that my mother-in-law kept both of my babies. There was one exception to that. I had my daughter in February, but my...
