Lately, I have noticed that a lot of moms/dads who practice AP think that it is a cardinal sin against Dr. Sears' Eight Principles if you let your baby cry herself to sleep. I respect their opinion, but at the same time, I wonder: if O, at 9 months of age, still refuses to nap and sleep at night, would I be able to keep up with her mentally and physically? I seriously doubt it. Not only would she be exhausted, architectdad and I would be a total mess.
When O started sleeping 10-12 hours/night at 7 weeks of age, we thought we were home-free. Not so. As O developed a sense of her surroundings, she started to refuse going to sleep at night. We tried comforting her and picking her up whenever she cried, but it was not working. Finally, I decided to let her cry it out. It was the most difficult thing I've ever had to do. Architectdad fought against the idea for a long time, but as soon as O started to sleep through the night again, he finally came around. However, like AP parents, we do not let her cry during the day, but then again, she rarely cries.
O is very attached to me and her dad. She is also very friendly to people around her. She is fearless and fun. She rarely fusses and eats well. To give you an example, she has her very first cold right now, but she is still happy and smiling, has not fussed once. She even giggles when we use the bulby-thing to suck out the snot! I may be tooting my own horn, but why not? I am ecstatic that we haven't screw her up!!! Yet...
In the end, architectdad and I follow the Eight Principles of AP pretty closely, without knowing it. Therefore I do believe the method has a lot to offer new parents. However, as with anything else, I am always up for improvisation and alteration. How about you?
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