On Becoming Babywise

When I found out I was pregnant with Thomas, the first thing my friend and mentor Anna said to me was, "You've got to get Babywise." I had no idea what Babywise was, but she told me that it would help me and my baby to sleep. As any normal mom-to-be, I thought, "Sign me up!" At about 3 or 4 months pregnant, I bought the book and read it through a couple of times before Thomas came. I will admit when Thomas arrived there were a rough few weeks. Nursing didn't go as planned and he had his days and nights mixed up for a few days. What did I do? I called Anna and said, "Help!" She helped me understand how to read Thomas' signs that he was sleepy and once I got that down, he got into a routine and at 7 weeks and 5 days, he slept through the night and has every since.

Now every mother-to-be I meet, I tell them about On Becoming Babywise because I do feel it is one of the best resources for moms. It is not specifically Christian (although the rest of the books in the series are), but it does advocate a marriage centered home and not a child centered home. Marriage is esteemed because without a good marriage, children will not thrive.

Thomas is on a consistent schedule, so I know when he will nap everyday and when he will be awake. It is so helpful in planning my day as well as planning time to spend with Josh. I also don't have to worry that he won't go to sleep when Josh and I leave him with grandparents while we go on a date. He has even continued to sleep uninterrupted though teething. We even went to Louisville when was just 3 months old and he did great. He napped at the right times and continued to sleep through the night.

One thing I have learned since becoming a mom is moms are either for Babywise or against it. Some people advocate attachment parenting and claim those that follow Babywise don't love their children, or their children aren't thriving, but that certainly hasn't been my experience. I believe that since we have set a firm foundation of good sleep habits from the beginning that Thomas is a happier baby and I'm a better mama.

The other week I found a blog dedicated to answering questions and sharing insight into the book On Becoming Babywise. Even though I've read Babywise several times, it was nice to see how another mom has implemented the principles. You can read her blog here.