We have three boys ages 3.5 years, 2 years and 5 months – my oldest two are 16 months apart and my youngest is 2 years behind the second. We started Babywise right away with our oldest after I saw how well it worked with some close friends whom I babysat for when I was younger. When I read the book, I grabbed onto the scheduling and the sleep strategies. I had no clue about the controversy the book caused until I started mentioning it to my friends. Ironically, all my friends who disliked the book had children who didn’t sleep through the night! My youngest started sleeping through precisely at 8 weeks like the book says. My second was a little later at 10 weeks and my third has been the toughest, not sleeping through soundly until 16 weeks. He did have a terrible cold with a secondary infection just as I thought he might be sleeping through. And I will admit I don’t let him cry long at all at night so as not to wake the other two. Regardless, I feel have all of my boys sleep through the night is pretty monumental. All of them are great sleepers, only waking if they are sick. When we do have a night when one wakes, I have to remind myself that this is many parent’s reality every night. So thankful! Having good rest has been essential to my husband and I being better parents during the day. Plus, with Babywise, I’ve been able to schedule naps to coincide allowing me to recuperate a bit during the day.
Critics of the book always cite the “cry-it-out” method and the feeding schedule. But I never had to let my children cry more than 10-15 minutes – and that was really rare – before they fell asleep. It may feel like an eternity when you are listening to baby cry, but in reality it’s not long. As for the feeding schedule – I’ve had some of the most well-feed babies! My youngest is wearing 9 month clothes at 4 months! How can people say it will cause you to stave your children when it clearly says in the book to ALWAYS feed your child if they are hungry.
I truly believe if it was not for Babywise, we could not have considered having our children so close in age. It has been wonderful for us! The order and serenity to home life that a schedule that “works for you” brings is priceless. Everyone is more content and well-rested when they know what to expect.