I read and started Babywise with my first daughter when she was 2 weeks old. I was in desperate need of structure and control and Babywise was exactly what I was looking for. She was not an easy baby and sleep was a constant challenge. I found stability in the fact that her naps would occur at the same times every day and that I knew how much time I had, regardless of how long she slept. Babywise allowed me to find calmness and stability. Developing a set schedule for her was not easy, and I worked very hard to get it established. I am so very glad that I put in the work because the benefits have been huge. She is now 28 months and is such an amazing toddler. I attribute a lot of our success to Babywise and the Babywise philosophy.
So, when I found out I was pregnant with daughter #2 I was so excited to put into practice all the wonderful skills I had developed while raising my first daughter. I wanted to start right away with the eat, wake, sleep routine and felt like I had a great vision of how it would all go. Right after she was born (Feb 20, 2013), she fell right into the routine. It was so wonderful and the first week went well. I felt like she was going to fit Babywise without a glitch. Then things started getting more difficult. She started waking after just minutes of sleep and she would only nurse for 2-3 minutes then choke and cough followed by refusing to nurse any more. She was also starting to get increasingly upset during her wake times. Things continued to get worse. I know, this doesn’t sounds like much of a success story but it really is. I decided that something was wrong and I ended up taking her to a Pedi GI. We found that she has reflux and was aspirating (with every swallow, milk was going into her lungs as well as her stomach!). It was truly terrifying but refreshing to finally get some answers. We started her on reflux medications and I started pumping her bottles and thickening them so that they didn’t go into her lungs. We starting seeing such an amazing improvement and our baby was finally happy. I believe that without Babywise, I would not have been able to identify the issues that we were having. Without trying to have a feeding schedule, knowing how long I should nurse, trying to have a sleep schedule, etc. I would not have been so aware of the difficulties that she was having. I may have just thought that she needed to nurse all the time or was just a colicky, fussy baby. Babywise allowed me to notice changes in her behavior and to pinpoint what our issues were. If it weren’t for me trying to establish a schedule, I may have never known what was truly happening. She is now 5 months old and is on a wonderful schedule.
I also attribute Babywise to assisting with the transition from one baby to two. My older daughter has such a well established schedule that has stayed consistent through all of this. The consistency of her day has made it so that I could focus on taking care of the baby while providing her with everything that she needs. One aspect of Babywise that I love is independent play. My oldest daughter does it every day for an hour while the baby sleeps. This allows me time to get some things done and be far more efficient as a mother. I get the breaks that I need, they get the rest and developmental growth that they need and we’re all happy. It’s a beautiful thing and I am so thankful for all of the wonderful knowledge that Babywise has provided. I get so many compliments on my daughters and their behavior. I would never want to raise them any other way.
Nicole (Colie) Sandoval
Mommy to Saya (28 months) and Ava (5 months)