I have two girls, ages 4 and almost 2. Both of my daughters were adopted at birth. I started BW with my oldest when she was 15 weeks old. She was short napping because she would wake for the paci. I knew she needed more sleep than she was getting. A friend had given me the Babywise book and I decided to check it out. I started immediately sleep training my daughter. Within a week, she was not crying when laid down to nap and she was sleeping 1.5-2 hours for her naps (instead of waking at 45 minutes for her paci).
So many people hear the word “Babywise” and automatically think of sleep training and a baby crying. But Babywise is so much more than that! My 2nd daughter came along when my oldest was just over two years old. I startedBW with her from birth. Exposed to drugs in the womb, my youngest had stomach issues that made her have reflux-like symptoms. There is no doubt in my mind that the routine and predictability of Babywise helped her condition to be easier to manage and helped me know exactly what she needed and when. I always felt so in tune to my both of my baby’s needs and I know that was a direct result from doing BW with them. I didn’t have to guess whether they were tired or hungry and, for the most part, they never even had to cry to alert me that they were tired or hungry – their needs were always met before it got to that point!
I absolutely love the predictability and consistency BW has given our entire family. The girls know what happens next (because of our daily routine/schedule) and our family runs like a well-oiled machine because everything has a place and time. There is no resistance to bedtime/naptime in our house because the girls just know that is part of their daily schedule.
When the girls were little (as in 2.5 yrs old & 6 months) Babywise was seriously a life-saver! Taking care of two little ones like that was a challenge (especially with a baby recovering from exposure to drugs in the womb), but BWgave me the tools I needed to not just survive those months but to actually feel like things were under control (for the most part!) and every one’s needs were being met – including mine and my husband’s.
At ages 4 and (almost) 2, I still have my girls on a predictable routine/schedule. I have two girls who sleep 11-12 hours at night with a 2-3 hour nap every afternoon. They are so well rested, we don’t have meltdowns constantly. My children are pleasant to be around. I know as we begin our homeschooling journey having them used to being on a schedule is only going to help make our homeschool run as smooth as possible.
Family life does not have to be filled with chaos all the time because “that is just how it is with little kids in the house”! Sure, there are times when things are chaotic around here, but ultimately you can describe our family as one with order, predictability and consistency to every season of our lives even when things seem to be “out of sorts” due to certain circumstances.
I am thankful to God that He allowed me to learn about BW when my oldest was still so little and I am so thankful for the stability BW has brought my family of four.
-Eliane from faithfullyinfertile.com