Perks of Sleep Training

I once heard a comedic skit regarding what makes a baby a *good* baby. The comedian went on a hilarious narrative eluding that what folks are really asking is: "Does your baby sleep well". Because hey, lets face it, it's way easier to do the mom life when your baby sleeps than when you're up all hours of the day and night with a cranky, tired baby. And when baby isn't sleeping, ain't no body sleeping, which can make for some interesting stories as you try to do 'all the things' with massive sleep deprivation.

All joking aside, some babies come out of the womb sleeping well, but from my experience, most of them don't. It took me four babies with NO sleep training for me to realize I needed to devise another plan if we were going to continue having children. I literally was run ragged and my health was rapidly deteriorating. I knew if I was going to be the wife and mama all my children deserved (even the baby) I was going to have to crack the code of how to get my babies to sleep through the night before they were two. Especially since we averaged having a new baby every two years. This meant about the time my little one started sleeping through the night we were adding another one to the mix. 

When I was pregnant with baby number five I started reading everything I could get my hands on about getting babies to sleep through the night. Some methods seemed a little harsh and I absolutely refused to let my babies 'cry-it-out'. After much prayer and research I settled on creating a unique sleep training system that has worked for my last five babies ~ Praise the Lord! My favorite books have been On Becoming Baby Wise and the No Cry Sleep Solution. 

Throughout the past ten years and five babies I have found that there are 5 amazing perks to sleep training babies. 

1. Baby eats better.
2. Baby & mama are more rested and less irritable. 
3. Baby learns how to function within a normal, healthy sleep routine at a young age setting the 'stage' for when they are older and are required to maintain a schedule.
4. Mama can better serve her entire family and not just the baby.
5. Baby and mama are less susceptible to sickness due to strengthened immune systems (lack of sleep causes a weakened immunity to sickness)

Sleep training my babies has all but saved my life and enabled me to more adequately serve my family. Being a wife and mother requires a woman to be in her best health, which definitely requires sufficient sleep. Having a baby does not mean you have to live the next several years without sleep. There's a lot of negativity regarding baby sleep training, because people automatically assume it means letting your baby cry-it-out. I can assure you, a baby can learn to sleep through the night without letting them cry-it-out. I've taken bits and pieces of different sleep training systems to create my own gentle no-cry method ~ and to God be the glory because this mama, my baby, and the rest of my family are forever grateful for the Lord's leading on this very sensitive subject. 

With Love & Hope,

Jennifer

P.S. I know folks will likely be curious of what sleep system we having working for our family, but I hesitate to share because each family is different with their own special circumstances. But the jest of it is ensuring the babies are eating enough at each feeding and keeping them on a 'wake, eat, sleep' routine. I NEVER let my babies cry-it-out, neglect to feed them, or snuggle them when they need or want it. My system isn't rigid, but flexible and allows for the ebb and flow of reality all the while keeping the 'routine' at it's core.