Recently, I’ve been opening up about the challenges we’ve faced with sleep training our six-month-old. After sharing my experiences on social media, I was flooded with messages from other parents who are navigating similar struggles. It’s no surprise that achieving a good night’s sleep for our little ones is a common goal among parents. However, the approaches to getting there can be overwhelming and contradictory. Should we let them cry it out? Comfort them? Pick them up? Leave the room dark or use a night light? The options can leave any parent bewildered.
Determining the right sleep training method for your child is a daunting task, especially when you’re running on little sleep yourself. We’ve certainly found it difficult, and I know many others can relate. While I don’t claim to be an expert on infant sleep—our nights would suggest otherwise—I strongly believe in trusting your instincts when it comes to your baby’s needs.
Here’s why I’ll always choose to comfort my child:
Not long ago, I stumbled upon a story online that resonated deeply with me. I can’t recall the source or author, but the message stayed with me. The story described a woman’s visit to an overseas orphanage where she was struck by the number of infants in care. What shocked her even more was that none of the babies were crying. They lay quietly in their cribs, some asleep, others awake, but not a single one was making a sound.
Curious, she asked a caretaker how they managed to keep the babies so calm. The answer was heartbreaking: there were too many infants for each to receive attention whenever they needed it. Over time, these babies learned that no matter how long or hard they cried, no one would come for them. So they stopped crying.
I had just given birth a few weeks prior when I read this, and the emotional weight of it hit me hard. Even now, reflecting on that story brings tears to my eyes. The thought of those babies, alone and uncomforted, is gut-wrenching. Here I am, contemplating whether to let my own child cry in an effort to sleep train her. Suddenly, that feels fundamentally wrong. While I recognize the importance of teaching self-soothing, I struggle to balance that with the fear of neglect.
What’s the best course of action? My partner and I have engaged in ongoing discussions about our current sleep challenges. The advice we receive often leans toward letting her cry it out, and we’ve tried that. Yet, each night as she struggles, we question whether it feels right.
I shared the orphanage story with my partner recently, and once again, I found myself in tears. Perhaps it was a mix of sleep deprivation and emotional response, but the story still resonates deeply with me. One of my core beliefs as a parent is to assure my children that I will always be there for them. Critics may argue that part of that assurance involves teaching them to sleep independently, but when I’m lying in bed, hearing my daughter cry, my instincts urge me to comfort her. That’s when we made a collective decision: we will pick up our daughter.
In the future, we may reconsider the cry-it-out approach, especially as she grows older and I gain more experience. But for now, the best choice for our family is to prevent her cries from escalating. We won’t let a timer dictate when to reassure her that she’s safe; we’ll respond when it feels right. If the moment calls for it, I might even let her doze off in my arms.
While I may never truly get a good night’s sleep again (is that even possible?!), I can only hope that those babies in the orphanage find loving homes where they learn they are cherished and that someone will always be there to pick them up.
For more insights on parenting and fertility options, feel free to explore our other posts, including this one about home insemination kits. There are also valuable resources available for pregnancy and home insemination on Science Daily and Fertility Boost kits that might be helpful.
Summary:
This article discusses the emotional challenges of sleep training a baby, emphasizing the importance of following parental instincts when it comes to comforting a child. The author reflects on a poignant story about infants in an orphanage who stopped crying because they learned no one would come to help them. This realization leads to a decision to prioritize comfort and reassurance over strict sleep training methods.
Leave a Reply