Anyone read the book "BabyWise?"

[marika76]

just curious if anyone has read the book called BabyWise? A few people told me it is good to get your child on a schedule??? Any comments are appreciated? Thanks, Marika

[brekkemdb]

I have found that getting and keeping a child on a schedule is very beneficial to them and us. It took us almost 3 months to get our son on a schedule and now he is doing awesome and we know what to expect out of him at any given point in the day. I know it sounds retentive but it is so much easier when they are on a schedule. bridget

[Inhale, Exhale]

HI marika..
I read the book, followed it and my daughter started sleeping through the night at 10 weeks old. She is now almost 8 months and goes to bed at 7:30 every night, no fuss- diaper change, bottle, lay her down, and wakes up at 6:30 in the morning. I highly recommend reading and following the advice in that book. My friend gave it to me and both her girls started sleeping through the night at 9 weeks. I then passed it to another friend.. same thing.. 9 weeks old and 'sleeping like a baby'.. It can't be a fluke and have worked on so many kids that I know. My pediatrician also agrees that babies and kids love schedules and recommended putting her on one.
How old is your baby?

good luck
steph

[buckeyegal]

I have 3 month old twins and swear by that book! They were sleeping through the night by 11 weeks. But, considering they were born 3 weeks early, that really makes them 8 weeks or so. Definitely give the book a try!

[hhb]

My B/G twins are 4.5 weeks (adjusted age is 2 days - they were due yesterday) and I just started reading the book yesterday. I am loving seeing your responses. It seems like it will work. They're taking turns with their raging/crying fit this very minute - dinnertime through early bedtime - anyone have any pointers?

Buckeyegal - Is it okay if I PM you from time to time? Your twins are going through everything just a little ahead of mine and I'd love to know your progress! Any positive insight is encouraging and uplifting right now!

Thanks-
Heidi

[buckeyegal]

HEidi--congrats on your twins! Boy/girl combos are such fun. I remember a LOT of crazy dinnertimes early on. THat always seemed to be a fussy time for them, but things definitely smooth out. I'm glad you're reading babywise. The schedule is a MUST for twins. By the way, check out the Double Trouble thread on this site. There are a lot of us on it, with infant twins at different stages. And of course, you can PM me! Good luck!

[kholtan]

I pm'ed you Heidi! Kim has great advice and has been my Godsend! She has been my favorite understanding shoulder to cry on while my little ones were weeping down the hall. Just know it gets better every day!

Take care~
Kimberly

[buckeyegal]

THanks for those sweet words, Kimberly....somedays I feel like I am getting this "twin" thing figured out and others......oh dear!

[hhb]

Thanks, both of you. One more question for now: when does the time it takes to tandem nurse two eventually decrease? It's taking me about 30 minutes of actual nursing time (Brooke eats longer than Camden). It never took this long with my son, and I think his time actually decreased as he got older but I don't remember when. Just curious.

I'm sure I'll be in touch with both of you from time to time. Thanks again - off to feed now!

-H

[buckeyegal]

As for nursing questions, you'll have to ask Kimberly....I was able to nurse for about 8 weeks, but Tandem didn't really work very well for me. It caused me extremely sore nips. I do remember that nursing my babies took a very long time, tho! good luck!

[kholtan]

Hey Heidi~
Tandem nursing time varies. Both of my babies are technically done in about 10-15 minutes but at night I let them nurse longer to calm them. So at night we go up to 30 minutes but I NEVER nurse longer than that. In the beginning because they were so small and nursing longer burned too many calories and they weren't gaining enough. Now I don't nurse any longer because I am not aiming to be a human pacifier. They get the majority of the milk in the first 10-15 minutes and any time after that is just relaxing for us and great time together if I am able to do it at that moment. Mine really only nurse strongly in the beginning anyway.

Good luck and I hope that helps. All babies are so different but I hope it is somewhat useful.

Take care~
Kimberly

[hhb]

Hi Kimberly: I just realized you wrote back - I didn't get an email for some reason.

I finished the Babywise book. What great advice. I'm trying to stick to it, even though they are technically only 4 days old. Brooke goes down for her naps great - Camden screams for a while (in fact, I was nervous today that he didn't nurse long enough and was still hungry so I thawed out breastmilk and he wouldn't take it. Reasurring for me that he in fact did get enough, but sad for him. He did finally fall asleep but I had to hold him for a minute to calm him down. So sad, but I guess it will be worth it in the long run.) They both SCREAM at dinner time for upwards of 2 hours. whether they're in their crib or not. I guess it's the whole colic/fussy baby at dinnertime thing, but it's so frustrating. But they're sleeping good at night.

That's great that they nurse so quickly. I think my son nurses pretty fast but my daughter takes longer. This is what I'm confused about and not sure what I should be doing:

Do you nurse, change, then nurse again, or is it 10-15 minutes of nursing, change and then in the crib at night?

And when you're done tandem nursing at night, are you able to put them both back in the crib together, or do you have to put one down, put one in the crib, and go back and get the one you put down? I'm doing it simultaneously now because they're both sleeping in their car seats (not good according to the book, I know, but the visiting nurse talked us into it two weeks ago because she thought they both might have some reflux issues. They are napping on the mattress, though, and I plan to take the car seats out soon...maybe tonight). If they nurse after being changed they're sleepy, but if they go down right after being changed and don't nurse again, they're more awake and I'm afraid of the episode that might ensue if I have to place one down in order to put the other one in the crib.

Sorry for such a long question: these little things are what are so different from having just one. I don't want to make anyone upset or sad, but having two means doing things differently and I'm just trying to find out what other mothers do.

Thanks-
H

[buckeyegal]

Heidi--I remember being frustrated with the timing issue too... my daughter was a speedy eater, but my son was so slow! That's part of the reason tandem nursing was hard for me. My daughter was ready to burp, but my son was just getting started. Good luck to you! I hope kimberly can help you out...

[kholtan]

Hey Heidi~

Let's see. . . First of all, my babies don't eat at the same speed either and never have. That's why we are hangin out longer sometimes but they both stay content on the double pillow forever so I can keep feeding. When one is done I can throw one baby over my shoulder and burp while the other eats. It sounds funky but it's really easy and both babies stay happy.

At night I bathe them, DH bottles one baby the 2 cc's of formula while the other is in the tub and then we switch them, fresh diaper, breast feed, book, song and bed. I literally have them both on my lap in the rocker and then in a one armed very awkward way put each baby down seconds apart into their own crib. Mine don't sleep together at night ever anymore. It was SO sweet but they don't do as well together but they need to be in the same room or they know the other is missing and wake up. Seriously. It's actaully so sweet of them. Also, I always make sure they have a fresh diaper before we feed because changing them seems to wake them up so much. Sometimes I have to change them again but rarely.

My DD had to sleep sitting up for a few weeks also. It just treated it the same as the crib regarding routine. I don't know how you feel about it but I used Babywise as a loose guide not a strict one. For us it works better to go in and pat them, put passies back, kiss them and say "It's alright sweetheart, Mommy loves you." My son will calm right down almost 100% of the time if he knows we are at least close by. Most of the time he goes down w/o a fuss now but the few times he wakes he wants to know we are here and it may not be Babywise but it works for him.

I would say keep doing what you are doing and just keep determined to make it work. You are doing great and your babies will be so much better off for it. Change what you need to fit your babies. Last night I didn't wake the other at feeding time just so I could sit in the peace and quiet with them each and just cuddle with them while they ate. Not a Babywise move but it was the sweetest 20 minutes for each one of the day.

You're doing great! Your babies are still very young and I think you'll find them really turning the corner in the next few weeks. Good luck!

Happy Thanksgiving! hope you have a good one!
Take care~
Kimberly

[Mazy++]

I don't agree with the Babywise book. My pediatrician's practice also told me "we don't believe in scheduling babies". That's not to say not to give them a routine, routines are good for them. But, I have learned that feeding them on demand and meeting their needs when they need them is what tiny babies need most. This is just my opinion however I've found lots of support for it from many others, including Dr. Sears' books, which I highly recommend, they are awesome. He has eight kids and has a great deal of experience. His attachment parenting book is very worthwhile.