Letters to the editor

Email the editor at j.taufer@utahbabyguide.com and let her know what you think!

Naomi,
Thank you so much for your wonderful article on helping your baby sleep. At first, I thought, "Oh great, another article on letting your child scream it out..." I was so happy to read your response. As a co-sleeping mother with two great-sleeping toddlers, I truly appreciated your words. The idea of crying it out was so unnatural for me. My kids both did so well when I just paid a little attention to them. My second baby did really well as an infant and then went through a short phase at about 15 months when she would cry every time I picked her up to put her in her crib for her nap. For a brief moment, I considered the cry it out method...then I decided to go back in her room and played peek-a-boo with her through her crib. She calmed down immediately, laid down, and fell asleep. She just wanted my attention and to know that it was HER decision to go to bed and not something I was forcing her to do! That became our routine for a week or so. She would cry as I put her in the crib, we would play peeka- boo for less than 2 minutes, and she would fall asleep. After that week, she started looking forward to her naps again and still (at 22 months) grabs her blanket and asks me for "night night" when she is ready for her nap. More moms need to know that the cry it out method is sad and unnatural and leaves moms and babies more tense and stressed than anything.

Thank you again. And THANK YOU to Utah Baby Magazine for being willing to "print" an article that promotes co-sleeping and debunks the cry it out myth!

Charlotte--Provo

Dear Charlotte,
Thank you for your courage to follow your heart that loves.

Warmly,
Naomi Aldort Ph.D.
Author, Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves
http://naomialdort.com/book.html

The baby sleep article, written by Naomi Aldort, appeared in the April 2008 issue of the Utah Baby Guide.