https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 27 May 2026 23:12:31 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1891010 Tue, 07 Oct 2014 00:24:00 +0000 lemondrop 1891010@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Every baby is different-</p> <p>My first was on a schedule for the first several months (due to NICU and weight gain problems) didn't sleep through the night until over a year old. </p> <p>My second was fed on demand and slept through the night most nights right off the bat. </p> <p>No matter what, you will definitely have sleepless nights despite everything you try. You just have to be open to find a technique that works for your baby. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890934 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 21:01:00 +0000 Kemma 1890934@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think the best idea is to read a few different books then pick out the info and advice that speaks to you and your parenting style. At the end of the day you're not going to know what's going to work until your LO arrives and like my midwife used to tell me - "your baby hasn't read any of those books!" </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890929 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 20:54:21 +0000 Skadi 1890929@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We did Babywise and <b>loved</b> it. Like Mrs. Lion said, I think a lot of the negative associations come from misinformation. Babywise does not say to starve your baby or anything of the sort.</p> <p>Our LO is 8 months old. We've been laying her down awake but drowsy since we sleep trained at 11 weeks. I had to exclusively pump from the start. She was always above the 50th percentile--in fact, she actually got up to the 92nd percentile and the pedi was a little concerned about her weight, but said that breastfed babies usually come back down...which turned out to be true, she's now staying steady in the 62nd percentile (we didn't change our routine or the amount we fed her, she just slimmed down on her own). So for us, one might draw the conclusion that BW made our baby fat. :silly: </p> <p>I felt that the Babywise books were a little too vague on the feeding time and amount recommendations. For that reason, I really loved Moms On Call (it's an ebook written by two nurses, has been recommended here on HB before). They lay everything out very clearly, and you can tweak the schedule to suit your baby's needs.</p> <p>I have zero regrets about doing BW. Our baby wakes up happy every time. She goes down for her naps without a fight. She doesn't wake up in the middle of the night. She's well-rested and healthy. I honestly think that it helped me as much as it helped her, because allowing me to get a good night's sleep so early has helped me become better able to be the kind of parent I want to be. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890889 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 20:10:16 +0000 matador84 1890889@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I read babywise before I had my first child. Once I actually had a baby I saw how absurd it's methods are. I do know people IRL who have done babywise and toddlerwise but it was not for me.</p> <p>I was only able to take 8 weeks off with my first child also. I think a lot of my stress was caused by thinking I needed to get him on a schedule when I went back to work. I did everything different with my daughter, no/extremely loose schedule and learned more about reading her hunger and sleep cues and she has pretty much sttn since I brought her home from the hospital. Go figure! To each their own...one thing I've learned is you can read all the books and you'll just have to do what works for you and your baby. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890878 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 20:02:39 +0000 meredithNYC 1890878@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Eh, if you're interested and think you and your partner and baby would benefit from more of a routine-based approach, give it a go. Honestly, people freak the f out about Babywise but if you are a normal, sensible and educated person (which it seems you are) then you will use what works/ not bother with what doesn't.</p> <p>I never read Babywise, but I did sleep train my daughter at 3 months when strangers on the internet all but told me I was condemning my baby to a life of misery and guess what? She took to it wonderfully and is a contented child and good sleeper to this day (aged two and a half).</p> <p>My point is, trust your instincts and go with what feels right for you and your family - even if it isn't the popular choice. You will be great! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890850 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 19:32:49 +0000 blackbird 1890850@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lion: you mean it's not for everyone like all parenting things?! Tell me more! Lol </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890849 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 19:32:30 +0000 erinpye 1890849@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'd wait to see what your baby is like before implementing any kind of schedule. Also, just fyi Ezzo (author of Babywise) isn't widely respected: most professionals in the pediatric, breastfeeding and child development communities vehemently oppose his methods. Check out ezzo.info. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890839 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 19:23:44 +0000 Mrs. Lion 1890839@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@blackbird: lest anyone think I have this schedule thing all figured out...I wrote this blog post a while back ;) </p> <p><a href="http://www.hellobee.com/2013/10/07/i-am-not-a-schedule-person/" rel="nofollow">http://www.hellobee.com/2013/10/07/i-am-not-a-schedule-person/</a></p> <p>We were more routine people. But, aside from the strict time based schedule we did all the other stuff. And I do think it worked, at least the teaching him to go to sleep on his own did. And I became really good at learning his cues...what meant sleepy, what meant hungry, what meant bored, etc. I didn't always offer food because the reality (for us at least) was that most of the time food wasn't what he needed. But, to each their own. It isn't for everyone, and that is okay! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890830 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 19:17:12 +0000 blackbird 1890830@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lion: ah that's good to hear! I did well with a routine/schedule-helps me keep my sanity-so I'm hoping to implement one this time: if not, I tried </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890828 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 19:14:53 +0000 Mrs. Lion 1890828@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@blackbird: haha that was kinda my thought...I figured the NICU nurses HAD to know more than I did as a first time mom. And following their lead worked WONDERFULLY for me. My child was almost always happy, slept well, ate well, and has developed perfectly fine and is a secure, happy toddler. Even when I was nursing, with the exception of growth spurts, we had no issues with going 2-3 hours between feedings. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890786 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 18:26:26 +0000 blackbird 1890786@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pmrlady: yeah I mean, it worked well for E, who was bottle fed. But it wasn't conducive for nursing. I understand not wanting a baby who snacks, though. It's just easy to BF every time a baby is upset since they're working to establish supply </p> <p>But yeah every time someone says schedules are the devil, I'm like....well hospitals do it, so it can't be THAT bad, lol </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890698 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 16:29:50 +0000 Zbug 1890698@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Just echoing that baby wise seems unnatural and could cause breastfeeding issues. There are important reasons babies wake up frequently to eat. It's natural, and they were designed to do so! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890672 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 15:51:29 +0000 JennyPenny 1890672@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We followed Baby Whisperer and tips from a research paper (that unfortunately I can't find right now) starting around 2 weeks. I'm not familiar with BabyWise, but the tips from those encompass all of the key concepts you've listed above. At 9 weeks we get at least a 6 hr stretch, often 7 and occasionally 8 hrs. We followed the idea of a routine, and not a schedule. </p> <p>Here are the notes I copied down from that research paper:<br /> - avoid holding, rocking or nursing children to sleep<br /> - establish a scheduled focal feed between 10pm and midnight<br /> - high stimulation during day, low stimulation at night<br /> - light during naps, dark during night time sleep<br /> - delayed reactions to night wakings (make sure they are really crying, not just wimpering)<br /> - once confident baby is gaining weight steadily, try responding to first night waking with soothing such as reswaddling or a pacifier. If baby still cries, then offer a feeding. (we've only done this a handful of times, cause if I don't feed, my boobs pay the price :-/) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890652 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 15:37:31 +0000 loveisstrange 1890652@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I never read the book but we implemented some of the ideas in regards to sleep. I read a lot of sleep stuff on the blog Chronicles of a Babywise Mom. We did the strict bedtime, implemented a routine at about 2 weeks old, made sure to emphasize day and night so that she knew the difference, etc. We made sure to keep her bed and nap times extremely scheduled. I was kind of a nut about it. But hey, it worked for us. My daughter started long stretches (7-8 hrs) at 2 weeks old and was STTN straight through at 6 weeks. By 6 months, we night weaned and she was doing 14 hours straight through and taking 2 2 hour naps, right on schedule. </p> <p>I cant speak to the feeding recommendations, because we didn't do that... but I think the sleep stuff works. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890563 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 14:32:52 +0000 Mrs. Lion 1890563@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pmrlady: i dont think there is anything controversial about feeding babies every 2-3 hours...i think some people heard through the grapevine that babywise means you only feed baby when the clock says to, and that simply isnt the case. I think it has become controversial mostly because of misinformation. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890554 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 14:29:08 +0000 Adira 1890554@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pmrlady: Very similar! I think the biggest difference is maybe just that you don't put them on a set schedule - it's more a routine. So you might end up feeding them every hour if they don't stay awake or sleep for very long! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890546 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 14:24:49 +0000 pmrlady 1890546@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lion: thanks for the additional info</p> <p>@ShootingStar: @jetsa: thanks for the advice. I was thinking about pumping early to maybe build up a freezer stash in case I have hiccups with my milk supply when going back to work. I was planning on waiting until LO is 4 weeks old to start pumping and bottle feeding...I also thought it would be nice for DH to be able to bottle feed and bond with the baby early on. But again all my plans might go out the window when she actually arrives hehe </p> <p>@Adira: thanks for the detailed explanation. It seems similar in many aspects to the babywise method. </p> <p>@blackbird: @Mrs. Lion: I find it interesting that the NICU keeps premature and sick babies on a feeding schedule, while at the same time the babywise book is considered controversial because it advocates for a feeding schedule and can potentially lead to failure to thrive. Maybe the NICU can do it because they measure exactly how much the babies are eating? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890524 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 14:08:05 +0000 jetsa 1890524@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pmrlady: I agree with @ShootingStar: completely! Pumping and feeding is incredibly difficult. Also you don't need to know how much LO is getting your body has kept her happy and growing so far it will continue to do so once she's here. I went back to work at 5.5 weeks and did fine with not pumping until I returned to work, your body will understand. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890522 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 14:05:13 +0000 Mrs. Lion 1890522@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pmrlady: i found this comparison between aap recommendations and actual quotes from the babywise book. I think the controversy comes from a lot of misinformation, but this may clear some of that up. </p> <p><a href="https://www.gfi.org/java/pdf/AAP_BWise.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://www.gfi.org/java/pdf/AAP_BWise.pdf</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890509 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 13:59:41 +0000 ShootingStar 1890509@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pmrlady: Don't worry so much about pumping in the early days, or about how much she's getting. You'll figure out pretty quick when she's hungry, then just feed her. Pumping with a newborn is easier said than done and puts a lot more stress on you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890505 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 13:57:53 +0000 Adira 1890505@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We did EASY from the Baby Whisperer books and Xander was sleeping 7 hours at night by 10 weeks (but Xander was also a very easy baby, so no guarantees this will work for yours).</p> <p>EASY is Eat, Activity, Sleep, You. Basically when your baby wakes up, you feed them, followed by an activity so you aren't nursing to sleep. When they are tiny, that activity might just be changing their diaper to keep them awake before they fall back asleep. But if you keep up with it, they'll (supposedly) get used to falling asleep on their own and not nursing to sleep. While they sleep, you have you time. When they wake up, you just start EASY again, no matter how much time has passed. You also don't let them sleep longer than 2 hours at a time during the day (after 4+ weeks) so that they don't get nights and days mixed up and will do their long stretches of sleep at night.</p> <p>That being said, Xander could always self-soothe and we never really did anything in particular to teach it to him. I started EASY at 3-4 weeks and it just worked for us and him. No guarantee it will work for you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890489 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 13:52:36 +0000 pmrlady 1890489@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@scg00387: @ElbieKay: that's good to know, I didn't realize there was controversy surrounding this book.</p> <p>Thank you everyone for the replies. I guess I'll try some of these methods but obviously I'll end up doing what works for the baby. I realize every baby is different and I'll just have to wait and see what she's like. I am planning to pump and bottle feed early on so that I can monitor exactly how much she is eating, and get used to pumping for when I go back to work. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890475 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 13:45:50 +0000 Mrs. Lion 1890475@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I believe pretty strongly that baby wise is safe for babies. A lot of the stuff circulating on the Internet just isn't true. </p> <p>That said, we did follow the principals, except we had a really hard time getting a strict schedule (mostly because I was at home and didn't want to stick to it). Unfortunately for us lo didnt sleep all night (12 hours) until recently at 17 months, but that is just because it doesn't work for everyone.we had one middle of the night wake up every night consistently...at first for an additional feeding, and then due to hard core teething. Lo has always been able to fall asleep on his own, and I honestly do believe it was partially because we followed these strategies (loosely) from the beginning. We never had a need to sleep train because we formed habits from the beginning. Lo was on an eating schedule from the beginning due to being in the nicu, and so we continued this pattern as well. </p> <p>Chronicles of a baby wise mom is a great blog with an incredible amount of info on how to implement if you are interested in learning more. I think the biggest thing to know though is that a lot of experts make promises about getting your baby to sleep through the night, and a lot of them are very helpful, but none of them are magic and none of them work 100% of the time. </p> <p>That said, I will be loosely following baby wise again with baby number 2, and am hopeful it will be even more effective next time!</p> <p>ETA: baby wise does not advocate withholding food from a hungry baby. Ever. It does say parents should try to encourage full feedings instead of snacking all day, and also not to immediately assume every whimper is a cry for food, but also says very clearly that if your baby is hungry you should feed them. Every time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890473 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 13:44:52 +0000 catomd00 1890473@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'll preface this with I haven't used BabyWise and I don't agree with it at all, but still I'll tell you what I told my BFF when she was considering babywise while pregnant:</p> <p>1. Good luck with that and be careful.<br /> 2. You really don't know what will work not only for baby but for you until baby arrives. Before I had my daughter, there were lots of things I thought I would or wouldn't do. That all changed when she was born. Rarely because it didn't work for her, and mostly because it didn't work for me (e.g., it didn't feel right, good or natural.) I've surprisingly and unexpectedly become a bit of a crunchy mama.</p> <p>To each their own, you have to do what you have to do for your family. But, do your research. Scheduling and limiting babies feedings that early can be detrimental (if you're BF to your milk supply) but also to the baby's health and development.</p> <p>FWIW, my baby slept 4.5 hour stretches from day 1 with no interventions. I just followed baby's lead. </p> <p>I think my take away advice is do your research into a few different methods, then wait and see what works for you and baby and see what baby's natural tendencies are first. You might have a great sleeper, or you might not. You never know. Also, babies needs change so frequently when they're that young that what "schedule" works for the first month will probably totally change the next month... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890466 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 13:40:31 +0000 catlady 1890466@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I remember reading the Baby Whisperer book when I was pregnant and thinking that many of the ideas made sense. Then LO was born and it all went out the window. "On demand" feeding was the only thing that made sense for us. The "sleep prop" thing is easy to talk about before you have a baby, but seriously when you are so tired that you can't even stand, it is impossible not to give in to the paci or swing or swaddle (or all three, as we did!). Unfortunately, you really cannot know what type of baby you are going to get, and I think that luck plays a huge role in whether your baby sleeps well at the beginning. FWIW, I know people who did some sleep training at 2 months and it worked for them. But for our baby, it would have been too early. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890462 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 13:37:23 +0000 ElbieKay 1890462@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Baby Wise has been linked to failure to thrive for newborns. Please spend some time learning to read your baby's cues before you force him/her to conform to a schedule that could be detrimental to his/her development. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890450 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 13:33:44 +0000 KayKay 1890450@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Like most other parenting methods, I think you can take what you like from this one and see if it works for your kid. I did read the book, and things we tried to do were: make sure LO ate a "full meal" every time she nursed, did our best to follow the eat-play-sleep routine, and planned to feed every 3 hours so not just assume that she was hungry immediately if she started crying. The things I found not applicable for LO were: 30 minutes to eat a full meal (I had a super-fast letdown and she rarely ate for longer than 10 minutes!) and only feeding every 3 hours during a growth spurt. FWIW, we ended up doing some sleep training, and she didn't officially STTN with no wakings until 10ish months. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890447 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 13:32:01 +0000 lady grey 1890447@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pmrlady: Like @Mamasig my LO would have never waited 2-3 hours between feedings. He was a pretty fussy baby and wanted to comfort nurse a LOT. He also would never fall asleep on his own if I put him down awake, he was nursed to sleep most of the time. That said, he naturally started sleeping 5-6 hours in the first part of the night by 2 months. It all fell apart with the 4 month sleep regression and we ended up sleep training using the Sleep Easy Solution. </p> <p>I think you'll have to wait and see what your baby is like. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890404 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 13:14:51 +0000 ShootingStar 1890404@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think all of their concepts are goals you can work towards, but in reality may be easier or more difficult than you expect. Babies need what babies need - personally I am not ok with stretching out baby's feeds until they're ok with it. Babies know when they need to eat, and they know when they need comfort. I'm also not going to put down a newborn wide awake and expect them not to cry, and ignore if they do. But that's where my comfort level is. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-have-experience-with-babywise-book-method-for-getting-baby-to-sttn#post-1890388 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 13:08:32 +0000 vinomama 1890388@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We didn't do babywise but I swear by the Baby Whisperer books. They are similar in regards to schedules and teaching baby how to sleep, vs relying on props, but Baby Whisperer is also big on learning your baby - what schedule they need, when to ditch the schedule for a few days during growth spurts, etc. </p> <p>And yes it worked amazingly. We did all the things you mentioned in your post, starting around 8 weeks old, when we realized we couldn't keep going the way things were. My baby went from being up every 1-2 hours all night long, every night, to sleeping 11 hours every night. Aside from teething episodes, we have not struggled with sleep in the last 18 months and it is LIFE CHANGING to be able to say that. Of course now that I have said it, I've probably jinxed myself :) </p>