I just want to chime in and tell you that I don't think your plan will work. You are building those habits now. You can't just wait to develop sleep habits. Parenting doesn't work that way. An example: refusing to feed your kids healthy foods because they "won't" eat them. So many people just think one day they will sit their children down, explain that they have to eat good foods, and their children will magically make healthy food choices. Sleeping works the same way. You are the parent. And you are responsible for developing those habits. It isn't the child's job to parent himself or herself. It's yours.

My dear friend couldn't bear to let her first child cry. That child is now 5 and still has a hard time sleeping. She is up at strange hours and wakes them up early. I think they still rub her back to sleep every night. She took my advice for her second after she heard that all 3 of mine slept from 7-7 well before a year old. They let their second child cry it out - I am not making this up - she is 20 months now and ASKS to go to bed. She is a solid sleeper. Could it just be her personality? Certainly. But my money is on the fact that they parented her differently. The first one is a wonderful, curious, sweet girl, so I don't want to imply that she is scarred for life or anything. It's just that having children who don't sleep is so very hard on everyone.

No one is picking on you here. We have lived it. You owe it to yourself and the rest of your family and to the children themselves to develop some good eating and sleeping patterns.

Susanne

gbg @ 31.6
5/2006