Parenting

Before we had Aubrey and maybe even before he was conceived, Seth and I had been encouraged by several friends to follow Babywise. (And discouraged by a few). We heard of the all the great benefits (like a full nights rest!) and how good it is for the development of a baby. 

When found out we were pregnant, the first couple we told handed us their highlighted, dog eared copy of Babywise. We babysat for this couple, who had 2 boys at the time (yeah...we played parents for a whole weekend! It was good birth control for about a year! :)), and had seen Babywise in action. I don't know if it was the structured routine or the behavior of the kids that drew us to it but either way...Seth Thomas was SOLD. 

Seth started reading Babywise everyday and had finished it well before Aubrey was due. He was set on implementing it from the get go. I on the other hand was a little worried and unsure. (I am not a big reader so I just had Seth give me the cliff note version!) What if it was too much? What if I can't even figure out how to care for a newborn much less follow some strict regimen? I told him I would give it my best shot but if I was a crazy person, it was the first thing to go! (I was not very confident in my mothering abilities! ha)

So here we are, 8 months into parenthood. I am happy to say that Babywise has been sucssessful for us (well for the most part)! Aubrey has always been a good sleeper (I think he gets it from both Seth and me!). He started sleeping through the night (10-6) between 2 and 3 months. A few months later and he was sleeping 7-6. I remember, from the first night we brought Aubrey home, holding my breath as I went to bed at night wondering if this was going to be THE night he would scream ALL NIGHT LONG. Well folks, I have to say it has never happened (knock..no make that BANG on wood)! He is so alert and happy (for the most part). We get off schedule some days but we jump back in the next. He has had trouble with the 45 minute intruder but he is getting better (or maybe I am doing better) lately. 

Now that we are getting closer to his one year birthday, Seth and I are trying to decide how to parent and discipline Aubrey. Since little man is crawling and pulling up, we have had to say NO a lot lately (not fun by the way..poor guy). We have decided to keep going with the Babywise principles. We ordered Babyswise II for the pretoddler (6-12 months). It has some interesting parenting and discipline techniques. They are TOUGH! I know we will only take and implement what we feel is best for our family (like we did for Babywise). 

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I have been following this wonderful blog that has helped me a number of times with sleep problems and other issues along the way. If you have not checked it out before, I would encourage you to. It is great for all stages and ages. She not only writes about Babywise but other books she has found helpful also. So what books have you read and implemented to help you decide how to parent? What has worked and what hasn't?