backwards babies

As I sit here and type this, Baby Girl is full out complaining in her crib. She very much resents the fact that she is in her crib for bedtime instead of being carried around by her Mama. Unfortunately for her, she was born to parents who are big fans of the idea of "sleep training" as it is now called and "letting kids fuss it out" as it has been called for centuries. I know that by letting her fuss herself to sleep I am somehow teaching her that I don't love her or some such absolute crap that people think these days, but the child has to sleep. Sorry sweetie, you are 5 and a half months old, the days of rocking you to sleep are LONG over. Fuss away. The only time that we will give in is if she has screamed non-stop with no signs of stopping or slowing down for at least 10 minutes. Tonight we have the slow fuss, characterized by crying noises with no tears, the occasional scream, the angry leg thumping, and the general whining. I am just not going to give in to that. Her bedtime is 7:00 (ish, depending on her nap schedule that day) and she can fuss for the next two hours. I am not picking her up.

I know, I'm heartless. I also use crib bumpers, fed her solids at 4 months (if you can characterize baby oatmeal as "solids"), and think co-sleeping is just bizarre. And I don't mean "it's 6:30 AM on the weekend and you are awake so come lay down with Mama for 30 minutes". I mean the child doesn't ever sleep in her own bed kind of co-sleeping. Crizz-nazy.

But just so the hippies still like me, I do still nurse as much as possible, make my own baby food (mmm.... pureed sweet potato) and I'm a believer in baby-wearing, though I cannot afford those fancy wraps and slings and whatnot.

Just let the baby sleep in her own bed!