Let The Baby Drive

Originally posted onSaturday, December 02, 2006 on my knitting blog

 I read this GREAT new book, called "Let The Baby Drive" by Lu Hanessian (host of Make room for Baby on Discovery Health). No where does she mention 'high needs baby' attachment parenting, or even Dr. Sears. But she has talked about using a pouch sling and a Snugli (although she did say the baby was facing outwards in the kangaroo pouch with his legs dangling.... doesn't sound like any pouch I know of). But she is obviously dealing with a high needs baby, and intuitively doing AP (except for co-sleeping) .

In light of the discussion on CIO, I'd thought I'd share a passage regarding hearing another mom talk about letting her 5 month old cry it out. The baby had hysterically cried for 15 minutes, frantic. He stopped after 3 nights. The mom said it was hard to do, but it worked...

"I want to howl interminably about how pitiful I think it is to let a baby bawl himself into exhaustion alone in the dark. I want to lift the flaps of auburn hair from her ears and shout, "What are you TALKING about, woman? This child is twenty weeks old! He was in the WOMB longer than he's been out here! He has gas! He has a hangnail! He's thirsty! He's lonely! He's disoriented! His incisors are coming in! His Velcro diaper tab is pinching his thigh! And you want to teach him how to SLEEP? He wants comfort for things you can't see! CAN'T YOU SEE?"....."
"I guess I couldn't let Nicholas scream hysterically alone in the dark, because I think of all the trust he has built in us to respond to him. This pool mother has broken her son's night-waking pattern. But if I did that to my baby, I feel like I'd be breaking HIM."

Although my other kids learned to sleep on their own by 6-7 months, Megan didn't. But if I listened to her cues, I could hold her and have her asleep in 5 minutes. I'd rather hold her for 5 minutes (while I check out emails, LOL), then listen to her cry alone for 5 seconds.

Added Later--This was written as a post on the Yahoo "Slightly Crunchy Attachment Parenting" board back when Megan was about 7-8 months old. I was still holding her to get her to sleep at that time, but she has quickly learned to fall asleep on her own. Except when she wakes during the night, LOL.