I Hope You Know What You're Talking About, Dr. Ferber

As far as our new sleep issues with Erin, we are going to follow the rules of the Ferber method. I'm typing this post as my daughter is screaming her lungs out in the next room. Here are the rules to get a baby to fall asleep on their own:

1. Do not let your baby fall asleep feeding, rocking, or being stroked by you.
2. Provide the identical sleep ritual at nap & bedtime.
3. Have your baby sleep in the same place for nap & bedtime.
4. Avoid crutches (i.e. pacifiers)
5. Put your baby down relaxed, but not asleep.
6. If your baby protests, wait five minutes before going in. Do not pick her up. Only touch her abdomen or head. Let her know you are there and have not abandoned her. Leave and wait 10 minutes this time. If she is still crying, go in and do the same thing. Leave again and wait 15 minutes. Each time you add an additional 5 minutes on to the previous waiting time.

Tonight is the first night and we are not going to back down! So far I have given her the last feeding of the night, read a couple books, then put her down relaxed, calm and tired (no swaddle blanket or pacifier). After I left the room, the quiet lasted not even a minute.

I think it'll be a long night. But if this works, then all of our lives will be easier. I know she is totally capable of doing this!