Raymond Parenting

Hi Kitty,

Just wondering if you will have a manual soon for 6 to 9 months as my little one will be 6 months next week and I am just wondering what I should be doing at this point.

Thanks so much!

By Kristie on May 3, 2010

Kitty, thanks for giving us something for the 3 to 6 month old babies.  Meeting you was the catalyst that we needed to start sleep training our little guy, who just turned 4 months.  Never mind how exhausted I was, my son was the one who was suffering because he wasn’t sleeping well.  We decided to do the sleep training all at once, night time and naps.

Now, he’s getting more sleep and is happier and more chipper when awake.  Now, he falls asleep on his own (he only cries for a minute or two to release the stress in his body) and he can soothe himself back to sleep when he does wake up.

I’ll be passing your name on to all the new parents I know and telling them to be brave and battle through a few stressful days and nights to come out on the other side with a more calm and happy baby.

Thank you,

Tania

By Tania Thompson on May 3, 2010

That’s great Kitty!  Thank you for continuing to put out helpful suggestions. We are working with our infant to help him become a better sleeper. It’s not ideal but our lives are not at all chaotic. There’s time to rest, clean, be with our toddler and see friends. That’s pretty good for three weeks after our son’s birth.  It wouldn’t have been possible without your help.  I look forward to learning more as the months go by.

By Alexandra on May 4, 2010

Hi Kitty,

My daughter Clare is going to be one and I wonder if she needs some changes? Is ready for just one nap in the day? We have been following your advice for four months and she still cries each time I put her down. I am hopeful that by the time she goes to college she will have given up crying at sleep time In all seriousness though do many babies cry months into their sleep training? I think a continued manual would be great. Are you working on one for older babes?

Thanks for the last four months of peaceful nights!

By Ashley on May 4, 2010

Hi Kitty,

I was just wondering if you had read the book My First 300 Babies by Gladys Hendrick. It’s quite old but the author shares many of your ideas on “baby training” and I have used her schedules on my 6 month old son since he was 2 months old. It’s slightly different from yours (2-3 naps instead of 3-4) but many similarities, and I find my son to thrive on it. Just thought I’d let you know that I definitely agree with you on scheduling baby!

Thanks,
Katrina

By Katrina on May 5, 2010

Hi Kitty, I downloaded both sleep manuals and am trying to follow the 3-6 month one now. He is 3.5 months and is just recently sleeping 11 hours a night. I put him back down 1-1.5 hours after he wakes from each nap but he only sleeps 45 mins - 1.25 hours at each nap. Any suggestions on how to prolong his nap periods?

By Carla on May 31, 2010

I’m very pleased to hear that families are benefiting from Guidelines for Babies 3-6 Months.  I promise I will get to work on the next installment, for babies who are 6-12 months.  Thank you all for the encouragement. I haven’t read the book Katrina mentions in her comment but I appreciate her recommending it.  Some times the best ideas are’tried and true.’

For Ashley, yes some babies always require some protest time to get themselves relaxed and ready to go to sleep.  Plus, it’s normal for children to wish you would change your mind about putting her to bed.  You can just consider her crying to be part of her bedtime routine.

By Kitty Raymond on June 3, 2010

I just started the sleep training last night and my daughter cried for about 1.5 hrs and was asleep.  I put her down for her nap this morning and she only cried for 3 min and was out.. I was completely in Awe!! Anyway she has now been sleeping for almost 3 hrs.. do i wake her or let her sleep.. just don’t want to have her sleep to long in day so won’t sleep at night.. any suggestions??

By Chiara on June 10, 2010