Did any of your babies come with a full-proof sleep manual, because mine definitely did not! Getting your baby to sleep and staying asleep for a good, solid nap is (to me) not exactly the easiest task. While there are several books on sleep, and everyone seems to have their opinion, I continue to find myself asking questions, second guessing, and wondering what I should do!
With our first, my husband and I signed up for the Birthing class and the Breastfeeding class. I had friends who signed up for a Baby Basics class to learn about diapering, bathing, and general "how-to's" regarding infant care. I've even known people to sign up for a Grandparent class and Big Sis/Big Bro class. Yet no hospital has stepped out in bravery to offer a class on sleep. Have you ever thought why not?
I've read Gary Ezzo's Baby Wise and Marc Weissbluth's Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. I've talked with other friends who have babies, and we all find ourselves in that same, lonely boat trying to figure out infant sleep. Everything sounds easy enough on paper and the books "make sense" when I read them. Then add a real life baby to it, and the whole things seems a bit trickier. What if they wake up early from their nap? What if they are not tired and won't close their beautiful little eyes to get a restful nap? What if it will be time to eat again in the next 30 minutes, but they seem tired?
Another aspect to sleeping that I find challenging is getting your baby to fall asleep on their own. Sleep training is not for the faint at heart, but neither is the decision to rock your baby to sleep. Both present their own challenges and second-guessing, and in the end, there is still a baby that needs to get to sleep (not to mention Mom and Dad as well!). I know much of this comes with age, and as they get older (theoretically) they become better, more scheduled sleepers. But until that time, I'll keep scouring books and the internet, asking trusted friends and pediatricians alike, for suggestions on how to get worthwhile, fruitful infant sleep.