Here are our 10 most frequently asked questions, answered for you!

1. “I heard ‘Crying-It-Out’ (CIO) is dangerous for a baby.  Is this true?”

This is completely false. CIO gets a very bad rap, namely by Dr. Sears and his attachment community. He built his entire parenting movement on the premise that you should never let your baby cry, ever. We don’t subscribe to this philosophy because the truth is sleep training by letting your baby cry for short periods of time (15 minutes tops) is not only absolutely not dangerous, but studies show it’s the way to go! Learn the facts about CIO: “Letting Baby ‘Cry-it-Out’ Best Option for New Parents”“Science Debunks Crying Danger”“Baby Sleep Training Methods Safe for Infants”, Why Use PPB Schedules?

2. “I heard I shouldn’t sleep train my baby until he’s older.  Is this true?”

No. There’s no need to wait. Waiting only makes for a harder transition down the road. Babies don’t need a fourth trimester for a reason — they’re ready and able to peacefully join the outside world. Read these posts to help get your baby on the road to good sleep, starting with his first night home: Nursery, Night One!, Crib Essentials, Nursery Organization Must-Haves, PPB Schedule: Birth-3 Weeks, Why Use PPB Schedules?, Ready for the First 3 Weeks?, PPB Baby Blueprint

3. “How do I adjust the schedule times and then catch my baby up?”

Our schedules are meant to be flexible. The only reason we’ve included exact times is to take the guesswork out for you. Not only can you adjust the entire schedule’s times by an hour (forward or back), but you can and should adjust for the expected (and unexpected) disruptions. It’s all a numbers game!

Let’s say you need to wake your baby up 30 minutes early from a nap because you have to get ready to go to an appointment with his pediatrician, for example. You’d then put him down for his next nap 30 minutes earlier than his scheduled time, but then wake him up at the allotted end-of-nap time and he’s all caught up. If he has a hard time sleeping til the end of that nap, get him up 15 minutes before that end-of-nap time, then put him down 15 minutes earlier for the next nap, etc. Get creative with the numbers when you have to and do what you can to get him caught up quickly. You’ll be an expert at it soon enough, even if you’re bad at math!

4. “My baby hates being swaddled.  Will your schedules work without swaddling?”

Our schedules will definitely work without swaddling, but it will most likely be more of an adjustment for your baby, especially if you’re also starting our schedules late. Starting swaddling late (or giving up on it, then starting up again) will likely give you the impression that your baby “hates” swaddling. So if you swaddle your baby from the very beginning, he should have a much easier time with it overall. But also note that babies in general will protest the swaddle being put on most of the time anyway.

If it didn’t help them sleep so much better, we’d say forget it! But it does and they sleep better even when they struggle with it and break-out their arms. (Maybe the struggling tires them out!?) The key is to get it put on tight and to be consistent about doing it. And try not to project any negative feelings you may have about swaddling on to your baby. Read our Swaddling post for our swaddle recommendations plus a tutorial. And remember that you’ll stop swaddling as soon as they can roll over from their back to their front — so if your baby’s already there, don’t start swaddling.  Also learn when it’s time to Stop Swaddling your baby!

5. “I haven’t used a schedule for my baby up to this point.  How do I start late and will I have the same amount of success?”

You can definitely have the same amount of success after starting late with our schedules — it will just take a little longer. Our Starting Late post gives you great tips on getting a late start to the scheduling game.

6. “How can I tell if my baby is going through a growth spurt?”

Growth spurts can be such a mystery, but we’ve addressed them in detail for you in this post: Growth Spurts. Might your baby’s behavior be due to something else?  Read: Overtired, Overstimulated, Baby Gas

7. “My baby wakes early from his naps.  How do I get him to sleep through the whole nap time?”

Agh…isn’t it the worst feeling when you hear your baby crying and there’s still a lot of time left to his nap? We’ve addressed this common dilemma for you in depth, in the following posts:Troubleshooting Naps10 Biggest Napping No-No’s, Solve Early Nap Waking

8. “My baby isn’t eating as many ounces as your schedules suggest. How do I get him to eat more?”

This is such a common question, so we’ve answered it in detail for you in this post: Why Won’t My Baby Eat More Ounces?

9. “Are your schedules meant for moms who exclusively breast feed…and will I lose my milk supply using your schedules?”

You can have the exact same amount of success with our schedules when you’re exclusively breastfeeding! When your baby is born, you should use our PPB Schedule: Birth-3Weeks and choose Option B, which means you’ll be nursing every 2 1/2 hours, for 10 total feedings, around-the-clock. This should help your milk supply, not hurt it. But if you find you need to nurse more often, just adjust the schedule to every 2 hours instead! The key is to feed on a schedule, NOT on demand. This way your production stays up while you’re regulating your baby’s metabolism and re-setting his body clock all at the same time.  Also read our Breastfeeding post!

10. “My baby still wakes in the middle of the night.  What can I do to drop that feeding?”

Your surest bet to drop a feeding is to stop feeding during it! Use our 15-Minute Rule instead to attend to your baby’s night wakings. This way, your baby will quickly learn that crying does not always result in being fed. Also, read our Baby’s Nightcap post to make sure your baby’s getting enough calories to be able to sleep through the night.

 

 

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