Babywise again

Okay, so I got two comments so far on this series........how many of you are reading my posts and not commenting?!
Since Elaine and Jessica both want more from me on this, I'll say a few words. =]
I'm still reading the book through at this point. Elaine, I agree that this book is like others--you can use some of it, and the rest might not work for your baby, as YOU said, Jessica. I didn't have my first baby on a schedule. I probably did what that book would call a demand-feed schedule, and it worked great for us! Even though I was determined to have my baby scheduled according to this book, like my cousin and some others did. I saw how their babies were sleeping through the night at 6 weeks or so, and I was impressed! Well, when motherhood hit me, I found my greatest wishes sitting on the back burner until I found what worked for my baby. Kaylie didn't sleep through the night consistently for longer than week at a time until she was almost a year old. Ashleigh already gives me 5/6 hours straight most nights now.

However, this time around I am trying the feed-time, wake-time, nap-time a little harder, and so far, it works most of the time. Whether it's from trying to work this a little harder or not, I'm not sure. I am not a strict scheduling, non-flexible no matter the circumstances kind of mom.

When I had my daycare, we had somewhat of a schedule throughout the day--breakfast, playtime, maybe snacktime, playtime, lunchtime, play while I cleaned up lunch, clean up time, pottytime, naptime, snacktime, clean up time, get ready to go home. And though I had a general time frame for lunch and naptime, and no mid-morning snack after a certain time, I was flexible to work with whatever our day brought us. For instance--when we had some in weekday school, we couldn't all eat until they were back. When they were all there, we would often eat a little earlier in the day.
So now with my own, I tend to run a little bit the same way--have a schedule of sorts, but do what works for YOU, and not expect what works for others to have to work for you, and if it doesn't, you've failed. That mentality only brings discouragement, not contentment in the calling God has given you. God doesn't expect you to follow others' advice or patterns to the letter, except for ONE-HIS WORD. And since HE doesn't give explicit instructions as to some of the more mundane tasks of babyhood/childhood, we must use the common sense He provided and decide for ourselves what will work for our families.
The one thing I do stress is trying to get all the children to nap at the same time, no matter their age.
In my house, if you are not in school yet, you have to have lying down time. Whether you sleep or not. Depending on your age, you have to take a nap. I used to tell some of my daycare children, you have to close your eyes, even if you don't sleep. Well, Duh. Guess what the result was?!

So all that said--my thoughts on the "Wise" series--I would like to read them all, (esp. the Pottywise one) but know that if I try the methods mentioned and it doesn't work for that particular child, I'm not a inadequate mom.
As far as the feeding part--I do agree with parent-directed feeding. Meaning, I don't want my baby to just snack and get to eat just because she/he is fussing and that may calm her/him down. But I also am not going to listen to crying for another 1/2 hour to 1 hour just to keep them on a schedule if I know hunger is the issue at hand. I felt like that book gave liberty to that issue. But then later to get back on the schedule you had.

For Ashleigh, I'm having to interpret cries all over again, and some are different than Kaylie's typical cries. Ashleigh has a lot more gastro-intestinal problems than Kaylie did, and so I know that feeding when she's not really hungry isn't going to solve that problem. Not in the end. It may solve the initial crying, but end up with the same, if not worse, result. So I have had to experiment with her all over again, to an extent.

So! Now I've said a few things on how I view that particular book. I haven't read any of the others, but aim to sometime. One of my friends and I are talking about buying the series between us to share back and forth.

Jessica, I understand and totally agree with what you said about the "Babywise" people in your life. Becoming a mom really makes you learn how to keep your thoughts on other people's children to yourself, until they ask for your opinion, doesn't it? =] I learned that back in daycare. I'm still learning how to respond to those kind of well-meaning people.

So, any more comments, anyone????? I want to hear more from you!