I express my heartfelt gratitude to Lucy Pasha-Robinson for her insightful and informative article on baby sleep. I stumbled upon it while desperately attempting to get my three-month-old to nap. After countless attempts using every tip available (except for crying it out), I’ve come to the realization that whether or not a baby sleeps is purely a matter of luck.
As Lucy points out, the sleep deprivation itself is not the worst part; it’s the overwhelming feeling of failure as a parent when your baby doesn’t sleep. While I appreciate the well-meaning advice from others, it can be painful to receive when you feel like you’ve done everything right to no avail. It’s difficult to believe that parents who have been lucky enough to have babies who sleep can truly empathize with those who don’t.
We often hear more about the success stories of babies who sleep well, possibly due to the stigma and shame associated with “failing” to get your baby to sleep. Perhaps it’s time for us to speak up and recognize that we are not alone in this struggle. By building networks of sleep-deprived friends, we can genuinely empathize with each other and collectively celebrate those precious moments of longer sleep when we finally experience them.
– Polly Procter, Bristol
As a mother of five children with varying sleep patterns, from a toddler who could fall asleep standing up to a baby who woke up six times a night for months, I couldn’t agree more with Lucy Pasha-Robinson’s article. It serves as a much-needed rebuttal to those who offer unsolicited solutions to sleep problems, including fellow mothers and authors of parenting manuals. Much of this advice implies that you are simply not a skilled parent.
Although my personal experience dates back several years, I still see the same situations unfold with my grandchildren. Lucy hits the nail on the head. Some children are just not predisposed to being good sleepers, and this can occur at different stages. Parents whose children sleep for ten hours or more may have followed a specific routine, but often they are just fortunate to have children who enjoy sleep. Those of us who have struggled with children who deviate from the apparent norm should not feel inadequate or ashamed. While managing fatigue can be challenging, it’s even worse if you constantly believe you must do better.
Babies are unique individuals who don’t all follow the same patterns, whether it’s in sleeping, eating, or their overall approach to the world. Someone once told me that a mother knows her child best. While seeking advice can be helpful when uncertain, often the best guidance comes from the child themselves. Trust your instincts.
– Patricia Russell, Linlithgow, West Lothian
I sympathize deeply with Lucy Pasha-Robinson. Her situation reminds me of the proverbial saying: “The best way to sleep like a baby is to have a baby that sleeps.”
– Siobhán Ní Chuanaigh, Dublin, Ireland
If you have an opinion on any article you’ve read in The Guardian today, please email us your letter for potential publication in our letters section.
(Note: The HTML tags remain unchanged in this revised content. They have been retained for formatting purposes.)
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
