Hi Tanya,

First off I will concur that Weissbluth's book, though brilliant, is poorly organized! When I was reading it, it would drive me nuts because his chapters made no sense to me.

I'm sorry to hear that your baby is having such difficulties. I wanted to say that she hasn't "regressed to terrible sleep patterns" so much as she has grown up a bit and her sleep patterns are changing based on her outgrowing the newborn stage (where sleep is totally unorganized and unpredictable) and the fact that she is becoming more social. Perfectly normal, my boys did the same thing.

Do you have a nap and bedtime routine in place already? This is vital.... as it cues your baby so that she knows that sleep time is coming soon.

The pinky sucking thing... gosh I don't know what to tell you. I assume that you've already tried to replace your pinky with a pacifier and it hasn't worked? I would say that the more you go in and let her suck on your finger, the more time you are giving her to not learn to do this for herself. Right around this age, is when my first son found his thumb... I hope that your daughter is able to find hers as well.

Naps are much harder to establish than nighttime sleep. It is a frustrating process... I would suggest working on her nighttime sleep first.

I know it is something awful to hear your baby cry. No mother, especially first time moms want to hear this. But if you are ready to try sleep training, you must know that there will be some crying. This is not a cry b/c baby is in pain or lonely. This is a cry of protest, as in "Hey get in here, I'm not used to this!" If you leave your baby alone, she will eventually learn that your not responding is because it is her time to sleep. I can assure you that I have sleep trained both my boys and neither one is traumatized... they are both wonderful sleepers. They both are very loved boys... they are not anxious because their mom let them cry when they were babies.

Imagine a day when you can put your baby in her crib, say good night and walk away with no crying... and baby closes her eyes and goes to sleep. This is what happens with consistency with this method. You have to have the confidence and commitment to do so though... from your post you sound very uneasy about this method. Have you tried the NCSS board as well?

Good luck to you... if you have any more questions, please ask... we are here for support.

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Rachel
Ryan (4) and Michael (7)
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