Yesterday I practically shouted from the rooftops about how my husband settled my 15-month-old back to sleep in the night. After three nurslings and seven-and-a-half years of mothering, this toddler sleep thing remains much of a mystery to me. All I know for sure is that I am not willing to let my child cry-it-out.
So what bits of sleep advice can be gleaned from my experience? I have come to these five conclusions:
1. Do what works for you. If co-sleeping and nursing your baby back to sleep help you both get a better night’s rest, then do it!
2. If something …read more

Everyone knows that safely swaddling a newborn can help the baby fall asleep and stay asleep for longer periods of time. Unfortunately, each of my daughters tolerated swaddling for about three weeks and then protested it vehemently. They wanted those little arms out! I could wrap their lower bodies but heaven forbid I try to corral those arms. [Edited to add: Now I have come to question the wisdom of swaddling babies. As always, do your research!]
Later on as I tried gentle methods to improve my toddler’s sleep, I wondered whether I could create a twist on the newborn swaddle–the …read more