From the moment you’re born you’re told you can do and be anything you want. “It’s ok to be different,” they say. We drill into our children’s mind that they don’t have to be like the masses, and they should do what’s best for them.
Then you become a parent and suddenly everyone has a “my way or the highway” attitude. What happens to being ourselves? What happens to all the love we were given before about living our lives the way it works for us? Not only does everyone have this attitude but it’s completely contradictory as well. You have veteran moms telling you pureed baby food is the best way to go and then in the same mommy group someone is telling you that if you don’t do baby led weaning you’ll be dealing with a picky child for the rest of your life. If you rock your baby to sleep and then place them in the crib, you’re spoiling them, and they’ll never fall asleep on their own but if you do sleep training you might as well start the therapy now.
Seriously, guys, stop the madness.
Every baby is different.
I don’t know your baby so I can’t possibly sit here and tell you what’s best for them. If you ask, I can offer suggestions on what’s worked for us. Even that might not even help because every child is different. I think we forget that our sweet tiny babies are just as human as we are. For example, my husband has trouble sleeping at times and I don’t. I am a fantastic sleeper (where’s my award?). We can do the exact same things, eat the same meals, take the same vitamins, and he would still have difficulty staying asleep. Our brains are different, and that’s OK.
Same goes with your parenting techniques, let those evolve as well! OK, maybe not embrace the lack of sleep. Hopefully, that one is a phase and you both get through it alive and on the other end. Let them be who they are even if it doesn’t match the “perfect” baby next door. That baby probably refuses every vegetable his mom tries to offer. We can’t win em’ all.
