>It is typical in our society that night waking is seen as a problem.  Of
>course mothers are tired if the baby wakes at night.  But it is not a
>problem for the child, and this Ferber method of "making" a baby sleep
>through the night is merely a variation of the old "let him cry himself
>to sleep".  It should be noted that this technique is based on the
>experience of Dr. Ferber, and is not backed up by studies that the child
>is better off being made to sleep through the night.  Furthermore, it
>actually does not work a lot of the time, though it does sometimes.
>Infants nursed to sleep, and nursed liberally during the night,
>preferably in their parents bed are charming (especially during the
>day), secure, and happy.  They will eventually stop waking at night,
>even though it may take a few years.  The payoff comes when they are
>teenagers.

>Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC

I'm with Jack on this one (Remember me, Jack,I was the one wearing the
Lactnet ribbon in Brisbane).
When my daughter started nightwaking as soon as she started teething at 6
months, I took her to bed with me. She woke until she stopped teething two
years later.  It wasn't a problem, once I accepted this as normal behaviour.
Now my 15-year-old teenager, despite my worst fears, has been pretty
terrific in the last couple of years and I have had teachers and sports
coaches recently tell what a delight she is, and how sociable and happy she
is. This at an age when so many are uncommunicative and antisocial.

Lesley McBurney
Brisbane, Australia
NMAA Breastfeeding Counsellor (Clayfield/Wilston Group, Qld)
Publications Revision & New Publications Working Groups
Admin Assistant, NMAA Qld Branch office
International Conference Registrations Committee
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