I've been using the term CIO or Cry It Out for years. I've never liked it. It's pejorative. "Oh...you're one of those CIO parents. Whelp I'm not, because, y'know, I'm a good parent." It's largely meaningless. And in some parenting circles even the faintest mention risks getting you banned from the group.
It also doesn't really mean anything. I've tried to define CIO or minimally bring some clarity to the discussion. But even with millions of readers annually, CIO remains a vague ill-understood concept to most people.
And it's ugly. It's plain ugly.
In case it's not clear, I'm not a...
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Two years ago I launched the Precious Little Sleep Facebook Group on a whim. I would like to tell you I had a mindful strategy for it, but that would be a lie. As I frequently do I figured, "Sure why not!" and launched it. I expected a few hundred people to join and the group would give them a place to troubleshoot sleep issues and support each other in the struggle.
Within a week there were 1,000 parents, with another 500 waiting in the approval queue and I immediately made this face:
So I did what any rational being would do,...
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In this week's episode, Elisabeth, Franny, and Emily talk about the logistics of feeding your child at daycare. Which seems obvious, you just feed them right?
There's pumping, and formula, and bottle feeding, and all the logistics needed to make those available in the right quantity. As your child grows you move on to solid food which means packing meal and getting them to actually eat it, etc. And there is the added complexity of the morning which involves feeding everybody, getting you and them dressed in something that is not "pajamas" or "Elsa costume", and out the door on time....
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For parents, going back to work presents the challenge of finding great daycare. Which seems like an enormous hurdle until you start daycare, at which point you realize the real challenge of daycare is getting your child to actually nap there. Napping at daycare (or not napping) is the bane of almost every working parent. Because it combines the not insubstantial challenge of fostering good naps with the bonus challenge of getting them to nap in a stimulating environment on a schedule that may or may not suit.
It's the baby nap challenge edition.
Crap Naps at Daycare
The most common issue with...
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Let's have some realtalk about pacifiers. Pacifiers will eventually cause sleep problems for most of you. But the benefits of using a paci are so significant, I encourage all parents of newborns to really try to get their baby to use one for sleep. Yes, even knowing that it will be an issue for many later. It's absolutely worth it.
If the pacifier doesn't cause sleep problems - huzzah! Now you can wait till they're a toddler to ditch the pacifier. And your toddler will happily give up the paci. Toddlers are known for their flexibility after all.
A friend of...
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I'm Alexis and figuring out how to get your kids to sleep better is my secret superpower (I was hoping for the ability to shoot laser beams out of my eyes but c'est la vie). I swoon for pop culture references. I'm not nearly as funny as I think I am. And I believe you can never have too much wine, cheese, or Game of Thrones. 
