Some of the responses to WIO/CIO...

"I think it's about paying attention to what your kid needs that day/night. Like there are nights when my kid is sick and I'll do whatever it takes to get them to sleep...even if that means holding them up on my chest all night. Or if my son is feeling especially anxious or scared about something I will let him sleep in our bed. But there are times when absolutely nothing is wrong and all their needs have been met and maybe they're just overstimulated and need to be alone in their crib/bed and they will probably cry until they fall asleep. And that's actually what they need in that moment. And we mustn't neglect the needs of the mom and dad. Sometimes a parent desperately needs sleep so they can function properly and that might mean they have their kid CIO/sleep train. Or maybe a couple really needs their alone time so that means no co-sleeping. There's no way you can know every single family's needs/dynamic. People can't judge parents who CIO or cosleep or whatever they choose because you don't know what that family's needs are. And every mom knows their own baby best not some stranger or "sleep expert."' -KA

"I'm definitely against CIO. Babies and children need nurturing and by crying, they are showing that they are in need...Studies show that babies who have more physical touch with caretakers and who have not been left to CIO are more stable as they grow. Society today is in too much of a rush to push their children out of the nest so to say. And more 4 month old breastfed son does sleep through the night so a child's sleep pattern should be natural, not forced upon him by making him feel alone and helpless. However, parents who dont believe in crying it out, if at all for any reason they feel as if they might snap or get violent that then they should put the child down then. CIO is better than physically harming a child." - MVC

"We did CIO with our daughter at 6 mo. Well she would cry for like a minute and just fall asleep and now at 3 she sleeps perfect and there's nothing wrong with her. and my son is 18 mo and we didn't have to do it. We just let him sleep in her room and he must have took notes from her." -CG



What are your opinions on Waiting It Out (WIO) versus Crying It Out (CIO)? It's a controversial topic that divides a lot of parents, and even a lot of households, but I am curious to get a RESPECTFUL dialogue going about sleep training/teaching/coaching your child or waiting for them to settle into their own rhythm...

My Favorite Mommy/Baby Apps

I LOVE my iPhone. I was resistant to leave behind my Blackberry but since 2008, I haven't looked back! Now I don't know how I ever survived without my iPhone!

I always used my phone to take photos, blog, Facebook, etc...but now as a mom, it's as functional as it is fun! I decided to put together a list of my favorite mommy/baby apps that I use on a daily basis.

Name: iBreastfeed
Price: FREE
How I use it: This app lets you track diaper changes, breast, bottle or solid feeding, and even has a miscellaneous feature so you can track medications, etc. What I use it for is tracking how long and when Bubu sleeps. It's very helpful to check for patterns, see if there's differences in sleep when there's diet changes, etc. I use this app every single day.


Name: iBaby Feed Timer
Price: $1.99
How I use it: As the name suggests, this app is used to time breastfeeding sessions, or to input bottle feedings or pumping sessions. All of these things can be handled by the Medela app, but I prefer the interface of this app. It also includes a notes section with each bottle feeding so you can write down whether it was formula or breast milk, whether there was cereal in the bottle, etc. This is another app that I use every day, several times a day.

Name: Baby Milestones 1st Year
Price: $1.99
How I use it: I don't use this app every day, but my husband and I open it together every few weeks to see what milestones we can look forward to in the coming month, to see what Bubu is already doing, etc. It explains physical, social and cognitive development on a monthly basis for the first year of your baby's life.

Name: Instagram
Price: FREE
How I use it: Ok, so this isn't a baby app per se, but I DO use it everyday with my baby! I've been using instagram since late 2010, before anyone knew it existed (LOL) and as a consequence, I've been able to easily chronicle my pregnancy and literally every day of my baby's life with my iPhone! The best thing about that is I use services like Stickygram, Keepsy and Blurb to make magnets, albums and calendars with these photos so that I have tangible keepsakes of everyday snapshots of my Bu!



That's about it! I have several other apps of this type on my phone, but these are the ones I rely on most. Tell me about your favorite apps!