sleep training

Sleep that is. But like sex, when you’re not getting enough, it’s all you can think about, because, duh, sleep is important! There's a reason forcing people to stay awake is classified as a torture technique. We know newborns wake constantly, needing to be fed and changed. We're prepared for a few months of pure exhaustion. But when those months turn into years, life can get pretty difficult.

I'm closing in on 18 months with a child who just will not "Go the F**k to Sleep," and his sleep habits, or rather lack of, absolutely dictate my life. I've read all the heavy hitters (Ferber, Sears, Weissbluth) thoroughly confusing myself in the process. I've tried some version of every reputable sleep-training method out there, and if one more well-intentioned person asks if we have a consistent bedtime routine, surely I will snap.

I'm quickly coming to the end of my rope, and seriously considering turning to a professional sleep trainer. Spending upwards of $500 for a stranger to teach my baby to sleep sounded absurd to my confident, well-rested, prebaby self. It's amazing what 18 months without a solid REM cycle will do for your perspective. Five hundred dollars for some decent sleep sounds like an absolute bargain to this addled mom.

Did you use a sleep trainer? Was it worth it?

Check back in two weeks for the next installment of The (No) Sleep Diaries.

To train or not. This post was submitted by an Anonymous reader in the A Place to Vent group.

My 1 year old has not slept through the night since he was born. Though he goes to bed at a decent time (8 PM) he wakes around 3 AM every night. I've held him, rocked him, tried just rubbing his back, and more, but the only way I can calm him down is with a bottle. Our doctor suggested just letting him cry it out for a few nights to get over this hump. According to the doctor, he is in a routine now and that routine needs to be broken. I'm willing to give it a go, but my husband is hesitant. Is it really that bad to let him cry it out?

Let it all out in our anonymous A Place to Vent group over in the LilSugar Community.

Lots of moms think out loud, and Jo Aaron does too. Catching Flak for Catching Zzzz's comes from the Mommy Brain blog on OnSugar.

My son is 2. When he was 4-months, he gave up his 3 AM bottle, went to sleep at 7 PM and woke up around 7 AM.  By 12 months, he was sleeping even later in the morning. He'd wake up around 8 AM and go back down for his morning nap at 9 AM for two hours. After a playdate and lunch, he was ready for his afternoon nap which lasted for about 2-3 hours. He's still on this schedule minus the morning nap.

Want to hate me more? As soon as I put him in his crib, kiss his little face, start the U2 lullaby CD that my husband is hoping will subconsciously encourage him to be his generation's Bono, within minutes, he's sound asleep. Come on, at 28 months, he still can't say mommy so put your middle finger down, okay?

I get that my kid is not the norm; I get that most kids require a little more finessing into dreamland; I get that most kids like to make sure mommy and daddy see the sunrise or tempt their folks into a deep depression by crying their eyes out before they finally give into the sandman. It's just not his way. Oh yeah, and my daughter is a sleeper too.

So what role did I play in sleep training my kids? Well, it was simple — I read the books, threw out the books, and then bought the right supplies. I also gave myself permission to sleep after the first four months of both of my children's lives.

Want to see what the right supplies are and how the Real Housewives fit into the tale? Read the rest of Jo Aaron's post here. Start following OnSugar blog Mommy Brain or start your own OnSugar blog. We may just feature your content on LilSugar.

How far would you go to get a decent night's sleep? Parents of newborns might say they are willing to give their right arm to get their lil one to sleep through the night, but many are actually spending up to $800 to have a sleep consultant help them through 3 a.m. wakings.

According to a story in the Los Angeles Times, sleep trainers are in high demand, despite the lagging economy. The reporter found that educated professionals are "increasingly befuddled and over-educated parents [are] drowning in information overload."

Sixty-five percent of LilSugar readers took care of their newborns on their own, but plenty of moms and dads are willing to outsource some tasks. Would you?

Some parents would give their right arm just to get their lil one to sleep through the night. They read books, consult the web, and even hire trainers to come in and coach their nocturnal tykes. While there are various philosophies when it comes to coaching your wee one to sleep through the night, Dr. Richard Ferber's self-soothing techniques continue to prevail among sleep-deprived parents.

A new study conducted by Canada's Today's Parent found that 69 percent of parents believe that controlled-crying techniques work if parents implement them properly, but more than half of the parents surveyed said it didn't work for them, meaning most parents don't believe they are implementing the philosophy correctly. A further look at the study showed that parents who enter sleep training with the belief that they can influence how their tot gets his shut-eye were more likely to be successful with the process.

Do you believe that mom and dad can train a baby to sleep?

Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite. If only those phrases were all it took to put baby down. Getting a newborn to sleep through the night is one of the most talked about issues in infant care. Parents become fiercely supportive of their chosen sleep training method and its guru. Marc Weissbluth, one of the nation's most popular pediatricians and author of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child that advocates a modified "cry-it-out" philosophy, is using his blog to take on Dr. William Sears, author of The Attachment Parenting Book: A Commonsense Guide to Understanding and Nurturing Your Baby, which calls for soothing baby until it falls asleep.

On his blog, Dr. Weissbluth discredits several studies Dr. Sears uses to prove that "crying-it-out" actually harms a child. According to Dr. Weissbluth, the studies show that allowing a tot to "cry-it-out" does not affect self-esteem, relationships with parents or the bond between parent and child. What's your opinion on cry it out?