One of the best blog posts I've encountered in a while...

This article is amazing. Amazing because it's so true, and so lighthearted about it.

First of all, go read it, and laugh at it:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ava-neyer/i-read-all-the-baby-sleep-advice-books_b_3143253.html

I think I love it not only because it's funny and doesn't take anything too seriously, but because this is how I feel when researching/stumbling across anything parenting-related. There is so very much out there, and it all contradicts each other. And it's so horrifyingly detailed. There are so many methods that promise you success/a good sleeper/a well-adjusted child if you just cross every single t and dot every single i, and beware if you don't, because then you'll create bad habits/scar your child for life/never sleep again/any number of terrible fates.

There are a lot of pieces of advice this article references. And for every one, the following things are going to be true:

For some babies, it worked like a charm, and magically turned a terrible sleeper into a good one.

For some babies, it prevented a lot of problems later on.

For some families, it was the obvious right choice to make.

For some families, it didn't feel right at all.

For some babies, it was terrible and failed miserably.

For some babies, it created bad habits that backfired, leaving some mothers desperately wishing they hadn't followed so-and-so's advice.

White noise. Crying it out. Co-sleeping. Nursing to sleep. Strict schedule. Whatever it is, it worked beautifully for some, and was a terrible experience for others.

And you know what? Each of these methods, no matter how different they are from each other, has produced healthy, thriving children. Because babies are different, families are different, and children thrive best when they are in healthy families.