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Michael H's avatar

Excellent comment. As an aside, that last sentence gets at one of my pet peeves. A child tax credit would be enough if people would stop blindly mimicking exhausting and counterproductive infant sleeping arrangements. Sleep is so, so much easier for the baby, and more plentiful for the parents, if you nurse and if you use a raised co-sleeper. Not only are parents waiting too long because they think they need to decorate a cute room for the baby, they’re making parenting harder by using that room.

I’m sure some could reply with why my suggestion didn’t work for them, and I always like to hear the stories of individual parents, but I can’t help but notice the aggregate self-infliction of exhaustion.

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Pete Smoot's avatar

The problem wasn't getting enough sleep (although that was a challenge). It was that two kids just wore us down completely during the day.

And in case it matter, yes we did co-sleep with the second one. Didn't matter.

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Michael H's avatar

It probably mattered more than it seemed at the time. Energy mismanagement during the day is another peeve, but I think I’ve annoyed my fellow parents enough for one day.

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