Sleeping Through the Night

I think the most challenging aspect of having a new baby in our home has been the change in our sleep. When Luke came home, at five months, he wasn't sleeping through the night and in fact was waking every 2hrs. The reason - partly a new environment, new formula, new smells and sounds etc. He quickly caught on if he cried we'd come in his room, rescue him with love, warmth and above all food. Nick and I initially agreed just to "go with it." It was more important to use this time to really bond and attach. So, we've both been tired since August but because of our decision to be there for him, I think it's made the difference in Luke attaching. Now we're at 11 months next week and two weeks ago he was still waking 3x a night.  So we decided to take action and try teaching him some healthy sleep habits including how to soothe himself back to sleep. It started with the naps. For months now, I've had him on a strict nap schedule but for the past two weeks, I've been unmovable about putting him down on time...no errands, Ellie needing walks, car naps etc. Then we decided to try the "cry it out" method to help teach him to sleep through the night. This technique is certainly not for every parent, in fact, some are violently opposed to it, but after reading, ad nauseam, all the theories on getting your baby to sleep and the benefits of such, we decided to try it. Our Pediatrician also highly recommended it. He told us it would take about three nights of crying and be painful, but after the third, we'd have him sleeping all night.  And low and behold, that's what happened. Each night got progressively better, less crying then less wake-ups until on the third night, he slept from 6:30p - 6:30a. Amazing! He is a happier baby, a better eater, and Nick and I are better parents because we too are "sleeping through the night."