Sleep Training the Natural Way?

“On Becoming Babywise“Learn how over 500,000 babies were trained to sleep through the night the natural way”.

This book by Gary Ezzo is an extremely popular sleep-training book. 

After reading the 1998 version of this book, I considered that the subtitle begs two important questions:
1. Is the Babywise baby really "trained to sleep"?
2. Is this method really the "natural way"?

PART I
Is it TRAINING?

In Babywise, author Gary Ezzo uses terms such as “parental guidance,” “teaching” or “helping”  the infant to sleep. An infant, he says, needs to “learn the skill” of sleeping.

The Skill?
Webster defines skill as an ‘ability to use one’s knowledge effectively in doing something.’ Sleep, however, happens quite naturally and effectively, without any training and even in the least knowledgeable of creatures!

Webster’s definition of training indicates there is some form of instruction, education, or discipline involved. Unfortunately for the Babywise trainee, however, the baby is expected to accomplish this “skill” without instruction, education, or assistance. Here are some examples of "Training," Ezzo-style:

“When naptime comes, baby goes down. It is that simple.” (Page130)
“This is one time when non-intervention is best.” (Page 148)
“Also bear in mind that at naptime some crying is not unusual. Napping is a skill. It needs to be learned. Avoid the myth that your baby is signaling a need to be held and rocked every time he cries.” (Page 178)

Another example of Ezzo’s “parental guidance” says:“When your baby awakens, don’t rush right in to him or her. Any crying will be temporary, lasting from five to forty-five minutes. Remember, this will be temporary!”

Most parents help their babies fall asleep. They rock the baby, talk softly or sing lullabies to calm them. Some dance or sway or use similar rhythmic movement to help the baby relax. They use a pacifier or breastfeed to encourage the baby toward sleep. Some lie down next to the baby or bring the baby to bed with them, modeling the desired behavior. This isn't generally considered "training" but are merely common methods used to help babies adapt to their parent's world.

What Should I Do When My Baby Cries?
Babywise has an entire chapter on crying, and describes the proper response for the Babywise mother:

“She listens, she thinks, and then she acts on her assessment.”

She Listens:
She is told to simply listen to the baby cry, noting  how long it continues. Thus she  can establish what is  "normal" for her child.
She Thinks:
As she ponders the "normal" crying she is strictly warned not to react. Her compassion for her crying baby according to Ezzo is DANGEROUS:

“Mother’s decisions without assessment can be dangerous.” and “Emotional mothering can set the stage for child abuse”(Pg 150) [emphasis added]

She Acts:
In this section there is no mention of any action taken! No instruction, education, or encouragement is offered during this “training” period. In fact, the mother is warned against responding to a crying infant, or else she will be “digging for yourself that big black hole of endless sleepless nights into the toddler years.” !!

The book claims most babies stop night waking by eight weeks. However, it turns out that whether baby has learned this 'skill' or not is irrelevant. As soon as the baby reaches the age of eight weeks, mother is instructed to withdraw any and all nighttime attention to the baby, assuring the parents that“Any crying will be temporary, lasting from five to 45 minutes… 

“Most of this takes place over a three-day period and the crying bouts average between five and thirty-five minutes… it takes three to five nights for a nine-week-old” (Page 132) 

CONCLUSION: The "training" described in Babywise is like "training" a person to swim by throwing him overboard!
 
PART II
Is the Babywise method the "natural" way?

1. In the Preface of the book, Ezzo twice calls this program “an infant management system” which sounds more like a factory engineered product than a natural way to nurture a growing family.

2. Ezzo himself admits the training doesn’t occur naturally:

“Expecting babies and young children to sleep through the night is very realistic. But this all-important life skill is rarely achieved apart from parental guidance.” (Page 43) [emphasis added]

3. The  schedule  itself that Ezzo promotes is not “natural.” Ezzo insists a baby's  schedule must occur in a specific order: Eat-Play-Sleep.  Babies commonly, naturally fall asleep while eating. The comfort of being held, the sleep-inducing hormones in mother's milk, and the full tummy helps baby relax and  drift blissfully off to sleep.
But this  blissful moment is not permitted for the Babywised baby. 

“The parents must keep him awake until the feeding is over. Rub his toes, change his diaper…” (Page 111) “… undress her; rub her head or feet with a cool, damp washcloth. Do what you must to keep her awake.” (Pg.175)

Not only are babies kept awake during feeding and after feeding, they are woken from naps! 

Do not let your baby sleep longer than three hours during week one." (Pg 172)
"If you need to awaken your baby during the day to prevent him or her from sleeping longer than the 3-hour cycle, do so! 

This is odd, since Ezzo himself warns that sleep deprivation may be very dangerous to baby’s health and development!

  "Imagine your spouse getting no more than three hours sleep at a stretch for one week…. Now consider an infant whose central nervous system is still developing. Even more is at stake. To what extent, then, does sleep deprivation negatively impact an infant’s developing central nervous system?" (Page 55)

The Babywise program relies heavily on watching the clock to tell you when the baby must eat, sleep and play. Adjustments of 15 minute increments are suggested. Is this "natural" parenting? 

“Wake your baby and feed her at three-hour intervals during the day …start with a preset time for the first morning feeding. From there, wake your baby and feed her.” (Pg 173)

Such parental intervention is necessary to help stabilize the baby’s digestive metabolism.”(Page 112)

Rule 1. Mom, not baby, decides when the nap starts.
Rule 2. Mom, not baby, decides when the nap ends.
Rule 3. If baby wakes up crying… she has not had sufficient sleep. (Page 133)

It is NOT natural to ignore a baby’s cry.

• a)This is especially true for new mothers with their surging maternal hormones. A baby’s cry is 20 decibels louder than speech, ensuring the baby is heard. Ezzo devotes an entire chapter to convince the reader that the mother must deny her natural God-given hormone-driven motherly desire to care for her crying baby.
• b.) It IS natural for parents to try to soothe a crying baby and quite natural to rock, nurse, or cuddle the baby to sleep. On page 56, Ezzo calls these loving actions “negative sleep props”!(Page 56) “Carefully consider the long-term negative effects of sleep props,” he warns.( Page 58) Oddly for a book promoting natural sleep, a “prop” implies an unnatural, artificial add-on used to support a structure.

On page 158 we find another interesting choice of words in his explanation:

“Why choose a prop? Instead, confidently establish a basic routine to naturally and beautifully enhance restful sleep.”

i. “Why choose a prop?” This implies conscious decision-making, as if parents have chosen to go against nature to add an unnatural “extra” to the baby’s life. But nursing, rocking, cuddling or sleeping with baby - the so-called "props" - are exactly the things parents around the world do instinctively and naturally to soothe and settle their babies.
ii. “Establish a basic routine” This eat-wake-sleep schedule does not naturally occur. A daily routine may occur but the decision to implement a specific order the baby’s feeding time, wake time, and sleeping times  according to the clock takes planning ahead.
iii. Ezzo's routine will “naturally and beautifully enhance restful sleep.” Notice that the things parents naturally do are labelled “props,” but the schedule imposed on the baby is labeled “Natural and beautiful.”!

CONCLUSION:
It appears that you CAN actually "train" babies the "natural" way. The secret is to alter the meaning of words to suit your purposes!!!
"Ignoring" is the new "teaching a skill" or "training your child."
"Clock-watching" is now "natural and beautiful"
Rocking your baby is a "sleep prop."
A mother showing love and compassion for her baby is now "dangerous emotional parenting," and "potential child abuse!"


Good Luck!

Sheila Stubbs