Sleep Training

To all those "experts" that say you have to let a baby "cry it out" or they'll never learn to put themselves to sleep, I offer Parker as exhibit A that they're wrong. To all those same or other experts that say never, never, never let your children sleep in your bed because they'll still be there when they're 5, I offer Parker as exhibit B that they're also wrong.
Anybody that I talk to much knows how Parker's lack of sleep has been a frustration for us since day one. We tried everything we could come up with, but he just didn't want to go to sleep or stay asleep very often. I even resorted to the "crying it out" option, because of guilt that I was spoiling him, even though it went against everything my heart said and made me cry too. I don't care about those "experts" that say that "they actually enjoy working themselves up to throwing up." I still regret that I let that happen as many as two times, before I finally gave up. Yes, until he was around 1 1/2 he was still being nursed to sleep and he was still sleeping part time in our bed and part on a mattress next to our bed. But you know what? When we were all ready to move on, it happened so easily. I was terrified of weaning particularly because Parker attached it to bed time. But we worked up to it, and there were never any tears on that account. Granted, we didn't do it till he was two, but that was kinda what I'd planned all along, and it was good for us. This week we have made the move to put Parker in his own room. This was delayed some because "his room" is all the way upstairs from us, and I just didn't relish the midnight trips up and downstairs, or the thought of him falling down the stairs in a sleepy stumble. But Monday we did move him; made it a big deal of sleeping in his own room and with his "Lightening McQueen" blanket. The first night he didn't come down once (once he went to sleep). A whole night of sleep for me; whoo hoo! That was way better than I expected though, so the next night with 4 or 5 trips upstairs for me was a little more up to speed. Last night though, he again stayed up there the entire night. I don't think this is the end of it, he is only two after all. There's still the getting to sleep struggle some nights, but that is age as much as anything. But I'm thrilled with the progress and the fact that he likes sleeping in his own room. He's not scared of being so far from us and in general he likes to sleep. He will tell me that he's tired or that he wants to take a nap. He's come to Mike a few times while I've been gone and told him it was bedtime. That to me says we did ok. That's not to say that the way we did these tricky aspects of "sleep training" are for everyone; every child is different and so is their family. But it is to say that the "experts" are not always right and don't create unnecessary regrets by doing things the way they say you have to if it's not right for your child. More often than not, things work out in time and they work out with so much less pain. Maybe more prayer, but less pain. :)