My one piece of baby advice.

Bustin' out of the swaddle.

I try to be really careful here on the blog when it comes to doling out advice. Hopefully, I'm careful in real life, too. I've known people who say, "I only give advice when I'm asked," and I like that policy. Especially when it comes to something as touchy as parenting a new baby. The last thing I want to find myself doing is telling a sleep-deprived, emotional new mama what she's doing wrong. Even if I have the right intentions, it's just never a good idea.

Of course I have opinions (don't we all?!). But I really love the "live and let live!" approach to parenting. You do what works for you and your kids and I'll do what works for me and mine.

So with that preface, a lot of you have asked through emails, Formspring, and comments, one simple question: how did we get Liam to sleep through the night at 6 weeks? Though he's teething now and hasn't been quite as consistent, I'm still happy to share what's worked for us. Again, it may not work for you - no promises here! - but it all comes down to one magic word:

Swaddling.

From the day we got home from the hospital, we put Liam in a velcro swaddle, wrapped him up tight, put a cap on his head, and placed him in a co-sleeper on the floor next to my side of the bed. There was no need to rock him to sleep. He just got cozy, sucked on his pacifier, and went to sleep quickly and quietly. Since then - 6 months later - we still have the same routine, but in his crib now. Sometimes for naps and all the time for nighttime sleeping, we swaddle him tight, put a pacifier in his mouth, place him in his crib, turn out the light, and say goodnight. And like magic, within about 1 to 2 minutes, he closes his eyes, turns his head to the side, and is fast asleep. No joke.

I could probably count on one hand the times we've had any trouble getting him to go to sleep. It's crazy! We've even had friends and family stand outside his room and watch the whole process to see just how fast he goes to sleep. They kind of can't believe it (and neither can we).

So there it is. For you who have asked, that's our trick. Our magic. It's going to be interesting weaning him from the swaddle, but we're thankful it's worked so well and grateful for each blessed hour of sleep we've gotten.

(I'm closing the comments on this one because I'd rather not get into parenting debates... but if you'd like to comment or have a question, feel free to email me!)