My instinct as a behavior analyst is to meet a child's needs before a problem behavior occurs. Once I became a parent, I was always aware of habits that might shape into the kinds of problems that I am hired to resolve when a baby is older. When it came to feedings or in general, I wanted to avoid the possibility of her crying just to get my attention. It felt natural for me to wake her up when I knew she needed to eat, rather than waiting for her to cry. The idea being if she cried and I brought her food, she would learn crying is a communication for me to come in and/or feed her. So, whenever possible, I would wake her up before she realized she was hungry, so I could avoid shaping up that behavior. The pediatrician told me to feed her every two hours at first, so I would wake her every 2 hours, regardless of whether she was sleeping. Yes, I know a new mother needs sleep and it is a common rule to never wake a sleeping baby. However, I felt this built a trusting relationship with my daughter that she never wanted for anything and I anticipated her needs. She currently sleeps through the night (13 consecutive hours), and I still do the same thing. If I put her to bed at 6pm, I will set my alarm for 7 and wake her up. Sometimes she may already be awake and smiling, waiting for me to get her. Or on days when I just need my sleep and decide to not set my alarm, I still wake up to hear her simply talking to herself. But I was lucky enough to never shape that behavior of crying to communicate. She rarely cries to eat or wake up. The last time she did was a few weeks ago, when she had an ear infection, and we knew something had to be wrong because it was so out of character and routine for her. Overall, I am very fortunate that I went with my gut and tried my best to avoid shaping that behavior.
Colleen Williams
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