Cry Baby

This weeks hot topic of debate was that of CIO (or cry-it-out for those not up on the modern mom abbreviations). Seriously these debates never end on the Baby Center forums. Usually I stay out of them, I did comment once or twice this week and kind of wish now that I hadn't, but it's too late.

Here's my take on the whole CIO controversy. Cry it out will not work on MY baby, therefore in my opinion doing it to her would be cruel and heartless. Chloe is fairly easy going. She only cries if she needs something. We have gone days without a major crying episode. She'll fuss when she wants it, and if I'm not fast enough the cry will come. The only time she'll go straight to the cry is if she's not feeling well. At night time she goes to bed drowsy, babbles in her crib and goes to sleep. She wakes to nurse or when her GERD is acting up then goes back to sleep.

I generally do not have a problem with others using CIO. For one, it's not really my business. If a mother needs it for her sanity, and the baby responds well to it, and she can listen to her baby scream for an hour before going to sleep (I would be clawing at the walls to get into the baby's room) and it works for that family, then CIO is probably for you. But if you're posting online about how you feel like the world's worst mother and you're going crazy listening to your baby scream for you, then damnit go pick up your baby and pick a different way of getting that baby to sleep! I don't think moms that use CIO are bad moms, it's just not a method I would use on my child.

But part of joining this cult of motherhood is that you meet all kinds. Another kind of parenting choice I wouldn't make came up at our infant playgroup on Tuesday. There were lots of babies there and Chloe had fun. It was great meeting other moms in the area and seeing the babies at all different ages. There was one mom there with an 11 month old. This baby was WIRED. Like bouncing off the walls and pretty much out of control. She said he was just fiesty and strong willed. She feeds him chocolate on a regular basis. He also eats McDonalds on a regular basis including having a little soda. Remember I said 11 months old not 11 years old? Everyone kind of just did the polite smile and nod and moved on to a different topic of conversation. I couldn't get it out of my head though. How much research and awareness do you need to realize what you shouldn't be feeding your kid? We're in Michigan, one of the fattest states, every third commercial is about obesity and getting help, and you're feeding your 11 month old chocolate and McDonalds? Get the #*$! out. /End Rant.

I'm not going to be the perfect mother. I don't mean to come off sounding like I'm the perfect mother. I'm sure I will do things with Chloe that will have some people going "WTF?". I just needed to get it out there that picturing this child scarfing down a happy meal at 11 months is haunting me a bit. I think one benefit of being with a group of moms in person rather than online is that you can generally expect the smile and nod as a response and you won't be attacked. If someone on the August 2010 birth boards posts in July of this year that they give their kid chocolate and cheeseburgers I'm going to need a boatload of popcorn and butter.