Sleep
Conventional wisdom on sleep-schedules is not what it used to be. Even Dr. Ferber, icon of rigidity on this matter has revised his previous approach and acknowledges that a certain amount of flexibility is in place when it comes to teaching infants when to sleep. Still, few pediatricians recommend completely doing away with a schedule for sleeping (unless you want to end up with a cranky baby, or don't care much for regular sleep yourself).
A combination of routine and sensitivity to your baby's signals is more or less the consensus, though some lean more toward sensitivity and improvisation than others. Dr. Spock advocates playing with your baby during the day and teaching him that nighttime is "low-key and boring." Though your baby is likely to learn later in life that this isn't entirely true, that white lie might facilitate a peaceful household during early childhood. Even the usually easy-going Dr. Cohen advocates a baby-led schedule during the first month or so, but will tell you that, after the first four months, if a baby isn't sleeping through the night, she won't start doing it unless you teach her to.
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