Do you wonder how women in the fifties gave birth to as many as 12 children and were still healthy and poised enough while on the other hand, we seem to go crazy with just one child to take care of? If you find out how they brought up children in those times, you will say “no wonder they gave birth to a newborn every year”.
Raising children has no doubt become a lot difficult than what it was in those times. Old methods are criticized a lot nowadays because of their harshness. It sounds cruel to treat babies like that but in the end it might turn out to be a good for both children and parents.
The main idea in the fifties, in Truby King method is that ‘children should be seen not heard’. This was a very popular idea in those times and children were brought up as being sophisticated, graceful, and with good manners.
In this method, you do things according to a routine, which is set up according to normal feeding and sleeping patterns. You do not do things, which your baby tells you to do, but you do things, which your routine says. This is based on the concept that in the first year, a baby only needs to rest, grow and develop. His needs do not include cuddling and playing with him. You feed him according to the normal routine of every 2 hours or 4 hours. If he cries in between his feeds, he should be left to cry. Although, parents might get stressed if the baby cries too much but after a few days, she will also fall into the routine and everything will be easier. There will be no more sleepless nights, as the baby will sleep through the night. The method also includes some short time of playing time in which the baby should be left to play by himself and another short time of fresh air in which the baby should be taken out even if it is freezing cold outside. According to this method, the baby should have his own room from the day he is born.
Many people are following this method and are very successful in raising up kids in a stress free manner. This does not mean they never play with their kids as the above routine is only for the initial and the difficult months.
If you are blessed with twins or triplets, this method might be the best for you since it means you will be able to deal with your babies easily instead of making your life a hell.