Lessons learned - notes to self about next baby

So this post is pretty important because I feel like I am finally getting the hang of being the mom of an infant and I want to make sure to keep my pointers to myself somewhere so I will remember what to do with our next baby.  On the other hand, I hear each baby is different so who knows?  However, I think some things/rules/tips are the same no matter what type of baby.  I have read SO MANY books about babies and especially about babies and sleeping these days that I have reached my limit but each book has some great tips which I think I can consolidate here.  So here come a series of bullet points for myself to read before I forget:

• Sleep is like nutrition for babies and just as important
• If babies sleep for longer, they can then play for longer and develop more skills while they are awake and reach new milestones.  If they are always tired, they cannot
• Before 2 1/2 to 3 months you can feed baby every  2 1/2 to 3 hours.  After this time, feed every 4 hours and do not allow them to snack or it ruins the whole thing
• Babies can't do schedules but they can do routine
• Give them a good going to sleep routine - bath, bottle, bed
• Good sleep begets more good sleep.  This is the biggest lesson I've learned probably.  Don't let babies get overtired or they will cry and it'll be a mess and this is when you run into problems like rushing in to pick them up to comfort them and then getting them used to it.
• Watch for The Yawn.  The moment your baby yawns, you can usually put her to sleep with her eyes open (but give her a transitionary wind-down routine so it works).  She will be drowsy and fall asleep
• Don't stress too much about the "go to sleep with eyes open" thing before 3 months.  I stressed about it way too much and lost sleep over it and stressed us both out.  I should have just gone with the flow more before 3 months but I was so intent/focused on getting it right that I didn't.  Then suddenly after 3 months, Lizzie did start to fall asleep on her own, like a miracle.  Also, before 3 months no baby can be spoiled so go ahead and hold her and rock her to sleep sometimes. 
• I am not a fan of Cry It Out.  I am a huge fan of Complain It Out.  It has taken me a while to figure out the difference.  Complain It Out is where you know baby is tired and she's just up jabbering or even yelling a bit.  She will get over this and it's important for her to do this without you going in.  Baby Whisperer calls it the Mantra Cry.  Cry It Out is when she has real tears in her.  That's when you should help her out because you don't want her to lose her trust in you.  Cry It Out always happens when you let her stay up too long and she is overtired.
• Rule of Thumb - baby should never be up for more than 2 hours.  Two hours up and two hours down is ideal. 
• When baby starts not being hungry after 3 hours, she is probably not sick, she probably is just growing up and doesn't need to eat every 3 hours.  That's when you can stretch it to 4 hours.  It took me a while to figure this out.  I was freaking out, thinking Lizzie had thrush.  This happened at 2 1/2 months.
• Like I said, I have read way too many sleep books but the best one by far is The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems.  Tracy Hogg is incredible.  She is also much more patient than me.  I love her routine suggestions and her tips but I didn't have the patience for some of the things she recommended.  Luckily, Lizzie somehow just figured it out.  Also good books are Baby Wise (but I don't like their Cry It Out philosophy) and Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Babies. 
• The Core Night - around 5-6 weeks your baby will one night astonish you and sleep until 5.  Don't forget that night.  A book I read on sleep recommended never letting the baby wake you before 5 ever again because that is the core night.  I mostly agree but not when they are having growth spurts.  That's when they need nourishment at crazy hours such as 3 a.m. but that is ok because it'll go away.
• The Dream Feed - best thing the Baby Whisperer ever taught me.  You feed your baby in her sleep between 10:30 and 11 p.m. and they sleep for longer.  You can start this on week 5.
• You will probably hit a wall between 9-13 weeks.  Those were HARD weeks but it truly does get better.
• Let some light enter Lizzie's room during the day when she takes naps.  I have made a mistake here and I am just slowly tiptoeing out of it but I should try to be noisier and have more lights on while she is asleep so she gets used to it.  My niece Camille suggests vacuuming under her crib from the day she is born so she gets used to it.
• Sleep when the baby sleeps until about 8 weeks to get your strength up.  During these first weeks she sleeps longer, just not at night so take advantage of it.  Please! 
• Soak in every laugh and smile you possibly can.  It's the most delicious thing ever, isn't it?  I love Lizzie's smiles and the way she wiggles around when I come to pick her up. 
• I can't think of anything else right now.  There are a couple of things I still don't really know how to fix.  Maybe I won't until the next baby.  The 45 minute nap is one of them.   Lizzie's naps are too short mostly and I never really did figure out the whole breastfeeding thing.  Lizzie weaned herself at 2 1/2 months and she always drank too fast from the breast.  Oh well.  She is a healthy, happy, robust baby so I'm ok with it.  I love her. 

Well, onward and upward.  I think Lizzie's begun teething.  Time to figure that one out and post about it once I know more.