“I slept like a baby”  

When I hear this saying, I immediately envision sleeping deeply, soundly, and for 10 hours straight.  Whoever came up with that saying clearly didn’t have children!  All of the babies I know definitely do not sleep soundly for an extended period of time until at least toddlerhood… and even then sleep can be disrupted by teething, colds, and just regular night waking. With current infant sleep recommendations stating that babies should learn to sleep on their own, all night, by 6 months, I have to wonder how much of this information is hearsay and old-wives’ tales and how much is evidence-based (using good research models). 

So, let’s break this down using the most current research.