This TOTALLY surprised me...
I just had to share with you a funny thing that happened last night. I talked about my baby's nap strike! Well, that lasted for a full week of NO NAPPING! Then came a week of very few naps that were very hard to get him to take.
Along, with day-time napping problems, night time suffered as well. A few nights he woke up multiple times while others he slept through like normal. Putting him to sleep was also difficult. The nurse, rock, put in crib routine that now feels like worked so long ago (realistically a few weeks, max a month with molar teething, growth spurt, and then the nap strike) hasn't been the routine at all.
Instead, it's gone to nurse, rock, put in crib and he screams and cries, then 5-10 minutes later daddy comes and rocks baby to sleep which seems to take FOREVER, no really, it was lasting up to an HOUR. Not a working bed time routine for us... It was working out for baby but Mommy and Daddy need MOMMY AND DADDY TIME at night. No kids...
Last night, both my husband and I were totally fed up with the lengthy bedtime routine, decided it was time to get him back to nurse, rock, put in crib to go to sleep. Period. That's it. He was done with his teething and the nap strike and the growth spurt. Now is the time!
I knew it would involve crying as it always does. I made sure to make a game plan with my hubby so we'd both be on the same page. I was going to do the normal and then put him in the crib. He would cry. Dad would rock him but if he was goofing around and wouldn't go to sleep he needed to go back in the crib to cry a bit till he was ready for sleep.
8:30 pm the adventure began.
Nurse, rock, put him in bed with a little playful tickles and handed him his stuffed narwhal. Then I waved goodnight with the normal "I love you, sweet dreams, nighty night". I wasn't even out of the door before my baby boy was standing up in his crib. I was barely to the living room before the first sad wail rang out.
I went to my bedroom where hubby set the cry timer and we waited it out. 5 minutes went by and I heard an angry blood curdling cry. I picked up the monitor to see he wasn't hurt, baby was perfectly fine, just upset.
What followed, I've NEVER done before and I was SHOCKED by the results!
I picked up the monitor, pressed the microphone button and said "Hey buddy, why don't you just go to sleep." My baby boy dropped down from his standing position SO FAST I thought I was missing something. He snuggled into his crib snake which is how he sleeps and was silent.
"LOOK!" I exclaimed to my husband.
"Oh, I don't think it'll last" he said.
"I don't either, but LOOK, he listened!"
Then baby let out a sad little cry from where he lay. I pushed the microphone button once again, "It's okay, it's night night time," and again he was quiet. One more comforting words after one more little cry and THAT WAS IT!
I said "Good job" very quietly and sweetly over the intercom and that dear little boy WENT TO SLEEP! No more fussing, or crying, or yelling to be held. He just wanted to know we were there.
I'm still in shock.
Now, will it work tonight? I have no idea! But it was pretty amazing and really surprising.
I guess my encouragement, moms, is just keep trying new things as your kid changes. And remember that it really is just for a time. Each phase we have had to get our baby back on to a doable sleep schedule but it's okay. Our babies grow and change and so do we. Being together and working with each other's needs is what love is all about.
Much love,
-Joy
Along, with day-time napping problems, night time suffered as well. A few nights he woke up multiple times while others he slept through like normal. Putting him to sleep was also difficult. The nurse, rock, put in crib routine that now feels like worked so long ago (realistically a few weeks, max a month with molar teething, growth spurt, and then the nap strike) hasn't been the routine at all.
Instead, it's gone to nurse, rock, put in crib and he screams and cries, then 5-10 minutes later daddy comes and rocks baby to sleep which seems to take FOREVER, no really, it was lasting up to an HOUR. Not a working bed time routine for us... It was working out for baby but Mommy and Daddy need MOMMY AND DADDY TIME at night. No kids...
Last night, both my husband and I were totally fed up with the lengthy bedtime routine, decided it was time to get him back to nurse, rock, put in crib to go to sleep. Period. That's it. He was done with his teething and the nap strike and the growth spurt. Now is the time!
I knew it would involve crying as it always does. I made sure to make a game plan with my hubby so we'd both be on the same page. I was going to do the normal and then put him in the crib. He would cry. Dad would rock him but if he was goofing around and wouldn't go to sleep he needed to go back in the crib to cry a bit till he was ready for sleep.
8:30 pm the adventure began.
Nurse, rock, put him in bed with a little playful tickles and handed him his stuffed narwhal. Then I waved goodnight with the normal "I love you, sweet dreams, nighty night". I wasn't even out of the door before my baby boy was standing up in his crib. I was barely to the living room before the first sad wail rang out.
I went to my bedroom where hubby set the cry timer and we waited it out. 5 minutes went by and I heard an angry blood curdling cry. I picked up the monitor to see he wasn't hurt, baby was perfectly fine, just upset.
What followed, I've NEVER done before and I was SHOCKED by the results!
I picked up the monitor, pressed the microphone button and said "Hey buddy, why don't you just go to sleep." My baby boy dropped down from his standing position SO FAST I thought I was missing something. He snuggled into his crib snake which is how he sleeps and was silent.
"LOOK!" I exclaimed to my husband.
"Oh, I don't think it'll last" he said.
"I don't either, but LOOK, he listened!"
Then baby let out a sad little cry from where he lay. I pushed the microphone button once again, "It's okay, it's night night time," and again he was quiet. One more comforting words after one more little cry and THAT WAS IT!
I said "Good job" very quietly and sweetly over the intercom and that dear little boy WENT TO SLEEP! No more fussing, or crying, or yelling to be held. He just wanted to know we were there.
I'm still in shock.
Now, will it work tonight? I have no idea! But it was pretty amazing and really surprising.
I guess my encouragement, moms, is just keep trying new things as your kid changes. And remember that it really is just for a time. Each phase we have had to get our baby back on to a doable sleep schedule but it's okay. Our babies grow and change and so do we. Being together and working with each other's needs is what love is all about.
Much love,
-Joy
Comments
Post a Comment