sleep training
so after a couple of months of endless crying and zombie-like crankyheads, pete and i ended putting izzy in our bed at night to sleep. it was something i told myself and other people (to my shameful dismay) that i would never do, but it became a survivalist method. we just couldn't get her to sleep anywhere but next to me.
anyway, she is now 5 months old and getting closer to a safe age where she can go through the night without a night feeding. i want to try some sleep training with her, so we all can get regular sleep in our own beds. although i love having her next to me, i miss cuddling with pete and i sometimes feel like i can never get deep sleep.
a bunch of parents from church recommended "healthy sleep habits, happy child." they all say it was a lifesaver for them. what i've read so far intrigues me, and i think i will attempt it within this next month. izzy does take a midmorning nap every day that lasts at least 1 hour. once in a blue moon, she takes a second nap. these naps always are in her swing, unfortunately, because she got used to the swinging motion i guess. i will have to break her of that too.
i do have some questions for any bloggers out there who have used dr. weissbluth's methods.
*how long did it take to get your kid to sleep thru the night? or what age were they when they slept thru the night? (i know all kids are different. i'm just curious.)
*did your kid have some mobile capabilities when you tried the sleep training? izzy can roll from her back to her stomach now, so i worry about the whole leaving her be thru the night thing. i'm trying to hash it over in my head how i will keep her from doing this in her rage from not being able to sleep next to me at night.
alright. i am out.
6 comments:
I haven't used Dr. Weissbluth's methods, but I did try the No-Cry Sleep Solution (the book's name).
So here's my opinion and method, but don't try it unless you want to and I don't think what I did is the say-all in baby sleep methods. First off Asher and I slept in the same bed until he was about nine months and I knew he would roll over when he woke up, so I made sure that as soon as I heard him wake up, I was there. That's actually one of the biggest reasons why I went to the cry-it-out method. We moved into a space bigger than a studio, and I just couldn't have a normal life if I continued. I would have to stay within a ten foot radius to make sure he didn't fall off.
So I tried the No-Cry method, but it just wasn't working, because Asher just wanted to sleep next to me. I really hesitated to Crying it out, because frankly I couldn't handle listening to my baby cry. I just didn't want to feel like I was causing my baby pain. But like you I wasn't getting my deep sleep and he was still waking up three times a night. I was so tired and wasted every day. I just decided that I had to do what's right for me, because I would be a better mom for it. Crying it out has been the best decision I ever made. After about three to four days of painful crying, he went to bed without a fight and within a month he went from getting up three times to one. After two, he was sleeping through the night. Heaven.
He has no clue at this point that I ever put him through the cry out and I can deal with crying so much better, because the baby will cry a lot in the future. Every night Asher expects bedtime at the same time and he welcomes it. Maybe three to four times a month does he put up a fight that lasts about a half hour, but for the most part we both get lots more sleep. It doesn't mean that some nights I really miss his little body next to mine, but I feel soooo much better. But as always every child is different.
elliott started going all night without a feeding this week. for the most part this is his doing - he's fallen into a schedule. but we have been trying to do the "baby whisperer" method which is to get the baby into a reliable routine so that they understand what they need to do.
so after his last feeding (around 11 at night) we usually try to give him a bath, put him in his jammies, and then we swaddle him because if we don't he won't sleep longer than 15 minutes. then i rock him and sing to him until i see his eyes start closing, at which point i'll put him in his crib. if he starts to cry i'll pick him up and start the rocking again. usually the second time i put him down it sticks. he usually needs a pacifier too and will wake up sometimes after about 5 hours when he realizes he doesn't have his pacifier anymore.
Lila slept through the night from the beginning so she was a piece of cake. My first night home from the hospital was torture with Launi though, she was up every hour and I thought I was going to die. The very next day we kept her awake for at least an hour after every feeding and then let her sleep after her late night feeding, she slept 8 hours that night and has slept 8-10 every night since. Lila went through a stage where she wanted to sleep in bed with Jake and I and I do not sleep well with her in our bed so we compromised with her sleeping in a pack n play right next to our bed and then eventually back in her crib. We also had a total routine with her so she knew it was time to sleep...turn on music, give her her binki, rock for a little bit and then let her fall asleep on her own. MY opinion is though if they need to cry a little for you to stay sane then so be it. Also I just have to say that Izzy is beyond cute, I frequently visit your blog just to see her cute face.
Oh Amanda, I feel your pain!
We went through the same thing getting Alan out of our bed. The only thing that worked for us was a heating pad, sounds crazy but when your sleep deprived you will try any thing. I would put a heating pad under the sheet of the crib and turn it on the lowest setting then before I put him in the crib I would unplug it. It seemed to keep him from screaming when he hit the cold sheets. Sleeping and potty training are some of the hardest things you face, you have absolutely no control over it.
Hang in there!
For me the sleep deprivation after having a baby is the hardest part. Soooo hard...although I'll say the 2nd runner up is mastitis, which I've had both times thus far... I'm sorry you're in the zombie days. I bet most of these methods work; I think the most important thing is to stick to one method and don't give in b/c it's harder when they're older and more aware!
I had several friends say they like the "Healthy Sleep Habits..." method as well as the "BabyWise" method. I ended up using the "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer" book, which I really liked, and reread before I had Gabe to refresh my ever-fading memory. Both babies slept through around 3 months, but both reverted a bunch, esp. with teething. That's not fun either. So you're just supposed to stick to it. I'm just grateful that even at 4 in the morning the coos and smiles still melt my heart. If you want to look at the Baby Whisperer book, i know she does speak to mothers of babies that are trying to change habits that have already been set. It was a recommendation from Ron's wife, Lisa. She used it with all 3 kids and was a big fan as well. Good luck Panda!!
thanks everyone. just having some advice and ideas from other moms my age helps.
mo-what you did with asher is pretty much in the "healthy sleep habits.." book. it's what i had intended with izzy before she was born, but i wasn't ready until now to really start trying. i didn't think she would be this fussy, and i also could not take the idea of crying it out at first. we've set a date of when it will happen, so wish us luck.
sheena and sarah-your babies sound like a dream. you're very lucky for sure. sounds like you also got a good handle on what's best to get them to go to sleep at night.
barbie-i've heard good things about the "baby whisperer" book too. it's taken me a while just to get thru the "healthy sleep habits" book because of having to do other things during the day when izzy is taking her nap. at night, it's super hard to read with her.
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