Triumph! [Knocking Wood]
I am definitely feeling pretty triumphant tonight. Now it's true that Limelet has completely random napping/non-napping patterns during the day, which has driven me insane after 9 weeks of doing NOTHING else than holding him (as I currently perceive it.)
But he seems to be doing extremely well with this whole getting-to-bed at night thing, as per the No-Cry method. The idea is to get a routine in place and follow it so the baby begins to associate (and even look forward to) the sleeping part when the routine begins. So (by classical conditioning) his bath should eventually make him sleepy. I wanted to cut out the walking in the dim kitchen while nursing, and substitute a period of rocking in the bedroom instead.
In only three nights our routine went from this: bath in kitchen, nursing and rocking in bedroom, nursing in bed, walking (both me and Daddy, bedroom and kitchen) and playing the sleepy CD, etc., until he finally went to sleep nearly five hours later -- to this: bath, nursing in rocker while playing CD, nursing in bed with same CD -- for one and a half hours total. From bath to being asleep. Quite a show of progress, I'd say.
My arms are giddy with freedom!
I'm not saying there won't be setbacks, but this "routine" business kicks butt, and doesn't traumatize my baby.
Now, if he'd just reliably take a nap in the daytime...
But he seems to be doing extremely well with this whole getting-to-bed at night thing, as per the No-Cry method. The idea is to get a routine in place and follow it so the baby begins to associate (and even look forward to) the sleeping part when the routine begins. So (by classical conditioning) his bath should eventually make him sleepy. I wanted to cut out the walking in the dim kitchen while nursing, and substitute a period of rocking in the bedroom instead.
In only three nights our routine went from this: bath in kitchen, nursing and rocking in bedroom, nursing in bed, walking (both me and Daddy, bedroom and kitchen) and playing the sleepy CD, etc., until he finally went to sleep nearly five hours later -- to this: bath, nursing in rocker while playing CD, nursing in bed with same CD -- for one and a half hours total. From bath to being asleep. Quite a show of progress, I'd say.
My arms are giddy with freedom!
I'm not saying there won't be setbacks, but this "routine" business kicks butt, and doesn't traumatize my baby.
Now, if he'd just reliably take a nap in the daytime...
posted by liz at 6:18 PM
1 Comments:
Congratulations! We're a big fan of routine at our house, to the point where bedtime is one of our favourite times of day (with an 18-month-old and a five-year-old) because everyone knows what to expect. And the beauty of a well-learned routine is that it makes it so much easier to take the show on the road...my kids will sleep in a strange bed without a problem as long as the other things about bedtime are familiar - the bath (even if it's just a quick swish in the tub), the jammies, the stories and milk, then the kisses. And a good lovey doesn't hurt either! Enjoy the freedom. I'll have my fingers crossed that it lasts for you!
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