This past Sunday, Jamie2 and I started to sleep train Jamie3. We were falling into the trap of rocking him until he was fast asleep and then, ever so gently, laying him in his crib. If we woke him up during the crib transfer, we had to start back over rocking him again. Needless to say, 8 1/2 months without sleep is really taking its toll on us.
We bought a book to help us - Goodnight, Sleep Tight - which talks about sleep training at different age intervals. Jamie2 and I are following the rules...which led to Jamie3 crying for 1 hour and 20 minutes the first night and similar lengths of time the next 4 nights. Tonight, we are going for a marathon - currently 1 hour and 53 minutes of crying. What is a mom to do?! It is really tearing me up.
A friend recommended a vibrating crib mattress. At this point, I will try anything! Do any of you have any suggestions to get a very stubborn, but sweet, baby boy to sleep? I would love to have him sleep 10 hours at night and wake up with a smile on his face . . . 
4 comments:
Michelle, I feel so bad for you and I know what you're doing is hard. Not everyone agrees about "sleep training" but I can tell you that it worked for us. It was painful, but after a few nights it worked. If you have questions about it, maybe ask your pediatrician. Just know that you are not ruining your child and he will not love you any less. Keep us updated.
Question - does your book ask you to go back into his room for any length of time?
We did the same thing with S. There were some nights when we thought she'd NEVER stop crying! Occationally, I would go back in and give her a kiss and tell her I loved her just to make myself feel better. But then, I'd leave the room again. We followed Baby Wise to get her to sleep through the night. If you'd like to, I'll bring it for you to see if you like what they have to say.
I'm the wrong person to ask, as it was hard for us. But I will say that I do think every child is different. Stone was like Jamie3 in the fact that he was as stubborn as the day is long and it took us forever before it seemed like he'd lay down without us rocking him. But, we kept at it. Also, something else that seemed to work for us was this: let your hubs try putting him down. For some reason, they don't try to push their buttons as much as the mommy's. Sometimes still, I have K put Stone down, as he'll try the crying and throwing a fit because he doesn't want to go to bed. If K puts him to bed, it's barely any problem. If I do, then he throws this whole dramatic ordeal!
I think OK was 10 months old before we could lay her down without rocking her. I don't have the heart to let her cry for hours. I think every baby is different. She still wimpers for a while when we put her down at night. Naps are worse than bedtime these days. Just do what works for you guys.
Post a Comment