It's been quiet around here, and I'm sorry for that - life has been busy, single parenting has been hard work, and all my energy has gone towards this little lady. Hubby is still away for work quite a bit, so it's been just us girls.
I've chosen a modified version; not crying it out, because I just can't go there, but letting her learn to put herself to sleep. I'm there in the room, mostly out of sight, but listening to her cries & being there to sssh & pat if she gets upset. I'm also picking up/calming/putting down if she becomes hysterical. I did this for a little while before, but got too exhausted from the crying, and gave up. I'm trying again, and not giving in this time! She's taken a long time to go to sleep - but eventually she's getting there. I've had a comforter & soft toys in her bed too, which is new for me. It's not the way I envisioned her sleeping, but I've found that a lot of the tears and frustration comes from being in there & being bored. The toys tend to distract her from constantly searching for me too, and she snuggles her comforter before falling asleep.
This is all still with her sleeping next to me - after she eventually figures out the self settling, we'll start the next big step - transitioning into her nursery for all sleeps.
Any other settling tips you'd like to share? I'm always happy to try new things!
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13 comments:
Hi, stopping by from ICLW. I have a 2 year old and did the same "modified" CIO. I couldn't just leave him there to cry! Hopefully your experience is as quick as ours--took 3 days to get our great sleeper back!
Hi from ICLW - although I can't offer any advice, I wish you the best of luck getting her into a sleep schedule. My 6 month old nephew, who I care for often, has stopped napping all together and doesn't sleep well - so I know how exhausting it can be on everyone involved.
Your daughter is beautiful!
Hi there! No advice for you, I'm battling sleep with my 3 month old. But man alive, is G a cutie. She's getting so big!
Hi from ICLW! I think you are doing the right thing doing this your way. Just keep in mind that babies of Georgia's age get used to changes very quickly, in 2-3 nights normally. So, pushing things a little probably pays back quickly. Love her Maatuska-bodysuit :-)
Hi from ICLW. My heart breaks when I hear a baby cry so I don't know if I do even a modified cry it out. Good Luck.
Stopping by from ICLW! She is absolutely adorable!
So total assvice here but I can't remember if I've ever posted on your blog about Ask Moxie's posts on tension increasers/decreasers. It made a huge difference in my mindset- once I realized that my son was a tension increaser, I knew that any form of CIO was simply off the table as it wasn't going to work.
FWIW, my son was an appalling sleeper and would only nap in a carrier while I paced for his first sixteen weeks. By the time he was Georgia's age, what worked for us was to put him in the cot (on his side, in a sleep sack) and just hold him there, gently but firmly, while he wiggled around and got comfy and sucked his thumb and fell asleep. Around ten months he made it clear to me that he was ready to start going to sleep without our help, first at bedtime, and then at naps as well, but before that point, he just wasn't able to fall asleep without help.
I spent many, MANY hours agonizing over this and worrying he would never sleep independently, but everything got better eventually, and he has been a better sleeper since 16 months (he's now 30) than he ever was as a newborn/infant. I wish now that I had stressed less and just gone with it, but I guess we all have to learn things the hard way. :)
Best of luck!
Your pictures are always so adorable! :)
Hi, you have my sympathy with the sleep thing! We did sleep training at a year, but we also implemented a gentle approach. You really have to do what works for you. I hope you have a brilliant sleeper very soon.
Hi from ICLW...she is so cute
We hit a major sleep regression at six months and the best thing I ever did was just stop stressing about how LO got to sleep, where she slept or how many times she woke up in the night.
Hang in there Mama, you're doing great!
Stopping by from ICLW! She is getting so big! Wish I had some sleep advice, but I have no experience to pull from there.
oh my gosh mama, i know how you feel! eisley has been terrible at naps too. if we're nursing and she decides that she's tired and passes out the second she's out of my arms shes up in arms. i can kind of trick her by pretending we're going to bed and putting her in her pack n play and laying in bed next to her with the light on, but I know I can't do that forever. Beyond that, nights have been terrible for me. her and andrew are get loads of sleep but she's decided to start flipping onto her belly all the time and sleep with her face straight down into the mattress. Because of this and my obsessive fear of SIDS I wake up ever single time she moves. It's so tiring. You're doing great mama.
nic
www.hausofharnois.blogspot.com
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