I once heard a politician say that after he lost the election he "slept like a baby"… “go to sleep, wake up and cry, fall back asleep, wake up crying”. Everybody knows babies don’t come into this world on our sleep schedule. Yet somehow the subject of putting your baby to bed can become very heated and controversial. Whether they feel you need to be firm and in control from the get go, or you should never let a baby cry, people can often be aggressive with their opinions. It shouldn’t have to be this way. In a previous post I quoted Dr. Phil and Dr. Sears, I forgot to quote Dr. who gives a flip. It is your baby and going with your gut and doing the best you can to love and nurture that child is a good thing! Do your research ask what worked for other people and then go with what works for you. As for me I am very happy with the success I have had so far switching Zion from sleeping in our bed to sleeping in his crib. I don’t know what the long term results will be and I am certainly not an expert on the subject, but here are a few things that worked for my 11 month old.
1. A regular bedtime routine. Make sure everyone in the family is aware that this is “wind down time” low lights and soft voices. For us this part takes almost a whole hour.
2. Give your baby a comfort object, this could be a pacifier, blankie, stuffed animal, or even one of your night gowns.
3. Stroking and massaging your baby is great, I especially found brushing your thumb gently over the eyebrows can be very effective.
4. Make a SHHHH sound, almost like waves on the beach, I continue making these sounds as I leave the room.
5. Sometimes having a parent near only makes it worse, but for us it worked great to have me lay on a sleeping bag next to the crib until he settled down on a difficult night. You can’t keep this up forever, but you gradually ease your way out. It is much easier to transition you out of the nursery than your baby out of your bed.
I hope you have a RESTFULL night and as always please share any tips, tricks, and ideas that worked for you.
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