Clara is such a night owl! She is a good sleeper (she can go 9+ hours without waking), but she has never gone to bed before 10:00. She also has never gone to sleep at night without eating, nor has she ever slept in her crib without being transferred there already asleep. Lately for some reason, she wakes up anytime we move her there. Maybe she is just getting too big now.
We have decided that for her sake (& mine!) she needed to learn to fall asleep on her own. This has been a difficult task for us. The plan has been to complete the night time routine, then put her in her crib full and awake. We stay by her crib comforting her with gentle touches, stories, or singing but we don't pick her up. The past four nights have been filled with loud crying lasting over an hour until she is finally exhausted to the point of sleep. Tonight, however, I put her in her crib and she didn't immediately start to cry. She never worked herself up to hard crying, only soft, mild sobs for a little while. She fell asleep within 30 minutes. This gives me hope... We shall see what the next few nights hold.
If this works, the next task will be 9:00 bed time! Ha!
Good luck! Sleep is a tough one. But it will probably be worth it in the end! I remember when David was about six and seven months he kind of turned in to a weird sleeper. He is back on track now but we definitely had some late nights.
ReplyDeleteBeing a mom is such a new adventure. I am excited for the day. Sleep can seem like such a simple thing, but not when you are a parent! Good for you for being strong and doing what's best for you and the baby though it may be hard. I am sure it will be worth it.
ReplyDeleteRachael