Sleep more. Kink less.
Sleep. Before I had a baby, I didn't really value sleep like I should have. It's not only the concept of sleep that I ponder, sometimes I think of other hypothetical losses--like losing a leg. Would I have done things differently? Would I have run more? In my fancy-free days, would I have napped at every opportunity?
Adam and I have tried to be consistent with our bedtime routine with Maddox, and thankfully it has worked and allowed us to get the sleep we need. The routine goes like this: we eat sometime between 6-8 pm, bathe Maddox, read a story, and put him to bed. But, there is something unconventional to the evolution to this point.
About a year ago, one of my best friends was giving me advice on bedtime. I told her that Maddox would cry when I left the room, and she was right when she told me he wouldn't die from that. I needed to let him cry it out.
Soooo, I shut the door and let him cry it out. I'm sorry, correction, I let him scream like someone was trying to murder him. A minute late, my ONE year old, was out of the crib and turning his door handle. WTF? He was so desperate to get to me, that he hoisted himself out of the crib and ran for the door! It was at this point, for safety reasons, that we moved Maddox to a normal, adult queen bed.
It was like this for 3 months. One of us would lay with him until he fell asleep, or we would fall asleep. Sometimes one of us would stay and sleep the whole night in there, which really wasn't a big deal because we are just that tired. Why the three months? What some people fail to tell you is that if you get a convertible crib (the kind that grows with your child; crib to toddler bed to single) your extra conversion parts could be discontinued or put on back order. Word to the wise--next time buy all the parts up front OR just go buy a dang toddler bed at Ikea for $5.
So, for three months our bed time routine was in shambles, but it wasn't long after the toddler bed parts arrived that things got orderly again. I got into this routine of sitting on the floor and rubbing Maddox's back until he fell asleep. This could sometimes take 30 minutes to an hour. Often, I would fall asleep on the floor and wake up hours later with a kink in my neck, work clothes on, and dead possum breath. My husband on the other hand, aka baby whisperer, was in there for literally 90 seconds on his nights! "Night, night Maddox. See you in the morning."
"Night night Daddy."
Are you serious?
Finally, out of pity, my mother picked up a bean bag at Wal-Mart and it made my routine less of a pain in the ass. Pun intended.
With this new bundle of beans, I developed a new strategy where I play dead, which causes Maddox to turn away from me, onto his side and fall asleep. Sometimes, this doesn't work and he crawls all over me like a cat on a trash can. I maintain my position, even if it means injury. Sleep is more important.
The other night, I was watching Baby Whisperer on the night monitor and he developed the same tactic!
I have also shortened my routine to about fifteen minutes.
My advice to you is, if putting your baby to bed is an issue, make the process more comfortable for yourself, and then let baby cry it out. He really will live--promise.
Adam and I have tried to be consistent with our bedtime routine with Maddox, and thankfully it has worked and allowed us to get the sleep we need. The routine goes like this: we eat sometime between 6-8 pm, bathe Maddox, read a story, and put him to bed. But, there is something unconventional to the evolution to this point.
About a year ago, one of my best friends was giving me advice on bedtime. I told her that Maddox would cry when I left the room, and she was right when she told me he wouldn't die from that. I needed to let him cry it out.
Soooo, I shut the door and let him cry it out. I'm sorry, correction, I let him scream like someone was trying to murder him. A minute late, my ONE year old, was out of the crib and turning his door handle. WTF? He was so desperate to get to me, that he hoisted himself out of the crib and ran for the door! It was at this point, for safety reasons, that we moved Maddox to a normal, adult queen bed.
It was like this for 3 months. One of us would lay with him until he fell asleep, or we would fall asleep. Sometimes one of us would stay and sleep the whole night in there, which really wasn't a big deal because we are just that tired. Why the three months? What some people fail to tell you is that if you get a convertible crib (the kind that grows with your child; crib to toddler bed to single) your extra conversion parts could be discontinued or put on back order. Word to the wise--next time buy all the parts up front OR just go buy a dang toddler bed at Ikea for $5.
So, for three months our bed time routine was in shambles, but it wasn't long after the toddler bed parts arrived that things got orderly again. I got into this routine of sitting on the floor and rubbing Maddox's back until he fell asleep. This could sometimes take 30 minutes to an hour. Often, I would fall asleep on the floor and wake up hours later with a kink in my neck, work clothes on, and dead possum breath. My husband on the other hand, aka baby whisperer, was in there for literally 90 seconds on his nights! "Night, night Maddox. See you in the morning."
"Night night Daddy."
Are you serious?
Finally, out of pity, my mother picked up a bean bag at Wal-Mart and it made my routine less of a pain in the ass. Pun intended.
With this new bundle of beans, I developed a new strategy where I play dead, which causes Maddox to turn away from me, onto his side and fall asleep. Sometimes, this doesn't work and he crawls all over me like a cat on a trash can. I maintain my position, even if it means injury. Sleep is more important.
The other night, I was watching Baby Whisperer on the night monitor and he developed the same tactic!
I have also shortened my routine to about fifteen minutes.
My advice to you is, if putting your baby to bed is an issue, make the process more comfortable for yourself, and then let baby cry it out. He really will live--promise.
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