As I'm typing this blog, I'm listening to Arden scream her little head off. Lately it's been quite difficult to get her to take a nap. My friend Gina suggested I read "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child," so I bought it on Amazon last week. According to the book, I need to put Arden in her crib for no more than an hour. If she's still crying after an hour, then I can take her out and try again some other time. However, I'm hoping she'll fall asleep before then. She just finished a coughing/gagging spell and seems to have calmed down since then. D'oh, now she's crying again. I pray I can hold out for 35 more minutes, but it's pure torture!
She did go to bed before 9 p.m. last night. I'm going to keep moving her bed time earlier and earlier. After all, I really want her to be happy, and she won't be if she's tired.
Below are some pics of my little sweetie during her 18th week. Love her!
She did go to bed before 9 p.m. last night. I'm going to keep moving her bed time earlier and earlier. After all, I really want her to be happy, and she won't be if she's tired.
Below are some pics of my little sweetie during her 18th week. Love her!
Grandma Daniels and Aunt Catie came to visit! Too bad Arden was Little Miss Fussy Pants nearly the entire time.
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4 comments:
You're right, it is pure torture...BUT I guarantee you the results will be fabulous! A few things that worked for me during the couple days of crying jags were taking a shower (drowns out the sound really well) and walking outside for a few minutes (of course staying in your yard or by your home). Stick it out...you can do it!
I never had to let Donovan "cry it out" but with Attie we sort of did. The one thing I did differently is that I would go in and pat his back every five minutes or so, so he knew I was still there and didn't feel totally abandoned. I think it reassured him and within a few days he became a good napper and stayed that way.:)
People always give conflicting advice, so just remember to follow YOUR gut. Every baby's needs are different and Arden is very young, yet. Babies usually cry because they need something: to be fed, to be changed, they are too cold or too hot, or sometimes because they just need to be held and comforted. The world is a huge, unfamiliar place to them, and you and Adam are her reliable security blankets!
If letting her cry works out, great! Just don't beat yourself up if it doesn't feel right to you, and you want to wait and try again when she is a bit older.
I have found in talking to many of Rodney's colleagues (other pediatricians) that our children's sleep habits is the biggest thing we mothers lie about. For some reason there is this big expectation that our babies should be sleeping through the night and taking regular naps much earlier than most of them actually do. We don't want other mothers to think that we can't get our kids to sleep so sometimes we fudge the truth a little. Other mothers used to look at me horrified when I would say that Donovan or Atticus still slept with us and nursed during the night at six months or whatever, but guess what? My pediatrician laughed at me when I told her that I was worried about it and said that America is one of the few countries in the world where mothers actually worry about things like that. It is natural to co-sleep and night-nurse in pretty much every other country in the world! I have found that when I have told other mothers my "dirty little secrets" most of them usually look so relieved and say "me too!"
So I've totally gone off on a tangent here. The crux of what I am trying to say, is that no manual will be appropriate for every baby. My two kids couldn't have been more different, and so my strategies for helping them to nap and whatnot had to be different. Donovan fell into a natural routine all on her own and rarely cried when I put her down for a nap. I was shocked by that because Atticus had been so much different, and as I said, it took a lot of reassurance for him to feel comfortable with falling asleep alone. My siblings and I have 12 children between us, and I have seen every variation in the spectrum when it came to when they weaned, how well they slept during that first year and beyond, when they potty-trained, etc. What was especially telling was how different kids were who were in the same family being raised by the same parents!
I hope the book that worked so well for Gina works well for you too! Just give yourself (and Arden) a break if your mama instincts can't handle it. If it makes you feel better, as different as Attie and Donovan have been, neither one of them sleeps with us anymore, nurses at night anymore (obviously, Attie hasn't for a LONGGG time!) and both are perfect nappers and both have slept through the night on their own, in their own beds, for a long time. It will come.
Wow love your friend Moe!! I couldn't agree more. All three of mine sleep great now and they all did their course a little different. Listen to yourself listen to Arden follow your gut and it all works out. I read the same book and felt like a failure for a long time but now my kids are the best sleepers and they are calm relaxed confident kids. I just kept trying a little here and there pushed when was needed and didn't when they needed it. Find what works for you and love her!
Thanks for all of your advice! I really appreciate it! Oh, and Arden didn't fall asleep within the hour. She just cried on and off. The poor thing had tears streaming down her face when I went in to check on her. I admit I cried a bit myself while I tried to calm her down.
I think I will try the more comforting approach since Arden is still so young. I definitely don't want her to feel abandoned. I think I just need to take it one step at a time instead of going "cold turkey" so to speak. All I know is, letting her fall asleep on My Brest Friend while nursing and keeping her there to insure she gets a nap is getting old!
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