Let me give you some advice... when you bring that new baby home, and he's all snuggly, it is so easy to rock him to sleep and just hold him for an hour or so while he naps. As tempting as this is, it is best to get your baby used to falling asleep on his own. When naptime rolls around, and he starts to drift off, don't let him fall asleep right there, get up and put him in the crib. This is the advice I got from my mother when Paige was born, and sure enough, I never had any trouble putting her to sleep. Courtney was the same. When the boys were babies, I did the same. When they were about six months old, my mom was holding them, and I came to take them from her. "What are you doing?" "I'm putting them to bed." "But... they're not tired. I'll just rock them." I guess the rules change for twins. ;)But I stuck to it, and the boys, sharing a room and all, always went to bed easily.
Then Gracie came along, and I think she slept with me for the first seven months of her life. I know, I know. Maybe I'm just getting old, maybe I'm just too tired, but at 2 in the morning when you are weighing your options- let's see, get out of bed and sit in the rocking chair for 20 minutes or slide her from the basanette to the bed, snuggle up and sleep the rest of the night... hmm, tough decision. But- when I stopped nursing, and she was starting to sleep through the night, I just began to lay her down in her crib, kiss her goodnight, and that was that. And still, at bedtime, she goes right to sleep on her own, no issues. So I changed my mind. And I told every new mother I ran into to go right ahead and spoil their babies, rock them to sleep every night, hold them for hours. It doesn't make a bit of difference in the end.
Right?
So now, Joshua. Oh, Joshua. I don't really think "spoiled" is a strong enough word. This boy HATES his crib. You would think there were little monsters crawing around in there, the way he panics when his feet hit the mattress. I can count on one hand the number of times that he has fallen asleep after he's been placed in his crib. Nobody wants the job of putting Joshua to sleep. He pinches your neck and mouth. Tries to chew on your face. Yeah, he's a real treat.
So, any takers? He's going real cheap. We'll start the bidding at...
-oh, gotta go, Joshua just woke up.
(not the greatest of pictures, but funny enough to share. He really did fall asleep this way.)
5 comments:
That is very good advice, and we are taking it with the little one we watch during the week... And her Momma is doing it too, she does fuss, for about 10 minutes and that is that, she falls deep asleep... Um, didn't do that with my own children, I have a layout that I did of our youngest from when she was 3; of all the strange places she'd just finally drop off for her nap- she found some unique spots. I figured a nap was a nap and I had to let go of the "traditional" napping spot! Good luck.
From one Stacy to another...I feel your pain! My first hated her crib as well so she slept with me. 2nd daughter...same thing. I can be honest and say that we do love to hold a sleeping baby (when they are tiny). Our last baby, a boy, he started out really well as an infant and would go to sleep by himself but then he got sick with a bad cold and ended up in our bed and almost 2 years later has yet to leave it. And I'm also guilty of laying with my children until they fall asleep. I tell myself that they are only little once and I will miss it when they are older, no matter how bad I want to be doing something else. And they will eventually grow out of it...when they are like 10. Good luck! :)
I'll buy him! He's certainly cute enough.
And I'll have him trained right in the first three days. You already know that all of MY kids are perfect, right? You should have come to me for advice long ago.
I'll take him every Sunday night.....and then I'll give him back! He's a cutie though.
Oh our post comes at the perfect time for me as this is my struggle with Chase. I did do all the things right in the beginning, I think. I mean there were times that he nursed to sleep but he did go to bed awake when he was older.
Such a battle bedtime is sometimes, most times I should say. Once we miss that narrow, very narrow window of him being tired, we're done. The battle begins and he turns into the energizer bunny.
I pray for patience and that baby #2 will like to sleep.
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