Yesterday was our first day trying out ideas from The No-Cry Sleep Solution. Results were mixed (though since it was the first day, and she is still teething, I didn't expect miracles). I had set up a nap schedule of 11:30 and 1:30. She napped at 12:00 and 2:00, so I wasn't far off. I lay down with her for the 2:00 nap, and she slept well until 3:30, which is great. At 7:30 (the new bedtime), it only took 15 minutes to get her to sleep after a brief nighttime ritual. I was thrilled! Then, 20 minutes later, she woke up. I spent 45 minutes trying to get her back to sleep, and finally gave up. She finally fell asleep on our bed at 10:00 pm, and spent the night there, waking up about 4 times during the night to nurse.
I think there are a few lessons here:
- Trying to sleep-train a baby who is still teething is pretty much impossible.
- Research shows that night waking peaks in babies around 9 months old (here). (Melina just turned 9 months today!)
- It's normal for babies this age to wake during the night, though four times a night is pushing it (here).
- Melina is used to going to bed around 9, so starting her out at 7:30 is too early. Tonight we'll try 8:30. Maybe some babies are just night owls?
- Lots of moms on my online baby board still rock their babies to sleep; they won't fall asleep alone in their cribs.
- This, too, shall pass.
No comments:
Post a Comment