Sigh. This is something Max struggles with. Something he has struggled with since he emerged from his newborn slumber. Charlie and I have read every blog post, article, and discussion board online about it, and Max still struggles.
Don't get me wrong. He is doing much better than he was. We started sleep training early - around 10 weeks. We focused on nighttime sleep first. And now, at 4 months old, he goes to bed between 5:30 and 6:30 at night. He is up at 8:30-9:30, 12:30-1:30 and 3:30-4:30 to eat. He gets a 4-6oz bottle and goes right back to sleep. So he is not "sleeping through the night" per se, but it is tolerable, and I'm confident he will get there.
Naps took us longer. He still struggles with naps. He was getting better, then he got sick and he's struggling again. He did great yesterday. Less great today, but is asleep right now and has been for about an hour, so that is good.
I've read a few books on sleeping, and though I think anything should be taken with a grain of salt, because only you know your baby and what will work, "Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child" is by far my favorite.
I started reading the chapter on sleeping during months 5-12 today, and I thought there were some good tidbits that I wish more parents had someone say to them out loud.
"Leaving your baby alone protesting for more fun with you while you get dressed is not the same thing as abandonment. Similarly, leaving your baby alone protesting for more fun when she needs to sleep is not neglect."
"Easy babies may cry very little or not at all; the temperamentally more difficult child may cry a lot. Remember, you are responding sensitively to his need to sleep by not providing too much attention You are decisive in establishing a routine because you are upholding his right to sleep. Be calm and firm and consistent, because consistency helps your baby learn rapidly."
And they tell us not to let him cry for more than an hour at naps, in order not to mess up his other nap times. So at least we were doing that right :)
And he's crying now, so it's probably about time to go get him. But this nap was an hour, so we can put that under the category of a "good nap" ;)
Don't get me wrong. He is doing much better than he was. We started sleep training early - around 10 weeks. We focused on nighttime sleep first. And now, at 4 months old, he goes to bed between 5:30 and 6:30 at night. He is up at 8:30-9:30, 12:30-1:30 and 3:30-4:30 to eat. He gets a 4-6oz bottle and goes right back to sleep. So he is not "sleeping through the night" per se, but it is tolerable, and I'm confident he will get there.
Naps took us longer. He still struggles with naps. He was getting better, then he got sick and he's struggling again. He did great yesterday. Less great today, but is asleep right now and has been for about an hour, so that is good.
I've read a few books on sleeping, and though I think anything should be taken with a grain of salt, because only you know your baby and what will work, "Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child" is by far my favorite.
I started reading the chapter on sleeping during months 5-12 today, and I thought there were some good tidbits that I wish more parents had someone say to them out loud.
"Leaving your baby alone protesting for more fun with you while you get dressed is not the same thing as abandonment. Similarly, leaving your baby alone protesting for more fun when she needs to sleep is not neglect."
"Easy babies may cry very little or not at all; the temperamentally more difficult child may cry a lot. Remember, you are responding sensitively to his need to sleep by not providing too much attention You are decisive in establishing a routine because you are upholding his right to sleep. Be calm and firm and consistent, because consistency helps your baby learn rapidly."
And they tell us not to let him cry for more than an hour at naps, in order not to mess up his other nap times. So at least we were doing that right :)
And he's crying now, so it's probably about time to go get him. But this nap was an hour, so we can put that under the category of a "good nap" ;)
1 comment:
Good advice from the book. You guys are doing an awesome job. It may not feel like it, but trust me, you will look back on this time and know that you did everything you could to help him. It is just really hard sometimes.
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