Monday, August 15, 2011

aspiring to be a good sleeper

quinn is not the best sleeper.  not by any stretch of the imagination.  i KNOW i have mentioned this before, but it bears repeating.  mike and i do not subscribe to the "cry it out" method either.  we prefer to be more gentle in the ways that we get quinn to sleep.  i was so happy to pick up a copy of this book:


it is not a quick fix but it is one that has left mike and i feeling good about the subtle changes that we have begun implementing.  sure, quinn might not sleep through the night for a few months, but at least there is an end in sight.  

so far we have noticed a few changes in quinn's sleep.  he awakens every 3-5 hours instead of every 2-3.  he actually prefers his bed to being next to me most of the time (we still enjoy the occasional co-sleeping a few times a week when he just needs some extra loving).  his naps are much easier and some even last more than 45 minutes!  i think we are heading toward a better place.  it could be that he is just getting his %$@* together or it could be that this book is helping.  either way, i will take it!

11 comments:

  1. Ugh I feel your pain- Aidan was never the best sleeper ever! He was ALWAYS up at least once a night until well past his first birthday! I too have that book and I think it def. helped. I was pretty into trying to keep him on a schedule, and keep things routine. I will tell you it GETS BETTER! Now he naps for 2 hours during the day and sleeps from 7-7 with no interruptions. Trust me they get their ish together- some just take longer than others! I swear my breastfeeding him every time he woke up didn't help- but I knew it would get him right back to sleep and.....i loved it :)

    Katie

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  2. I have that book and it helped for sure. It took him from waking every hour to every two to three. I think I did something to piss the babe off when he was a couple months old because he's just starting to sleep through the night at 16/17 months. Boy can hold a grudge. I just could never do cry it out. Broke me.

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  3. @katie - i definitely nursed most times when he would wake up. now mike goes in to comfort him unless it has been more than 3 hours since he last nursed. it's hard because i know that he would go right back to sleep if i nursed, but i have GOT to get some serious sleep working nights lately!! i only hope he takes aidan's cue and heads toward uninterrupted nights and a good daytime nap!!!!

    @melly b - you might be on to something...i will have to think back and figure out what i did to poor quinn to piss him off too. that MUST be the reason he has never EVER come close to sleeping through the night. haha.

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  4. i think i'll need that book since, i think its pretty certain at this point, i dont have the heart for the cry it out method. baby cry it out means me crying it out.

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  5. I totally hear ya. We chose to gently "night wean" Ronan, and now he sleeps thru the night no problem. I really really miss cosleeping, but he actually sleeps better if I'm not next to him. I'm hoping that I can tuck him back in bed with me occasionally... now that he's used to sleeping thru the night...

    Ah! Sleeping is so tricky for little ones!

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  6. Hi there, I'm Lindsay!

    Thanks for the comment on my blog! You can totally do it! The first few months were a major adjustment, but honestly, sometimes I miss dutchie! Living in a travel trailer (I still crack up when I hear myself or my hubs talk about it. Seriously?!?! A travel trailer?!?!) wasn't exactly easy...BUT, it's incredibly sweet on the other side of the whole experience! Worth it times a million!

    Thanks for stopping by, drop by anytime! Cute blog, btw!

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  7. I really enjoyed that book myself. Helping your little one to find a way to sleep better definitely isn't easy. I didn't have it in my to try the cry it out method myself either. They all get it eventually.

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  8. This was a really encouraging post because I have a 13-month-old who still nurses several times through the night. We don't want to let her cry it out either, but I don't think I was prepared for it lasting this long when she was born! Most people I talk to just encourage crying it out, but it's good to know there are other young moms out there who buckle down and let the baby tell you when they're ready to sleep through the night. :)

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  9. @kelsey - i feel your pain. most people i talk to advise me to let quinn cry it out, don't let him into your bed because he will never want to leave it, don't carry him so much, how long are you planning on breastfeeding...yadda, yadda, yadda. truthfully, i am confident in the decisions i am making because i am trusting my instincts as a mother, treating quinn as i would want to be treated, and knowing that the overall goal is a happy, healthy, compassionate and well-adjusted child...not a good night's sleep for me. of course, at 3am when it is the third time i am awakened my my sweet baby, i am sure my thoughts are not as pure and lucid. but he is cute, so i get over it quickly!

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  10. Ha, well said! I feel the exact same way and definitely get the same questions about breastfeeding and letting her sleep with us. I also read your birth story, and my daughter was also born at 35 weeks... so I felt like from the beginning she needed even MORE loving and cuddling since she was so little.

    Enjoy reading your blog!

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  11. Just started reading your blog...it's great btw. Sleep is so hard with babies- my daughter is mostly in bed with us, and while I love it, I do wonder when/if I'll be able to get her out on her own. I want to use the wonderful crib we were given! Think I'll be checking that book out!

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