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Saturday, July 10, 2010
Creating a...sleeper!!
I have the BEST little sleeper! She is 16 months now. A lot of family and friends who have witnessed this little blessing in person, ask what I did. She slept "through" the night at 9 weeks - getting up only to nurse. I wish someone had shown me how to nurse in bed from the beginning - on your side with baby laying next to you works great, if you know how it will save you trips to a chair and time awake. Here's our story of sleep! I was going to BF, so we bought a co-sleeper and used it right next to bed for about a month at night. But we also had a crib in her room - putting her to sleep in there for naps on occasion. At night though, she was with us. Then we slowly we moved the co-sleeper (all sides up) further and further away, till it was across the room. We also have a air filter that gives off white noise, and a white noise maker in her room. Our rules, if she appears distressed (gas, teething, etc) we can pick her up (twice), but the third time she goes down - that's it - walk away and close the door for naps and nit nit. If she wakes up crying or is crying when we close the door (hardly ever in the beginning and not any more) we HAD to give it 10 mins before going back in - it RARELY went more than 6 mins and she was out. The 10 min rule was hardest on my husband, who would swore it was an "eternity" but keeping track of time gave him a better perspective on things and to him felt "less cruel". She is better sleeper because of it. I followed what most books say... follow a routine (bath, quite time, bottle, down), stick to a schedule (best you can, for us BT is 8:30p and she sleeps till 8a - yeah I know!), put them to bed - awake and let them "fall back to sleep". At around 6-7 months when she was too big for co-sleeper, we cold turkey went to crib only. She has NEVER slept IN our bed and from the horror stories I have heard of 8 years sleeping with mom and dad, she probably never will. Even though she is so cuddly and there have been times I briefly thought about her taking a nap with me...Be consistent! If you don't want them sleeping with you "all the time", never give them the option by letting them do it once! Good luck!
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