Lately, my husband has been asking if we should let Ellington sleep in her crib at night. Most of the time I pretend like I don't hear him because I'm not ready yet. She is probably ready, but it will be hard and I don't like hard (said in one of those annoying whiny voices). All of the books make it sound so simple. Just put her in bed and let her cry a little until she falls asleep... cry? Her little cry breaks my heart every time. I always have to scoop her up and comfort her.
I got a little courage today to put her to sleep in her crib for her morning nap. I kept telling Ellington "I am the Mommy! I am in charge! You WILL nap in your crib today! Mommy needs to clean the house, so you need to sleep by yourself for a while." To my surprise, it was incredibly easy! She fell asleep in my arms, so I gently lifted her over the crib railing and placed her on the mattress. Holding my breath, I slowly backed out of her room. I did it! Bring on the celebratory dance (quietly, of course). I was so proud of myself that I even texted the hubby to brag about my awesome mommy skills.
Unfortunately, the silence only lasted about 20 minutes. sigh. She woke up in a panic and wouldn't stop crying until I pick her up. My heart broke a little and I just couldn't put her back in her crib after she settled down. It was too hard! She ended up sleeping another hour and a half in my arms.
If it were up to me she would sleep in my arms forever, but she is getting heavy and my mom muscles (a term I learned for Charlotte Smarty Pants) are weak. Advice needed! How did you put your baby to sleep in the crib for the first time? Or are you one of those supermoms who put their baby to sleep in the crib since birth? And do you talk to your baby in third person too?
Hehe, you're so cute. We had a rough time doing this with Henry. I don't know if it was because I was so attached to wanting to hold him or because it was just the way he was as a baby, but I share your frustration. Lennon, on the other hand, is fairly easy. She's been a champion sleeper from the get-go. I can put her down when she's still awake, but sleepy, and she will drift off on her own (she's 2 1/2 mos). But from my experience with Henry, my tips are these:
ReplyDelete-Use a swaddling blanket and place her on her side in a sleep positioner or 'wedge', if you can find one.
-Once you see her drifting into sleep, place a burp cloth or something similar in between her head and your arm or neck so she's not pressed up against your skin. That way, when you place her in her crib, there won't be an extreme 'climate change' from your skin to crib cloth.
-Pacifiers. I was so reluctant to use them because I didn't want to have my babies become addicted but luckily Henry just stopped wanting one and we'll see with Lennon :) Eli may be too old for it now but it's simply a soothing action for them and it always lulled my kids to sleep with or without me holding them.
-When she cries, come in and rub her back to soothe her back into sleep. Make a loud, 'shush-ing' sound as close to her ear as you can while you rub and hope for the best. And don't talk to her.
-And once she gets old enough for the real 'let her cry it out' stage, you just gotta do it. Kiss her, rub her back as much as you can without picking her up and then if you have to, leave the room with her still crying and go outside with a glass of wine. Check back in 10 min.
Those are some great tips! I never thought about putting something in between her head and my arm... that transition wakes her up EVERY time. Thanks! Now, she's a pro at napping... we just put her in the crib and she drifts off on her own. It's the nighttime that we are struggling with now. Bedtime is rough and she ALWAYS wakes up at 2 am or so - screaming. We are going to try something different this weekend & see how it goes. Right now, I am looking forward to 6 months, when she can eat rice cereal. I am hoping that she will feel fuller and sleep longer :)
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