Dawson usually goes to sleep pretty easily, as long as we time it right. We feed him, rock him then put him down. If he fusses, we go back in his room, quiet him down and give him his pacifier again.
We're also reading the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and just received a timely warning from that book. The Author, who is a Dr. specializing in sleep patterns of children, warned that while it's no big deal to go in and check on your kids at 4 months, as they get older they'll learn to manipulate you. He wrote you have to let them cry once you put them down, no matter how long it will take. Even if you set a limit of say, 20 minutes, the child will learn they need to cry for 20 minutes before getting a response. If you just let them cry, they'll eventually fall asleep. And crying to sleep does not harm their psyche.
Last night, Dawson clearly wanted to play rather than go to sleep. When we put him down, he cried very hard. While it was difficult, we kept ourselves from going in his room to comfort him. Eventually, the crying got softer until he drifted off to sleep.
Luckily for our nerves, it only took 11 minutes.
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It's so hard to hear them cry in their beds. I remember trying this much earlier than now just because I was having to hold Brooke in order for her to get any sleep. And it seriously made me cry every time. I still have a hard time hearing her cry for the few minutes that she does some days. :( I guess that means I'm a caring mom?
ReplyDeleteEvery time I hear him I want to go in and pick him up, but I know he needs to sleep. And to go to sleep, somehow by soothing himself. Donnie is much better at hearing him cry than I am.
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