If you had asked me a year, six months, or even three months ago what our bedtime routine was, I would have laughed. All last winter, I suffered with a baby who wanted to go to sleep early but refused to sleep if he wasn't in direct contact with mom or dad.
We got really good at wearing him down. We found a chiropractor.
But this night weaning project has created a sleeper. It's cute and sweet...and easy!
After dinner we play for a while. Then the bug decides he's sleepy, takes me by the hand, gestures for dad to join, and takes us to the family bed. Then we put on his jammies and sleep diaper without a fight. He sits in my lap while we read a few books. When he gets starts to feel relaxed, we turn off the lights, everyone lays down, and I nurse him to sleep. Daddy can't sneak away too early, but once Xan is list in boobland he leaves the room. Ten minutes later I break his latch and were done.
One of the best parts is that he also now sleeps for more than 45 minutes at a time. Last winter, when I was able to set him down and walk away, the most we could make was an hour (about a sleep cycle) before he woke and cried. Now we are up to well over 3 hours.
There were times over the last year when I considered "sleep training", but it just didn't feel right. And here we are at the sane end, without all the tears. Was "huggie bed time" rough? Sure sometimes... but I wouldn't trade all those close snuggly nights for the world.
- Blogging from my iPhone
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