Now don't get it twisted, this didn't happen overnight (pardon the pun), there were nights when I sang the ABC's, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Hush Little Baby, so many times, I became hoarse.
Frustration can set in pretty easily when you're sleep deprived and trying to lull a baby to sleep while the baby stares at you through big, bright, awake, cow eyes.
So how did I turn it around?
Completely by accident.
I know.
Here it is you all were thinking I was some sort of baby whisperer, and you were hanging on my every word to hear my secrets.
Not the case.
Just like the rest of you, I had my ups and downs too and somewhere along the way something clicked for me and my boys.
But if you still think I'm hiding super secret tricks up my sleeve.
Here's my guide to getting your baby to sleep through the night:
Take control of late night feedings.I’ll use my experience with M since he was my trainer and mentor first born.
M's "bedtime" was at 9 P.M. but I woke him at midnight to nurse. This allowed me to take control of the late night feedings. 2 A.M. and 4 A.M. feedings became a thing of the past once I started this. This worked for a few weeks and M would sleep until 8 or 9 in the morning.
Forget about themSounds odd but this is where accidents can sometimes benefit you. M started out sleeping in a pack and play bassinet at the foot of our bed for the first few weeks. With middle of the night feedings I was in no mood to walk across the hall to his nursery every time he woke up. Na ah. Out of the question.
We made sure though, to put him in the nursery, in the big crib for his naps. At the end of M's first month, we pretty much had a system.
So one night, I put him down, then fell asleep expecting to wake myself up at Midnight for our scheduled late night feeding (see number 1). Apparently, I was tired, and he was too, so we slept. We slept until morning, late morning.
Completely by accident. M slept through the night, in his own room without a late night feeding. That was all the proof of concept I needed. The next day the pack and play was all pack and no play and M was moved out of our room. Also, the Midnight feedings were a quick memory and we pushed his bedtime back to 10 P.M.
No more rock-a-bye babyUm. Just stop doing it?
Seems a bit harsh.
I know.
Yo-Yo Baby Syndrome is real and it affects millions of families all over the world. I know. I was victim too.
You know the drill. You rock them to sleep, and just as you're getting ready to put them down, their little eyes pop open, and the crying begins. What do you do? You pull them back up and start rocking again. It's a vicious cycle.
It's okay to give your baby a hug and kiss before bed, but don't belabor it. Treat it like you're taking off a band-aid. Just do it. Once I took this approach, there was no resistance. Obviously, the rocking, he just wasn't that into it.
