Sleep Training, Again
In my heart I know that Cal is a Platypus too. Like me he likes his natural habitat to stay the same. And like me he gets Freaky when taken out of it. That's not to say he'll always be a terrible homebody but for now, like most babies I guess, he thrives on sameness. Give us bedtimes over tropical bar-hopping any day. So with this in mind we decided to help Cal get back into his old routine with another session of dreaded sleep-training. A while back I read The Sleep Easy Solution, as recommended by blogger Joanna Goddard, and found it to be really well written and fairly sane-sounding.
Sleep Training basically involves a nice bedtime routine, tucking them in and then leaving the room before they're asleep. No rocking, no falling asleep in your arms. It's important that they learn to fall asleep, and back to sleep if they wake up during the night, on their own. Cal was great at this before we left, so this week it was about reminding him that he doesn't need us in the room with him and that he can do it on his own. The result is a baby who enjoys bedtime, reassured that mum and dad love him and are close by.
Sounds nice huh? But there's the screaming to mention. Screaming cold bloody murder is an integral part of it. It begins when you tuck them in and they realise that the tucking is not picking up. The decibels increase as you turn your back on them, crescendo-ing in bursts of panicked, siren-like screaming as you reach the door. The book suggests you walk straight to the fridge and start spooning Ben & Jerry's into your mouth whilst you set the stop-watch for 5 minutes. I'm not a stress eater, so I check the time and then get on Facebook and make myself read everyone's posts thoroughly.
After 5 minutes you go back in there, tell them mummy and daddy love them, do not touch them, and then walk back out again. This is when my resolve is at it's weakest. Round 2 is hard. It feels as though you're torturing them. The look of relief and then betrayal as they see you walk into the room but not pick them up is just horrific. That look is like parental water-boarding. If the book mentioned that you walk straight to the fridge and open a tub of pinot grigio, this is when I might take their advice. You then repeat this, doubling the intervals, 5, 10, 20 minutes etc until an hour is up.
Thankfully, we've only ever had to go 3 rounds with Cal. Monday night, 4 till 4.30am was a killer, but I'm pleased and a little shocked to report that it has worked a charm. Last night (Tuesday) Cal slept through the night from 7pm till 6.09am without waking up. There was one mini squawk, but he put himself back to sleep instantly. This morning there was clapping and cuddles and much celebration. He was baffled but fairly pleased with all the fuss. Dropping him off at creche this morning I felt like a bit of a shit-head, we should really be curled up on the couch together with a tub of Ben & Jerry's to celebrate the return of glorious routine.
Sleep Training basically involves a nice bedtime routine, tucking them in and then leaving the room before they're asleep. No rocking, no falling asleep in your arms. It's important that they learn to fall asleep, and back to sleep if they wake up during the night, on their own. Cal was great at this before we left, so this week it was about reminding him that he doesn't need us in the room with him and that he can do it on his own. The result is a baby who enjoys bedtime, reassured that mum and dad love him and are close by.
Sounds nice huh? But there's the screaming to mention. Screaming cold bloody murder is an integral part of it. It begins when you tuck them in and they realise that the tucking is not picking up. The decibels increase as you turn your back on them, crescendo-ing in bursts of panicked, siren-like screaming as you reach the door. The book suggests you walk straight to the fridge and start spooning Ben & Jerry's into your mouth whilst you set the stop-watch for 5 minutes. I'm not a stress eater, so I check the time and then get on Facebook and make myself read everyone's posts thoroughly.
After 5 minutes you go back in there, tell them mummy and daddy love them, do not touch them, and then walk back out again. This is when my resolve is at it's weakest. Round 2 is hard. It feels as though you're torturing them. The look of relief and then betrayal as they see you walk into the room but not pick them up is just horrific. That look is like parental water-boarding. If the book mentioned that you walk straight to the fridge and open a tub of pinot grigio, this is when I might take their advice. You then repeat this, doubling the intervals, 5, 10, 20 minutes etc until an hour is up.
Thankfully, we've only ever had to go 3 rounds with Cal. Monday night, 4 till 4.30am was a killer, but I'm pleased and a little shocked to report that it has worked a charm. Last night (Tuesday) Cal slept through the night from 7pm till 6.09am without waking up. There was one mini squawk, but he put himself back to sleep instantly. This morning there was clapping and cuddles and much celebration. He was baffled but fairly pleased with all the fuss. Dropping him off at creche this morning I felt like a bit of a shit-head, we should really be curled up on the couch together with a tub of Ben & Jerry's to celebrate the return of glorious routine.
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| Amsterdam Homebodies |
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