So starting off on a schedule was a little hard but I was expecting that when Kyle went from sleeping with us and being fed on demand 24/7 to sleeping in his crib and being on a schedule for feeding.
I would first like to say that even with a schedule the #1 rule is- If your baby is hungry feed him! No matter how long it was since he last ate.
The first thing I had to do was figure out what Kyle's cries meant and to also watch his body language when he is crying and also when he is tired. The book The Secrets of the Babywhisper beautifully outlines the body language of babies and what things could mean. Of course every baby is different. The book also outlines the 3 steps of sleep in babies which is also important because you want to notice when they are in step 1 and get them to bed before they get to step 3.
So this is what I found out for Kyle. He will start to yawn when he's tired, and then it progresses into fussing and rubbing his eyes. If I can get him down right after that first yawn then he falls asleep easily and stays asleep for longer.
This is what I learned about his cry. I definitely know the hungry cry and the come pick me up and reassure me cry. The other ones are mostly just saying, "I don't want to take a nap though I'm tired so let me just pout about it a little before I go to sleep".
So this is the schedule I put him on
8am wake, eat, change diaper, play etc.
9am nap
11am eat, change, play
12-12:15am nap
2pm eat, change, play
3:15pm nap
5:00pm eat, change, play
6pm nap
7:30pm eat, pj's. story
8pm bed time
10:30pm dreamfeed
The first 2 days were rough, all he did was cry through each nap, sometimes scream, I would go in and reassure him every 15-20 min or so. Make sure he didn't have gas, etc.
By the 4th day I think he slept for all but one of his naps though he wouldn't sleep the entire time.
He also slept through the night by the 2nd day I think. He might wake up during the night but he'd go back to sleep on his own. I consider that STTN because we all wake up a few times during the night and go back to sleep.
So now we are on day 12 and he hardly cries at nap time at all. He is also SO much happier when he is awake. Instead of being fussy all day long because he was tired he is awake and alert and much more able to focus on learning his skills like sitting up and rolling over and playing with his toys.
Right now I am working on getting him to sleep for his 6pm nap because he doesn't but he get's too tired if I let him stay up. So we'll see what happens. Daylight Savings Time is also ending so I have to adjust his schedule for that too. I will post every week and let you know how the process is going. I will also be posting soon on how to be on a schedule but still have a social life...LOL
Park City Utah
2 years ago
1 comment:
I'm glad to hear you found a style that works for you...and Kyle! No matter what any book, website, or person says, YOU are the Mommy, and Mommy knows best! No one else can tell you the best way to raise YOUR child. HUGS to you!
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