The past few weeks, Mark and I have travelled down a bad path. We have allowed poor sleep habits to form with the Twinners, and we are paying the price. Recently, we have become lax about constantly consistent naps, or night time responses to crying . In the past few weeks, we have begun to take Dean into our bed when he fusses at bedtime for additional cuddle time. In the middle of the night, or in the wee hours of the morning, we have also brought one or the other into our bed. We have done so to give ourselves a precious few minutes of sleep, or avoid waking the other child. In general, Marly and Dean do NOT collectively sleep through the night - and Mommy and Daddy are taking BACK control. They MUST/will learn to self soothe when they wake up, for every ones greater well being. We did not have these problems in the past...
I am tired. Mark is tired... so I consulted the trusty Dr. Marc Weissbluth through his book, "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." I read and worried I am creating chronic fatigue in little Dean-er. He is my anti-napper, who does not like to stay asleep. Mark and I are partly to blame! Please note I have a FIRM belief that sleep qaulity/quantity as an infant/toddler effects the over all child and their well being NOW and LATER in life. I believe teaching them good sleep habits now will affect their health and habits, even as an adult.
Anyway, while I was down stairs reading/consulting the book last night, Mark picked up Dean at 9 pm and brought him into our room. (Bed time is 8 pm). Dean was putting up his usual bed time protests, which begin AFTER Marly falls asleep. Oh yes - That will be the LAST TIME little Dean-er!!! At 10 pm he was returned to his crib, and minutes after began crying.... Ignore, Ignore, Ignore.
At 1:12 am, Marly had her own plan of attack. She began to cry. I went in to give her a drink of water, which usually solves the problem. This provided no relief. I left the room. She waged a good battle. Mark and I stood our ground. She raised the stakes and volume and SCREAMED until 1:57. I give her credit for persistence. At the begining of the onslaught, Mark and I had our own dissension in the ranks about how to handle Baby A. Mark feared she would wake the light sleeper - Baby B. Really, this is the main reason one child sometimes ends up in our room, rather then letting them cry. It is miraculous Dean (who wakes at the slam of a car door outside) stayed asleep. Because he maintained his state of slumber, the parental unit was able to maintain and hold our stance. If Dean had created a chorus, Mark would have crumbled! I suggested Mark find ear plugs. He put several pillows over his head.
We heard only minor, dull protests the rest of the night. We did NOT re-enter their room. When I left the house at 6:50 AM both kids were in their own crib, asleep. We will stay our ground, and we will be triumphant. Tonight, we will be moving their bedtime from 8 pm to 7:30 pm. Sleep begets sleep! We will work on our naptime routine. I am hoping this also helps Dean get to sleep and STAY asleep. Dr. Weissbluth has been our guide to sleep in infancy, and I should have checked back in with his methods sooner.
Thank you Dr. Weissbluth. Wish us luck tonight. I am sure the battle of wills is NOT over yet.
I am tired. Mark is tired... so I consulted the trusty Dr. Marc Weissbluth through his book, "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." I read and worried I am creating chronic fatigue in little Dean-er. He is my anti-napper, who does not like to stay asleep. Mark and I are partly to blame! Please note I have a FIRM belief that sleep qaulity/quantity as an infant/toddler effects the over all child and their well being NOW and LATER in life. I believe teaching them good sleep habits now will affect their health and habits, even as an adult.
Anyway, while I was down stairs reading/consulting the book last night, Mark picked up Dean at 9 pm and brought him into our room. (Bed time is 8 pm). Dean was putting up his usual bed time protests, which begin AFTER Marly falls asleep. Oh yes - That will be the LAST TIME little Dean-er!!! At 10 pm he was returned to his crib, and minutes after began crying.... Ignore, Ignore, Ignore.
At 1:12 am, Marly had her own plan of attack. She began to cry. I went in to give her a drink of water, which usually solves the problem. This provided no relief. I left the room. She waged a good battle. Mark and I stood our ground. She raised the stakes and volume and SCREAMED until 1:57. I give her credit for persistence. At the begining of the onslaught, Mark and I had our own dissension in the ranks about how to handle Baby A. Mark feared she would wake the light sleeper - Baby B. Really, this is the main reason one child sometimes ends up in our room, rather then letting them cry. It is miraculous Dean (who wakes at the slam of a car door outside) stayed asleep. Because he maintained his state of slumber, the parental unit was able to maintain and hold our stance. If Dean had created a chorus, Mark would have crumbled! I suggested Mark find ear plugs. He put several pillows over his head.
We heard only minor, dull protests the rest of the night. We did NOT re-enter their room. When I left the house at 6:50 AM both kids were in their own crib, asleep. We will stay our ground, and we will be triumphant. Tonight, we will be moving their bedtime from 8 pm to 7:30 pm. Sleep begets sleep! We will work on our naptime routine. I am hoping this also helps Dean get to sleep and STAY asleep. Dr. Weissbluth has been our guide to sleep in infancy, and I should have checked back in with his methods sooner.
Thank you Dr. Weissbluth. Wish us luck tonight. I am sure the battle of wills is NOT over yet.
4 comments:
I wish you luck. Collin was a co-sleeper to some degree well after his first year. We were never able to handle crying it out, but with a consistent routine and very, very generic comforting he has been pretty good ever since...It is hard though! Now to tackle a "big boy bed" soon...
Some people I babysit for bought a baby classical sleeping Cd when their daughter was 1, now she is soon to be 4, and they still turn it on every nap and every bedtime. I think it helps soothe her...might be another thing to try!
Great seeing you today! I was in appointments for over 2 hours!
Be strong! It is so tempting to give in, we are going through the SAME thing right now! I thought Jesse would be the strong one, but he wants to get Allison and I have to tell him NO!
Good luck! I know it is hard. We have a five year old who still sneaks into our bed at night. Drives me nuts!
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