It’s been a few months since I’ve blogged about Griffin, but it’s always so hard when things are constantly changing. I think we’re good one day with something, and the next day…poof!…and we’re back to square one! One thing I think we’ve gotten the hang of though, is Griffin’s sleep schedule and nap time.
First, let me start this post off by saying, I had NO idea what kind of mom I was going to be. Would I be laid back? Uptight? Care about the little stuff? Ha, well, to be honest, I’m a little bit of all three!! There’s certain things I am super laid back about, and others…not so much. A sleep schedule was definitely one of those things I was a stickler about. I’d like to think that’s why we have such a good sleeper on our hands. However, Garin and I really love our sleep. My mom likes to remind me I was the exact same way. In fact, while growing up, I remember banging on the wall to get them to turn down the TV at night-haha, I also preferred pure silence…still do!
Let’s begin! I’m going to share my insight on how we were able to successfully train our little man.
3+ months (or 14 pounds recommended)
This is about the time that we started to incorporate a sleep schedule for Griffin. This meant moving him into his own room to sleep at night. Honestly, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It was truly good for all parties involved. Sure, we couldn’t see him or hear him like we could when he was right beside the bed, but the fact of the matter was, he was OK, and it was just a small change we all needed to trust in. Yes…trust.
That was the first step. We were still allowing him to nap whenever he wanted, and wherever. At the time, it was mostly the swing-he loved it! Then, about a month or so later (5 months) we slowly started putting him in his bed for a morning nap around 10am. He would sleep till noon most of the time, then he’d go for a second nap at 2pm, until 4 or so. He was on this schedule until about 14 months.
He typically went to bed around 9pm once he started sleeping in his own room, but we slowly started pushing it back each month to get to the 6:30/7pm mark. Even after all that day sleeping, it still seemed he was ready for bed around that time. It’s crazy, I know!
Cry Out Method
This is when being a mom (and dad) got super hard. To this day, I still cringe to think how we got through it all. But we did. And you will too! You just have to remember that it’s a phase, and phases never last forever. After much consideration, we decided to utilize the cry out method. It started with just going in there to soothe him from outside his crib. That meant no picking up….just rubbing his head, and saying “shh, shh…” over and over. Eventually we realized that this still was not helping the situation. Honestly, I think it was for our own good simply because hearing him cry each night was so sad!
But we toughened up, and eventually stopped going into the room. It was extremely difficult at times, but we knew he would be fine. I had a monitor, and we could see and hear him clearly. We even resorted to 1 ear plug in to help drown out the noise. Some may find this a bit insensitive, but it was actually a suggestion from our pediatrician. He being a parent himself knew, that there was no way either of us was going to sleep if we were listening to the baby all night. And how were we going to be coherent and alert parents the following day? He was right. Remember when I said, I loved my sleep. Well, I actually need it too. When I run low (anything below 8) I just don’t function. So it was vital for baby too!
It took only about 3 weeks before Griffin was sleeping soundly and soothing himself back to sleep if we woke up. It was the best day when I woke up one morning realizing that I had actually slept through the night without a peep from him. I had truly felt like a good mom. Like I had truly done something to make everyones life a little easier. We were on top of the world. From then on, it was easy peasy!
Tips
Controlled Environment: Griffin rarely ever slept in his stroller, or floor or other random parts of the house. Actually, he has never even slept in our bed in the night! I intend to keep it that way 😉 I suggest making only a couple places known that that is where they sleep. For him, it was his crib, or the pack n play (when we were away from home.) That’s it. They will associate those places with sleep which will make it easier for time. He will take a nap here or there in the car, and I find that to be ok since there’s really nothing you can do about that! Enjoy the peace and quiet 🙂
Pacifier: We did finally give in to a pacifier for Griffin when he was 1 month old. He did not have one in the hospital, but Garin and I decided that it would help soothe him in more ways then one. Once he hit 3 months however, it was only used at nap time and bedtime. We found he didn’t really need it past that. And with that, we officially got rid of it 3 weeks ago! At 21 months, we are paci-free. He did great! I’m so proud of him! Kick the habit young before they get older – it’s harder to break them of it.
Create a schedule: I can’t stress this enough! Stick to a routine. Babies (and kids) live for that. It keeps everyone happy, and it allows for you to plan your day. We are like clockwork with Griffin’s nap and bed times. Yea, it isn’t always fun to leave a party early, or to turn down plans because of it, but it isn’t about YOU, it’s about the babe. If you want to see the results, STICK TO IT! Plus, being able to watch a movie, or get stuff done around the house during those times is ah-mazing!! I literally plan everything around it. Sure, we stray from time to time, because life happens, but believe me when I say…clockwork = results 🙂
Sound machine: I highly suggest getting one of these! We have this one, and love it! We bring it with us everywhere. And yes, he can also sleep without it. He takes a nap at daycare 3x a week, and she does not use a sound machine. It’s more or less a way to soothe him, AND it helps if we’re throwing a rager downstairs…hehe kidding. But seriously, we don’t have to worry about tip toeing around.
Staying up doesn’t mean sleeping in: Although I wish it did! It’s actually the opposite. An overtired baby can cause rough nights, early wakes and a not-so-happy baby. Think of the day as 2 parts…12 hours a day, and 12 hours a night. If they wake up at 7am, they should go to bed at 7pm.
Reassurance
They’re gonna sleep: It will happen! Now that Griffin is a bit older he only takes 1 nap a day. He goes down at 1pm, and wakes around 4pm. He then goes to bed at 7pm and sleeps for 12 hours consistently every night. It’s so nice!
The sleep time possibilities are endless: Don’t feel like you have sit in pure silence while baby naps. Get some work done, or dive into a book. Or better yet, hire a babysitter and head to the mall! All they’ll need to do is sit there – no instructions necessary! And when they go down for the night, embrace the time with your significant other. Pour a glass of wine and kick back…you deserve it!
Easy-going baby: I really think Griffin’s “laid back” demeanor is due to the fact that he is well rested. He rarely fusses. He’s been that way since the day he was born. Think about it…aren’t you a happier person when you’ve had a good nights sleep?
Better parents: You will be a healthier, more patient, and more rested person after all of this. I know it’s scary at first, but embrace it! Make sure you and your partner are on each others side, and are using the same tactics.
Alright, I know that was a little longer then the ordinary post, but you can’t paraphrase the lesson of sleep. It’s a challenging phase, but it will end. And once it does, you’ll be wanting it back again. Even after all the hard work we put in, I still wish Griffin was that little, cuddly baby. Now, we’re lucky if he sits long enough to hug us, hehe.
I hope this was useful to you, no matter what stage you’re at. Leave a comment below 🙂 Also, check out Griffin’s nursery, and where all this went down, here.
xoxo,
Laura