Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Sleep Training? Torture? Pick your term.


I know I owe the blog a lot of love after an apparent 3 month hiatus, and I'm overdue with my holiday reports. But for now, lets start with the present.

Over the holidays, we made the decision to buckle in and move Jack from his current sleeping place (8pm-3am in the pack-n-play, 3am-7am in our bed. I gave up on leaving him in his bed all night when he started climbing out in the middle of the night.) So, Sunday, we solicited Jack's help to take apart the crib in his room and turn it into his big boy bed, with a thick layer of blankets on the floor to cushion any potential falls. He was enthusiastic. At night, he was enthusiastic to climb in for story time. At 8 O'clock, he fell asleep suckling. I took photos to document what I expected would be an all too short victory.
Sometime in the wee hours, I woke and walked down the hall to see my husband snuggled up with my boy on the 2 foot wide mattress. I don't know how I slept through the tempest.
Last night, we got off to a much rougher start. Jackson was agreeable about getting ready for bed in his new room. But he didn't take the easy road to sleep. Instead, I left an awake baby. I spent the next 1/2 hour listening to bloodcurdling sceams. I talked myself down from reassuring him, since I've found it just encourages the screams. He finally quieted down. When I went to check, he had climbed back into bed and snuggled up for the night. That lasted until midnight. I joined him in the bed at first, and then on the floor. When I first came in, he tried to shove me out of the room, finally agreeing I could stay. It took along time for sleep to overcome his rage.
The novelty has clearly worn off. Tonight, the resistance started the minute I indicated we were headed toward his room. We fought through the diaper change, pajama cladding, and storytime. The actual bedtime was a bit better. He carried on until I was out of sight,then settled down for bed. Here's hoping he sleeps for a solid block of time tonight..

My child is an absolute joy during the daylight hours. At sunset Mr. Hyde comes out. That's why its taken so long to make the move (plus we're social creatures, and I enjoy sleeping with the little monkey). Here's hoping he takes to the new arrangements soon.

In case you're wondering, its a tossup whether the crib mattress or the floor is less comfortable.

4 comments:

  1. Oh, I'm sorry. This is what I have to look forward to, isn't it? Penny is FINE during the day, but she already fights sleeping in her bed at night. And she's 8 months old!

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  2. We went through the same exact thing with Harrison--he didn't sleep through the night until he was 16 months old. It was absolute torture! I highly recommend the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. I like it because it doesn't condone co-sleeping (something I have done with all of my kids and loved it) but it also gives lots of great advice on how to get them into their own bed. Good luck! I know how rough it can be!

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  3. By the way, I left a somewhat crazy message on your cell phone. I was watching the Today show this morning and this lady was telling Mr. Lane's rabbit story. It was sooooo funny! I just kept thinking that his story has become urban legend, when we heard it first in AP Euro! hahahaha

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  4. I hope Penny's a better sleeper. Jack fought sleep from day 1. He would only sleep in the sling or on our chests. We had to buck the SIDS rules and let him sleep on his belly and with us. We've made progress, definitely (worlds of progress) but its 2 steps forward and 1 back.
    We have the book. It's really a nonjudgemental summary of the various sleep theories. And a dose of--this is the method that works best.

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