Monday, July 30, 2012

Easy as E.A.S.Y.

Take a minute and step into my crazy brain, won't you? I'm a little paranoid about Lucas' sleep habits. You see, I don't want to repeat the mistakes I made with Ryan. I want this child to actually nap. And sleep in his own bed. And eventually sleep through the night. And I'm becoming obsessive about it.

I'm reading the Baby Whisperer's book right now, which outlines the EASY routine for babies.

Eat: For now, this is just breastfeeding.
Activity: Baby is awake and playing and/or somehow being stimulated.
Sleep: Baby is sleeping
You: Once baby is asleep, I get "you" time.

For Lucas this cycle should repeat throughout the day approximately every 3 hours.

Sounds easy, right?

Luckily Lucas is not a comfort nurser, so he doesn't usually fall asleep nursing. So we've mastered the "E" and the "A". The "S", however, is a bit more difficult. The Baby Whisperer suggests a few ways to get baby to sleep, such as swaddling and shushing him, and then putting him in his crib while he is still slightly awake. This encourages him to fall asleep on his own, thus developing the skill of soothing himself to sleep without me. Sounds like a great long-term goal, since Ryan still has not developed this skill.

I'm just having a hard time getting Lucas to fall asleep. I swaddle him. I shush him. I gently pat his back. I walk him. I rock him. I sing. I bounce. And when I finally lay him down, he immediately wakes up.

Perhaps he is a bit young to sleep on his own. Perhaps I'm becoming obsessive about this sleep thing. But can you blame me? I'm pretty sure Ryan will be sleeping with his Mommy and Daddy until he gets married. I don't want the same thing to happen with Lucas.

I'm afraid that if I don't teach Lucas the proper sleep habits NOW, he will be doomed to a napless childhood. Am I worrying prematurely? Am I expecting too much from a 2-month old?

It's okay, you can tell me I'm crazy. At what age did you get your baby on a good sleeping schedule?

2 comments:

  1. You aren't crazy, I would be the same way if Maeve were like Ryan!!

    Maeve started napping well in her crib at 8 months, up until then it was only on my lap- would not be an option with a toddler around! My opinion is you're doing it right, just keep giving Lucas opportunities to sleep in his crib after you help him get sleepy. He'll get there.

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  2. I don't remember exactly but I started trying to get a routine after a month or so and started laying him down on his own around 3 months. I'd say don't panic yet but you're doing the right things, around 3 months id expect him to nap alone. :)

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