On Saturday, I decided to give "Cry it Out" another try...
It was naptime, and I desperately needed to get some chores done, so I couldn't just sit on the couch with a sleeping baby on my lap. So I laid a fully awake, but tired, baby in the crib and left the room. Ten minutes later, the crying began. I busied myself doing dishes and cleaning the kitchen, trying to ignore the increasing intensity of her crying. After 15 minutes, she stopped, but just to catch her breath. She cried for 40 minutes before I had to give in and get her up to feed her and get ready to leave the house. FAIL.
Today, my mom put her in her crib for her nap. She cried for 15 minutes, then stopped for 15 minutes, then cried for another 30 minutes. My mom finally gave in and rocked her to sleep, then was able to put her down in her swing.
I can handle letting her cry for longer than an hour. I have enough chores to distract myself. But is this really healthy? Is there a better way to get this child to go to sleep on her own? I've appealed to my mommy group on Facebook, and I'll share their comments when they chime in.
Ah, parenting... whoever said it was easy was doing it wrong.
>^..^<
Some things that worked for me (but it TOTALLY depends on your parenting style): a pacifier, a sound machine (to drown out your noise), swaddling, more frequent naps and an early bedtime. The more consistent I am with naps (she dropped down to 2 when she turned 8 months) and bedtime (between 6:30-7:00), the better she sleeps.
ReplyDeleteI did let her cry it out - and once she was in bed, I didn't get her back out. I would soothe her (but not talk to her) and then leave again.
Now she lays down awake and unswaddled with a paci and takes her naps without a peep. But who knows if anything I did actually helped! :)
It's definitely a challenge - hang in there, momma!
Thank you Erin! Today is day 2 of my mom trying naps in the crib... I just hope Lily gets the hang of napping alone as quickly as possible!! :) I really appreciate your input! Cheers!
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