The following is a postscript to this afternoon's post:
I just put Petunia down for the night. Here is how it went: I nursed her. I burped her. She fussed a bit, so I walked with her for less than a minute. Then I wrapped her in a blanket, put her hat on her, turned on the wave sounds we use as white noise, and put her down in her co-sleeper. She fussed a bit, so I picked her up and walked for another 30 seconds or so. Then I kissed her forehead, put her down, and left the room. I could hear her on the baby monitor, shuffling about for maybe a minute.
I snuck back in to check on her, because I still can't believe it is this easy. She is fast asleep.
At this age (6 weeks old), Pumpkin's bedtime routine was: I nursed her. I burped her. Someone bounced/rocked her for at least 15 minutes. We carefully laid her down, and then sat with a hand on her tummy for another 5 minutes or so until we thought she was sound asleep. If we missed any step, she would usually wake up and scream at us. We knew that we wanted her to go down "sleepy but awake" but could never make that work, and I was beginning to think that advice was a cruel trick being played on parents.
I just left a comment on your previous post, but I needed to comment here too by saying...B was NEVER that easy at that age! Nick and I each had our own way to time it, but it was a certain number of minutes or rocks in the chair before we would put him in his crib. Then I would have to tip toe to his crib and hope that putting him down wouldn't wake him! I would often pat his tummy or hold my hand on his tummy until I thought it was "safe" to leave. The crazy things us parents try!
ReplyDeleteDareth- I feel like I've won the lottery with Petunia's current bedtime routine.
ReplyDeleteNeither Hubby nor I really trust it yet. We keep saying that it is all going to go south at some point.
But I'm certainly enjoying it while it lasts! Now, if I could just get Pumpkin to let me leave her room before she falls asleep.....
Our second baby is a much better sleeper, and we didn't do anything different with her either. She is a much more adventurous eater, she likes baths, and so on. Who knows... but it keeps things interesting.
ReplyDeleteHeh. With Casper at 6 weeks, it went: post-dinnertime nursing and nap. Screaming inconsolably for one hour starting at 10pm, with parents walking around the dining room table, singing, bouncing, shushing loudly, etc. Conks out cold at 11pm and we all get a solid 3 hours of sleep. Wakes at 2am, nurses, will not go back to sleep unless being held, wakes up if put down no matter HOW LONG you wait to put her down. I think at this point we were giving up on trying to put her in the crib and trying to sleep holding her on our arms while semi-reclining on the futon in her room. We didn't get her into our bed, and I didn't learn to nurse lying down, until about 3 months, which made things much better.
ReplyDeleteDillo was MUCH easier.
Okay, I'm completely jealous! I was (and still am) thrilled that my second baby is able to be put down, but to be put down drowsy but awake? That kind of happened a couple times, but really anymore! And we no longer get a big chunk of time either. I'm blaming his being sick, then 4-month sleep regression and then sick again. Surely once he's better from this cold he will be easy peasy to put down!
ReplyDeleteEither way, much easier than my first was. My husband still has to lie down with her in her bed to get her to go to sleep. Although now that she's not napping at all anymore, she goes to sleep rather quickly (30 minutes or less) and he's usually out of her room by 7:30. Someday they will fall asleep on their own!