For a couple of weeks, naptime and bedtime were a bit of a challenge with my baby. She wasn’t falling asleep easily on her own like she used to, but she also wasn’t falling asleep while being rocked or held very easily either.
One day I was at my wit’s end and decide it would be alright if she cried for a little while before falling asleep, as long as the crying didn’t get out of hand. She cried softly on and off for about 15 minutes before drifting off to sleep. I tried the same thing the next naptime, and this time she cried softly on and off for about 10 minutes. She didn’t cry loudly or hysterically either time, and I felt okay about letting her cry a bit, since I knew she was very tired.
That night at bedtime, she went to sleep almost immediately, and slept better than she had in a long time. By better, I mean she woke up less to eat, and when she woke up to eat, she didn’t cry. She also slept about an hour later before being ready to be up for the day.
The next day, naptimes were a breeze. She went to sleep immediately each time without crying, and slept longer than normal. Bedtime was, again, wonderful. In fact, we started putting her in her crib to sleep. She’s never slept in it overnight before, but she did great. Her crib is in our room, right against our bed, with one side taken off, so she’s still very close to us, but it’s the first time she hasn’t been in our bed.
I have no idea if her sleeping habits are a result of her crying herself to sleep, but I have a feeling that’s at least part of the reason.
It’s funny, because when her sleep habits were awful for those couple of weeks, I felt so tired and overwhelmed. I wished I could have some down time to relax. Now that she is sleeping wonderfully, I really miss her. I wish she needed me a little more.