Last night, I certainly felt like I was in a wrestling match. Since we are currently co-sleeping (and not entirely by our choice, but more so our baby’s) it is always a little tricky with three people in the bed. But, this morning, I woke up feeling like I had literally been wrestling all night. That is not a good feeling!
My five-month-old is as precious as it gets. He smiles all day long, even when sick, and has a great temperament these days, unlike those early ones. But, the nights are long. They are a battle. They are tough to get through. So, something has to change. One thing that is changing in my baby is that he no longer wants to be swaddled. This is one of the most difficult sleep stages for me and has been with all three of my kids. When they are swaddled up tight, it is so much easier for them to “give in” to sleep. But, now, he is stronger, bigger, and that swaddling blanket doesn’t do much anymore. So, last night, from about 2 am on, he slept un-swaddled.
I felt fingers and toes kicking me from then on it seemed. He probably slept fine, but I did not. I woke up with the resolve to do two things.
1. Get him to sleep in his OWN bed.
2. Teach him how to sleep un-swaddled.
I don’t care too much for the crying it out method, so getting my children to sleep in a way that I’m comfortable with, and in a way that teaches them self-soothing techniques is one of the most difficult to me during the first year of baby’s life. So, what can we do?
The first thing you need to do is have a routine. We are getting there. I’ve noticed that my little man gets in the “zone” around 8 pm. He stops smiling as often, wants to be held, and gets super mad if you lay him down. You should also set up some sleep cues for your baby. I go into his room, and hold him, pull down the shades, get his crib ready, change him into some PJs, etc. Meanwhile, I talk to him about how it is time to go night-night. Other ideas can be things like reading to your baby, singing a song every night, or just holding your baby while he is still awake.
The hardest part comes when you try to put your baby down “drowsy, but awake”. Sometimes, baby still thinks it is time to play. And, I am guilty of nursing my baby to sleep, so when he wakes up in his crib, he is often not happy.
Ultimately, you have to do what works best for you and your family. For mine, I think it is the right time to start working toward putting my little man to sleep in his own bed, and more importantly, teaching him that it is OK to stay there!