Here it is my baby sleeping secret post.
My first baby started sleeping thorough the night at 16 weeks, because that is when I learned the secret. Lady Baby was sleeping 6pm-6am at 8 weeks and Last Baby has been doing it since 9 weeks. You should know right off that in 99 percent of the cases when you say my baby won’t sleep that it is you not them. If you say my baby won’t sleep through the night then you’re right they won’t. You can also save any expert advice on how my babies sleeping that long or eating that much is detrimental to their health. I am a firm believer that people write those articles to make themselves feel better when they are up all night with a 6 month old.
When Og baby was heading into 4 months I thought I would lose my mind and start killing small animals. The lack of sleep was too much. I searched far and wide for sleep training techniques that resonated with me. Then I found this. Our sleep training bible. 12 Hours of Sleep by 12 weeks. I borrowed my copy from the local library. The main concept is get the baby eating 6-8ounces of food every 4 hours when they are physically able to do so. By this time you will know they are able to sleep through the night without eating. There is an entire section dedicated to nursing Moms. I always knew I would end up pumping for sleep training. I like measurable ounces. I am a super control freak. I have not read the nursing Mom section, and I can imagine that it might be far more difficult to accomplish while nursing.
The book gives you an arsenal of ideas to help soothe the sleep thief when they realize they are sleeping in their own bed. It only allows for three minutes of crying, and not the unconsolable kind.
I never follow any instructions perfectly. This comes back to bite me int he ass when baking. I usually take instructions as a general guide line, but I like to do what I want. This has gotten the last babies sleeping with NOT EVEN A CRY since.
I have re read the book each pregnancy. Just to refresh my memory. It is a short easy read.
The first two weeks of newbornness are a shit show. Basically you just have to do what you have to do to survive, but after that I like to get my act together and start implementing some things that will make sleep training effortless.
1. Routine. The same things happen before we get put down to bed. Bath, swaddle, eat whatever. The what in the routine is not as important as the consistency of the routine. It has to happen in the same order every night.
2. Day time sleep is done in bright places. Before a nap schedule is in place let the baby sleep where it is bright. You are teaching them about night and day this way.
3. The baby gets put down in the same place. We used the rock and play this time. What a beautiful invention. It is sofa and bed level! This step is very important for middle of the night feeds. You change the baby in the dark as quick as you can,feed the baby hold the baby for a bit then PUT the baby down to sleep. You are teaching them that it is night time and night time is for sleeping.
4. White noise is a gift form the sleep gods, and of course there is an app for that. I use an app called white noise. If the baby is fussy or not in the mood to let themselves fall asleep I just turn on some whit noise and it peacefully pushes them over the edge into sleep. Remember it was really loud where they were forged. We teach them to like quiet. Lady Baby was into oscillating fan, and Last Baby seems to dig straight white noise.
5. YOU HAVE TO BE RIGID! there is no in-between with sleep. It is, or it is not. My life for an entire year is me putting a baby to bed at 6pm and me waking up at 5:30am to get ready for the day.
I do not miss bed time. I do not miss nap time under ANY circumstances.
The baby sleeps at the same time every single day. Is this a hinderance to my social life? Yes, but as much as I love my friends I love my sleep more. We all know most new babies take three naps a day. I do not stay home for all three naps in the beginning. Most days I will, but if it is the summer and the beach is calling then we will miss first nap and try and get home for the big middle nap.
Once the baby is sleeping for one big nap during the day is when I will not allow them to miss a nap.
Un-napped babies are a ticking time bomb.
I do not like to deal with irrational tiered monsters. So being this rigid is more beneficial to me then trying to make everyone else happy by being social.
The best part about this sleep schedule is that you have time for yourself or for the other kids. The baby is in bed by 6pm which gives me time with the other kids, my husband, and with a good book.
You can manipulate the schedule to suit your needs. My babies all wanted to go to sleep at 5pm and wake up at 5am. I try no to go too far from their natural sleep pattern, but a 5-5 schedule would have been the pits.
By the time I moved the babies into the crib at 8 weeks they just started sleeping 12 hours without crying. They would wake up and fuss a bit and after a pacifier and white noise fall right back to sleep. OG baby was different because we started the techniques at 16 weeks. So he cried a little more, but it was never out of control wailing. He just needed some reassuring that the crib is an ok place to be.
My biggest piece of advice is ONCE YOU START YOU CANNOT STOP!
You can hold a baby who is freaking out, rock him, sing whatever it takes to calm them down, but you must put the baby BACK DOWN.
unless not sleeping is cool with you. Some people can live on broken 5 hour sleep, but me not so much.
Give the book a try. If you are seriously sleep deprived it can’t hurt.
Good Luck my Darlings!
