Okay, before we do anything else, can I show you my apartment?
It’s never been this clean before, and it may never be this clean again, so I just want to bask in it. Ahhhh!Anyway, now that that’s out of the way…
Yes, I got up in time today. Yes, I napped from 7:40 to 8am. So sue me – close enough!
Today’s challenge is: Getting Felicity to sleep in her crib!
Where HAS she been sleeping, you ask? Oh, I am ashamed to answer.
So ANYWAY, we need to get her moved to the crib! The problem is that when I put her in there, she screams bloody murder. The shrieking goes on and on and on and on… Look at this sad little buddy! Those red eyes!
Don’t worry, some attention from Mommy’s camera cheered her up pretty quickly! It’s about time I got a picture of that smile!
The point is, the shrieking is miserable to listen to, and she swallows a bunch of air, which makes the problem worse. Add to that the fact that the girls SHARE a room, and it hasn’t really seemed possible to put them in there together. Especially since Ariel sleeps 12-13 hours a night, and Felicity’s longest stretch is 6-8.
So I’ve started cracking down. Yesterday, she spent nap times in her crib, whether she slept or not (and she did sleep a little bit), and then she went down for the night when Ariel did. Both girls cried, but they were quiet by 8:45. Felicity woke up again at about 9:30, but after 1/2 an hour of crying, she fell back asleep. Amazingly, Ariel never woke up. Ariel did wake up when Felicity cried at 12:30, though, so I went in and nursed her and put her in the swing for the rest of the night. It was a start, at least!
I hope that this is the “tough love” that she needs to help her body clock adjust to a longer sleep schedule. It’s so hard to listen to her scream, but we can’t just live like this – the swing is quickly becoming an unsafe place for her to sleep. She’s 4 1/2 months old now; she needs to be in her crib.
And in case anyone is thinking about it, no, I will not co-sleep. I did that with Felicity for her first month. I got the poorest quality sleep of my life. If that works for you, cheers!
Any suggestions for making this transition more painless and/or effective would be much appreciated!
Filed under: Improvin'
Hi. I have no suggestions for you, being a clueless first-time mom myself. (Sounds like you’re off to a good start anyway.) However, I just have to tell you how UTTERLY SCRUMPTIOUS your baby girl is in those photos! OMG, those cheeks!!! (She is so cute, she’s causing me to overdose on exclamation points!)
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First of all, your apartment looks astoundingly tidy – excellent cleaning job!
Secondly, Fiffy Ann is too cute and I think you are doing just fine – taking it in steps, a little at a time. She’ll learn to be okay with sleeping in her crib, and she and Ariel will begin telling little secrets to each other in their room before you know it.
I’m a new blogger (found you from one of the Mama blogs – either Boo or Big)- and so I’m looking for inspiration for others’ work
I like the way you add every day pictures to your posts. I tried a little of that over Christmas- but it took me a gazillion hours to get it right.
I look forward to checking out your other resolutions. Do you plan on letting people know how you’re doing? Very brave indeed.
Yeah- well apparently I’m so new at this that I haven’t realized there’s a need to preview my writing – even my comments!
What I meant was…”I’m looking for inspiration FROM others’ work.”
- Debbie
First I have to admit my oldest slept a lot in the swing, usually after she woke up for her first bottle of the night, i’d be so tired I’d let her sleep in the swing till her next bottle. She never slept long, but it was the only way to catch a couple hours. Second & the reason I commented, my 2nd Daughter refused the crib. She slept fine in her bassinet, but when it was time to switch to the crib she wanted nothing to do with it. I tried everything, letting her cry, letting her fall asleep & then moving her a good 1/2 -1 hour into her sleep. Nothing the 2nd I placed her down, she woke up hysterical. My girls also shared a room & I didn’t think it was fair my 4 year old at the time since she had to get on a regular schedule for kindergarten the next year. So my youngest slept in the living room on the floor every night. It was the only place she’d sleep. Luckily she transitioned into the toddler bed easier & we did it early about 2 I believe. Good luck!
You must read this book: http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Sleep-Habits-Happy-Child/dp/0345486455/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199472702&sr=8-1
It will make you and your baby happy. Good luck!
aw, she is adorable! I also have a 4.5 month old and he has yet to sleep in his crib too! He sleeps in his bassinet or papasan chair, both of which he is too big for. I think it’s time we did tough love as well. (sigh)
Sorry I’m not much help, just wanted to chime in that your kids are adorable!
If you even pick her up once every 10 tries, her efforts to get out are worth it, and you have reinforced the crying. Go in, reassure her, pat her, even kiss her, but DO NOT pick her up. Don’t overstay; leave. Show her that you have confidence that she will be okay in there. Eventually, she’ll get the hint. As long as you never leave her screaming in there for hours, she’ll learn to feel secure in there. If you don’t believe me, watch some reruns of Nanny911.
My husband had to use the Ferber? Method (above) for our son, back in the day…it involved listening to him cry; going in every 10 minutes, then 20, then 30, etc. It was pure torture, but it only took 2 nights. My husband had to leave the house the first night, though!
Good luck. Those are two little dollies you have!
Hi, i love the font you have used for your logo. Is that readily available? Thanks, Maggie