Sleep Training?

In typical fashion, I started talking about how great it was and it went to crap. I talked about how much of a good sleeper our little dude was, and then, well, he was not. Our 9-6 sleeper went to a 9-2, 2:15-5, 5-6 sleeper, etc. He'd wake up fussy, sometimes eat, sometimes not, sometimes calm down easily, other times not, sometimes wind up in our bed, sometimes Daddy wound up on the floor . . . you get the picture. He slept well two nights of the previous three weeks, and if you've never met me in the morning (Lucky you!!) , you may not know that lack of sleep makes me very, truly, cranky. And the worst part? Mitchell got up with Justin most of the time - I'm talking 90% of the time, so he really should've been more tired. 

So here we are, entering the world of sleep training. First things first - I am NOT about to let my Handsome cry it out. Hearing him cry during every nebulizer treatment (which he gets twice a day) is bad enough, and he actually needs that. A good friend lent us a book on gentle sleep training, and I decided to give a few things a try - when Mitchell was out of town. I know, perfect timing on my part. 

What, you mean I'm not supposed to do this when I sleep?

I realized that things Justin had associated with sleep - getting a bottle and being rocked - were not there for him if he awoke in the middle of the night, which happens often now that he moves in his sleep. To help him soothe himself to sleep, I've made a few changes:

1) No more bedtime bottle. We will make sure he is well fed during the day and he gets a bottle no more than an hour before bedtime. Seriously Bon - your 20 pound seven-month-old will not starve if not fed right before bed. 

2) No rocking to sleep

3) Earlier Bedtime. I have attempted to move up Justin's bedtime, and thus far (this being the third night) he is going to bed an hour earlier than in the past. 

4) Bedtime 'Buddy'. Justin is given his stuffed dinosaur when going to bed, hoping that he will associate it with sleeping and it can calm him if he wakes up at night. 

5) Bedtime Routine. The routine is pretty simple: I leave the lights in the bedroom off, turn on the humidifier, change his diaper and put him in his pajamas and sleepsack (have I told you how much I love those things?). Then I read a book to him, give him kisses (a Momma can never have too many), lay him in his crib, give him his dinosaur, pat his back, and after a short while, leave the room. We have a monitor set up so we can keep an auditory eye on him. 

6) If he awakes during the night, try to get him back to sleep without removing him from his crib or making a large presence. I try shushing, light back rubbing, and moving him back to the middle of the crib if he is in the corner. 

'That's fabulous Bon, but how's it goin?' you may ask. 

So far it is going well. He has gone down easily - only this evening did he fuss initially and need a little back rub to go to sleep. He does suck his fingers as a means of calming himself, but he has done that for awhile now and we're not worried about it. He has awoken once each night, but not with much fussing. He does move A LOT, so I have moved him to the middle of his mattress so he does not hit his head on his mobile if he raises it. 

A well rested Justin = a well rested Momma = a happier world!

Each night he has returned to sleep without being removed from his crib or fed and has not woke up until 6:00! In addition, he has taken two good naps at daycare each day. We will see if this continues or if it was just a nice break for Momma while Daddy was gone. 

p.s. I'm down over 5 pounds and feel a lot better! Weight Watchers works :) Now, if you'll excuse me, my baby is asleep and I have a large glass of wine calling my name . . .