My sleep training over Winter Break was a bust in the long term. Quinn is now sleeping in our bed from about one a.m. until I get her up in the morning. This is a problem, only because she has increasingly become a bed hog, and super restless. I like having her in bed with us to a certain extent. She is warm, cuddly,and she will only be this small and young for this period of time. However, some nights I just need my sleep without a wild, little kinkajou in my bed.
Here are some ideas I have been brainstorming.
1. Do some more sleep training, and possibly include some crying it out. No guarantees I can stick to my guns on this one. I don't think anyone likes to hear their baby cry, but throw in a mama who couldn't even hold their baby for the first month of their lives, and it becomes even harder.
2. Move her crib into our room, and make her sleep in it. Then she'll be close, but not too close. But will hopefully, be close enough to sleep in her crib.
3. Super baby proof her room and put a double mattress on the floor, and get rid of the crib. She always sleeps better in our bed than the crib and then we can lay with her in her bed, but sneak away without the transition from rocker to crib. And if she gets up and parties in the dark, well that is what she'll do. We'll make it super safe.
4. Stop worrying about. Face the fact that she will be coming to our bed for the time being. Embrace the cuddles and the squirms, and remain semi- tired.
Thoughts?
5 comments:
hmmm...we already talked about this, so you know what I think! I think options 1-3 are all worth at least trying before you stick with 4 because you need your precious sleep!
It's such a tough balance -- I go back and forth on this too. They're only so young and cuddly for so long . . . but if I don't get sleep, I'm not as nice of a mommy. I moved Owen out of our room already, into the hall, 'cause as much as I love having him close, even holding him and watching him sleep in the crook of my arm, I sleep about a thousand times better if I can't hear his every squeak and movement :-)
Isaac still wakes up many nights. Sometimes Greg goes in and rocks him or holds him for awhile (especially if he seems really distressed, like nightmares), but if he's just up and partying in there, we go in, tell him to go to sleep, shut the door again and leave. Makes him mad a lot of the time, but he falls asleep faster if he's mad at us than having fun :-)
I'm probably the worst person to give an opinion on this one. Wyland STILL sleeps with me. However, Oliver doesn't and never has. Partly because there just isn't room. So I probably wouldn't object to number four. Being gone all day at work often times it isn't until late in the evening (after exercise, dinner, stories, homework, clean up, etc.) that I get a chance to cuddle up with my wee ones. So I really cherish the night time when they're asleep and cuddly. I'm also not opposed to the cry it out method up to about 10 minutes. Good luck!! I swear I warned you about this family bed business! lol
This makes me worried cause right now I'm trying to figure out this whole 'sleep' thing now that Bailey has taken to sleeping no longer than 90 minutes at a time in her crib and only going back to sleep either after crying for a bit (either in our arms or in the crib, but ultimately she will NOT fall asleep in my arms) or after I nurse her. And since nursing her every hour and a half seems ridiculous (since during the day she EASILY goes 3 hours), I feel like all that is left to me is the cry it out method or cosleeping but, like you said, I sleep SO much better without her. I don't think I ever fully enter REM sleep when she's in the bed with us, even if I log more sleep time than getting up with her all of the time.
I'm hoping this is a phase and she outgrows it but in the meantime I am just accepting the fact that my first night of good sleep if 18+ years from now. Any earlier than that will just be a bonus :)
Also, I'm tired and unmotivated right now so I personally am leaning towards option 4, but in the long run, that's probably the least helpful option. Good luck!
Good luck! Hopefully you can find a solution where everyone can get good sleep. We can't let K cry it out either. Too difficult. He ends up in our bed most nights, but at least it isn't until 5 or 6 a.m.
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