but only during the daytime. Seriously. It took me a few days to figure it out and it's definitely true.
I've been thinking about establishing some sort of routine for Sydney as soon as she gives me cues that she's ready for them. I'll start studying for my Masters Degree in 2 weeks and I'm trying to create some order in both our lives.
After she slept through the night for the first time (about 6 weeks ago), I immediately started working on a bedtime routine. She gets a bath, spends some time loving on her Daddy who dresses her in her sleepwear and I fix her final bottle. I feed her, burp her, snuggle with her a bit and she's usually in bed and asleep by 9:30p.m. It's worked out great and she puts up ZERO resistance and goes right to sleep. Around the same time, we moved her out of our bed because it was getting less and less comfortable for all of us. A king sized bed and B and I were hanging off the edge. :laugh: We put her beside our bed and she never complained and slept peacefully every night until at least 7a.m.
We then decided that we would move her out of our room and into our room! Eek! She had spent 4 months sleeping really close to us and we were not sure how well she would take it. We tried it a week ago and it went off without a hitch! I think I was more anxious that first night than she was! Thank goodness for baby monitors.
Then I decided to take it a step further. Shame on me for trying to push my luck. She's been taking longer, fewer naps instead of sleeping on and off throughout the day so I figured we could try to establish a daytime nap routine too. I mean, she has a bedtime routine and an eating routine...why not a nap routine too? It did not go so well.
Due to her reflux, she became very accustomed to sleeping on someone during the daytime or sleeping in her swing and she just was not ready to let go of that. I darkened her room at nap time (when she was obviously tired) and put her in her crib. Instead of sleeping, she fussed, whined and cried for about an hour. I held her, rocked her, shushed her, sang to her. She was NOT happy.
Finally, after about 4 days of doing that I put her back in her Pack N Play, which was still in our room. She feel asleep in 5 minutes and slept for an hour!! I started thinking that maybe she just didn't like sleeping in the crib but that didn't make sense because she sleeps fine at night. Then it occurred to me that my room was well lit in the daytime and her room was dark because I thought she needed that to sleep. I opened the blinds, put her in her crib and she's napped wonderfully in there ever since. It's totally dark in there at night but she won't sleep in the dark during the daytime. Go figure! She'll still whine occasionally but it's nowhere near the hysteria of the first 4 days. This child never ceases to amaze/confuse me!
I've been thinking about establishing some sort of routine for Sydney as soon as she gives me cues that she's ready for them. I'll start studying for my Masters Degree in 2 weeks and I'm trying to create some order in both our lives.
After she slept through the night for the first time (about 6 weeks ago), I immediately started working on a bedtime routine. She gets a bath, spends some time loving on her Daddy who dresses her in her sleepwear and I fix her final bottle. I feed her, burp her, snuggle with her a bit and she's usually in bed and asleep by 9:30p.m. It's worked out great and she puts up ZERO resistance and goes right to sleep. Around the same time, we moved her out of our bed because it was getting less and less comfortable for all of us. A king sized bed and B and I were hanging off the edge. :laugh: We put her beside our bed and she never complained and slept peacefully every night until at least 7a.m.
We then decided that we would move her out of our room and into our room! Eek! She had spent 4 months sleeping really close to us and we were not sure how well she would take it. We tried it a week ago and it went off without a hitch! I think I was more anxious that first night than she was! Thank goodness for baby monitors.
Then I decided to take it a step further. Shame on me for trying to push my luck. She's been taking longer, fewer naps instead of sleeping on and off throughout the day so I figured we could try to establish a daytime nap routine too. I mean, she has a bedtime routine and an eating routine...why not a nap routine too? It did not go so well.
Due to her reflux, she became very accustomed to sleeping on someone during the daytime or sleeping in her swing and she just was not ready to let go of that. I darkened her room at nap time (when she was obviously tired) and put her in her crib. Instead of sleeping, she fussed, whined and cried for about an hour. I held her, rocked her, shushed her, sang to her. She was NOT happy.
Finally, after about 4 days of doing that I put her back in her Pack N Play, which was still in our room. She feel asleep in 5 minutes and slept for an hour!! I started thinking that maybe she just didn't like sleeping in the crib but that didn't make sense because she sleeps fine at night. Then it occurred to me that my room was well lit in the daytime and her room was dark because I thought she needed that to sleep. I opened the blinds, put her in her crib and she's napped wonderfully in there ever since. It's totally dark in there at night but she won't sleep in the dark during the daytime. Go figure! She'll still whine occasionally but it's nowhere near the hysteria of the first 4 days. This child never ceases to amaze/confuse me!
She loosened her grip on the bear before I had the good sense to take this picture. She was literally hugging it before. It's the first "toy" we ever bought her and she had it in the incubator in the hospital. Can you believe she used to be the same size as it is? :cry:
This is how she sleeps every night. Hands behind her head, flat on her back. Grandy says her Dad used to sleep the same way. Her head is usually more centered but you get the idea. She had fallen asleep while we were playing. Poor baby and her boring Mommy.
I'm not quite sure what look B was going for here but I think she looks so cute...I just had to post it.
My girlfriend Sonny, sent these sunglasses as part of an outfit and they have come in sooo handy! She does not like the sun in her eyes at all and she loves, loves wearing these. She never fusses when I put them on. Isn't she cute?!?!?!?
One of these days I'll find shoes that fit her feet. 
5 comments:
awwww!! :D those glasses are adorable!! :P
wow...so afraid of the dark in the day...hmm...makes sense...
"if its supposed to be light...cause its day... then why is it dark...like its night? can you explain that to me mummy?" :P
maybe she doesnt quite sound like that :P
Aww, your Sydney has tiny feet too! Mine is almost 2 and her feet are only a size 3. I think we finally grew into the 0-6 month Robeez around, oh, a year old? So don't lose hope, there will be cute shoes in the future. LOL!!
Josh had that issue for a long time. Things were always lighted in the NICU and never totally dark. We slept by the TV light for awhile for light and a little noise. He finally got used to (little by little) no noise and no lights. Funny that is was only during the day though!
Sleeping through the night!!! Hooray!!!! She looks so amazing Niki.
She is gorgeous! And I think B. just looks exhausted---that's the look I am most going for myself these past two years. And you are way, way, way ahead of us in terms of sleeping matters. Hallie still owns the entire queen size bed and calls all the sleep shots. I am deeply and truly afraid of what it might be like to transition her to her own bed (which will hopefully happen before college or something).
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