Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Adventures in Sleep Training

So here we are - in our new home, back in Toronto and E has lost his mind and for the last almost 2 MONTHS has not slept longer than 3hrs at night.

GIVE ME EFFING STRENGTH.

Today my little chipmunk is 20 weeks and yesterday I dropper the hammer and started sleep training.

Add this to the list of things that I said I would never do as a mother. Man, I was such a awesome parent before I had kids ...

But in all seriousness these gazillion night wakings  have to stop. I am more than OK with 1 or 2, but 5, 6, 7 - nuh uh. Mommy dont play that.

SO I busted out my Baby Whisperer bible and got to it. First nap of the day we were off to the races. 2hrs after waking we were changed, swaddled and headed for the crib. Of course he screamed in protest at this going down without a boob business but I was focused. It took 3 rounds of pick up/calm/put down to get him settled, but in less than 10 min he was calm and in his crib awake but on his way to dreamland ... and there he stayed for almost 2hrs.

Huh,, well whaddaya know. That seemed to work.

I proceeded to eff up the afternoon nap by going on a 4hr trek to Ikea but he didn't seem to mind. He was a champ, in great spirits, full of grins and loved hanging out in the carrier and in the complimentary high chair in the Ikea cafe while Mommy ate and gabbed with her GF. He napped on and off in the carrier and again on the way home in the car and seemed so content when we got home. He ate and played and when it was finally bed time, he loved his bath as usual.

Then we got down to business. Bed time routine up until now has been: bath, book, boob, bed. Well I want him off the boob to bed business so that is where I decided to start. He still got boob before bed but I unlatched him before he was too sleepy and plopped him in his crib.

Commence screaming and on to the PU/PD dance. To my glee and surprise he was again calm and quiet, headed to dreamland in less than 10 minutes.

2.5 hrs later the shit show began.

First up was Daddy. Of course he decided to ignore the convo that we JUST has 2 hrs before about how to manage night wakings and he begins with his standard rocking, singing routine. Great. Just toss Mom under the bus why dont you. UGH!

E slept for 10 minutes after that, before waking again. I took the next shift and for the next 2hrs I dealt with the PU/PD scream-fest.

But then he slept ... for a glorious 5.5hrs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ahhhhhhHHHHHHHH - I think I saw rainbows and unicorns I shit you not, because when I opened my eyes at 6:30am and saw my burrito baby still asleep on the monitor I almost cried.

Day #1 - success? Not sure, but we shall continue and see what happens. As I type this, E has been down for almost 2 hrs on his am nap following a very sort 5 minute PU/PD stint


MFFX!