How to stop the Dream Feed...ouch

So I've decided it's about time to stop the dream feed. If you're not familiar with the dream feed it's the 10 or 11pm feed (either bottle or breastfeeding) that some people offer their babies to help them sleep through the night.

But how do you know when it's time to eliminate the dream feed and exactly how do you stop the dream feed when you decide it is time to phase it out? I couldn't remember when my daughter stopped the dream feed so I checked the trusty blog and it turns out she was about 5 months....which is about the same age my son is now.

But how exactly do I go from giving him a 5 or 6 ounce bottle or nursing on both sides to nothing and expect him to sleep 3 more hours? Here's the thing I nurse him at 7pm and then usually the dream feed at 10...then he doesn't get up again until 7am to eat. So as you can see cutting out the dream feed is expecting him to sleep 3 additional hours without eating. But I think he's ready because he's been eating solids for a good solid two weeks and he's getting plenty of calories during the day.

The last thing I wanted was for him to wake up at 3 or 4am hungry and demanding to be fed b/c that would likely start his middle of the night wakings again. So instead of stopping the dream feed cold turkey I decided I'd gradually wean him. Instead of nursing him on both sides at 10pm last night - I just nursed him on one side. I picked the left side where I always get less milk when I pump.

Sleep, Oh Sleep...where art thou?

I'm sorry that I have been a bad blogging mommy. But I do have a legit excuse. My usual writing time, aka nap time, has been cut in half the last few weeks. Clearly, loooonnnngggg gone are the days when my sleeping beauty would sleep anywhere...for hours on end!

Olivia is s.l.o.w.l.y. going down to one nap and it has been a painful process...for me, not her. I blogged a few weeks ago with some tips on transitioning from two to one naps, but I think I need to make some amendments to my advice. Some of it, I've realized is flat out wrong (at least for Olivia, maybe not for your child since there seems to be no 'right' or 'wrong' way to do this).  I guess that's what you get since motherhood has proven, to me at least, to be trial and error.

Some days she manages fine on one nap (usually around 11:30am) other days she's ready for a nap at 9:30 in which case I force her to take an afternoon nap. The problem is no matter what time she goes down for a nap she'll only sleep for 90 minutes. That's a problem when she gets up at 11am and is up for the rest of the day because she refuses to take an afternoon nap.  It's still a problem when she gets up at 1pm because she's a miserable mess by 5pm, but it's too late to put her down for a second nap.

You're probably wondering why I'm so worried about the 90 minute nap? If she's sleeping 12-13 hours at night why lose sleep over it (pun intended)? The problem is she wakes up crying from her naps, she's still clearly tired, but she has a huge poop in her diaper and won't go back to sleep even after I change it. I've tried changing it and putting her back down, I've tried leaving her up there for 20-30 minutes hoping she'll realize it's not time to get up and fall back asleep. Nothing works.  I've also tried and tried to put her down for an afternoon nap when she gets up too early, but she resists. I feel like I've tried the nap schedule every which way but nothing works.

• Early lunch at 11am, nap at 11:30. She wakes up at 1pm with a poop and refuses to go back down. 
• Early lunch at 11am, play time to encourage poop, nap at 12pm. She's exhausted and can't stay up late enough to poop...wakes up at 1:30pm with a poop and refuses to go back down.
  
• Snack at 10am, Nap at 11:30. She wakes up at 1pm hungry and refuses to go back down
• Nap at 9:30 am, wake up at 11. Lunch at 12pm. Refuses an afternoon nap no matter what I do.
  

Twice I have been able to keep her up until about 12:30 and both those days she's slept until at least 3pm. Also I've noticed that she's pooped before her nap on those days. So now I'm trying to figure out how to encourage a big ol' poopy diaper before the single early afternoon nap.

Aw, the 'projects' I never imagined I'd have to tackle before I was entered new mamahood!

What's been your strategy for moving your child from two naps to one? 

More Sleep & Nap Help

How to Get a Baby to Sleep

Getting Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night

Crying It Out: The Last Resort

Trouble With Naps

The 45 Minute Nap

How Much Sleep Does My Baby Need

Get Some Sleep: Turn Off the Baby Monitor

Unswaddling: Cold Turkey Style

No Baby Blankets in the Crib...I Learned the Hard Way

I had the scare of my motherhood a few nights ago and I wanted to pass along the horror story to prevent all your hearts from stopping.


I usually put my daughter to bed and don't hear from her for about 11.5 hours...at 6:30 am. Well this particular night, I put her down, then went out. When I got back my husband said she had cried out. She only did it for a few seconds and then went back to sleep. She did this two more times before I went to bed around 10pm. I never check on her before I go to bed for fear opening the door might wake her. This night though something told me to look in on her. I think it was the weird outcries. I went into her room and when I found her in her crib I got hysterical. The blanket that I always lay over her when I put her to bed, was literally wrapped around her head and face like a turban. I yelled her name and tore the blanket off her head. Her hair was soaking wet from sweat. I grabbed her out of the crib and held her for a good 10 minutes as I rocked my sweet baby girl and tried to stop shaking. My husband ran into the room when I screamed not knowing I had even gone in there. When I finally settled down I put her back in the crib and she continued peacefully sleeping as if nothing was ever wrong. I, on the other hand, lay in bed for more than an hour thinking...what if? What if I hadn't been called to go in there? What if had overheated? What if she had suffocated? What if...

The blanket I promptly put in the top of the closet and decided she'd NEVER use a blanket again. (Why didn't I listen to the advice of the experts who say NO BLANKETS???...I thought she was cold.) Then I started thinking what I was going to do when the weather really does get cold. (I don't know why I didn't think of long, footed pjs right away, but whatever.) Anyway, last winter we were still swaddling her. But that wouldn't work now, for one her legs are way too long for the sleep sack and two there's no way she's sleep like a mummy again. That's when I discovered that they actually do make toddler size sleep sacks. You can also buy sleep sacks in light weight fabrics for summer time or if you think your baby gets too hot in a fleece sack. Whatever you do, avoid the blankets...I will be!

Update on the Binkie Plight...or Should I say Fight?

There's no sugar coating it, I'm a mom wimp. I can't help it, I had to give it back. And I'll tell you why...


My poor baby girl cried her little heart out, big crocodile tears, for far too long. She was exhausted and only wanted her binkie. I gave her a few "lovies" that we've been developing as "lovies" for a few weeks now (started that when I started breastfeeding weaning). But nothing was as good as the binkie. How do I know she only wanted the binkie? As soon as I gave it back she went right to sleep.

So why did I give in? Why did I have a change of heart when I was so dead set on no binkie after 1 year? Here's my reasoning:

-She only uses it when she's sleeping.
-She used to have three and now only gets one in the crib.
-She's too young to reason with.
-There's little to no risk of the binkie impacting her teeth or jaw at this age.

I've decided that once I can "reason" or at least explain why we're giving up the binkie I'll try again. A few of my mommy friends have found success in "giving the binkies to the babies." In other words when their little ones were around 18 or 24 months, together, they gave the binkies away saying the babies needed them. Some handed them over to the pediatrician to "give" to the newborns, others floated them up to the babies in heaven on balloons. However they did it, I think their method is better than mine.

Wish Me Luck on the Binky Front

I think it's going to be a long few days. We've decided that now that my daughter is one we will do away with the binkie. It's nice to know she's putting up 100x more of a fight weaning from it, than she did breastfeeding. Makes me feel great.

Anyway, I thought it would be easier than this. After all, for the last few months she's only used the binkie when she sleeps. A few times she's even gone to sleep without it....thanks to a tantrum that left two or three on the floor beside her crib.

I started my bye bye binkie plight yesterday, but I have to admit I wimped out and after 20 minutes of crying and tears I reluctantly gave it to her. She was asleep within the minute. Today...I'm holding strong. At least so far...I'm only 30 minutes in. My motivation now is knowing how hard it will be if I tried to take it away when she was, say, two. Just imagine how attached she'd be to it then. The thing about taking the binkie away is there's not really any middle ground: she either has it or she doesn't. At least with breastfeeding weaning I could replace nursing with a sippy cup of milk. What can I replace the binkie with?

Anyone with any insight, please share your thoughts. And please...the answer isn't just let her use it until she's four. I've decided now is the time, I'm just looking for advice on making the transition a little easier.

9 Month Old Schedule

If I've heard it once, I've heard it 100 times: "When does your baby sleep?" "When does she eat and how much?" "How many naps is she taking?" New moms know there's no right answer, but we all want to see if our baby is on par. Here's what I've found works for us...


6:30 am Wake Up

6:30 Nurse (probably 5-6 oz)

8:15 Breakfast of 3 homemade baby food fruits cubes + 1 heaping tbsp of Whole Grain Cereal

9:15-10:45 Nap #1

11:15 Nurse (probably 3-4 oz)

1:00 Lunch of 4 oz of Yogurt mixed with 1 cube of homemade baby food

2:00-3:45 Nap #2

4:00 Nurse (probably 3-4 oz)

5:30 Dinner of 3 homemade baby food vegetables/meats + 1 heaping tbsp of Whole Grain Cereal

7:00 Nurse or 3 oz Bottle of breastmilk

7:15 pm - 6:30 am Bed

10:00 pm Pump

Now, while this is working for us now, I'm sure it will all change in another month or two. My daughter is just now starting to stay awake for 3 hours at a time. Even two months ago, it was a stretch to keep her up 2 hours. There are still days when she won't nap as long in the morning and she may need a short, late afternoon nap. If she does, I don't stress about it. I try to follow her cues so everyone stays happy and crank-free! On days like this she often stays up closer to 8pm, but that's rare. I try to keep bedtime around the same time everynight.

Recommend Reading:

The 45 Minute Nap
How Much Sleep Does My Baby Need
Get Some Sleep: Turn Off the Baby Monitor
How to Get a Baby to Sleep
Getting Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night
Crying It Out: The Last Resort
Making Homemade Baby Food

Trouble with Naps

My now 8 month old daughter had been sailing along smoothly for a few months...napping like a champ during the day and sleeping (12 hours) like a baby at night. She'd lay down for a nap awake and I wouldn't hear from her for an hour or two. Then, out of the blue, it's like she forgot how to fall asleep.


My troubles started about a month ago when my daughter got her third ear infection. The doctor put her on an antibiotic which seemed to help. But a day after she stopped taking the medication, she was still having trouble sleeping. I thought something else was wrong. A tooth maybe? Finally??!!! 

A few days later she was still fussy and out of sorts so I took her back to the doctor. She still had an ear infection. Now, he decided to put her on power-meds! If this wasn't enough to keep her from falling asleep, she then developed a stuffy, runny nose and snot that just wouldn't quit. That lasted about a two weeks (it seemed like forever) and warranted yet another trip to the pediatrician. He said she had a pretty bad cold so I chalked her trouble getting to sleep up to congestion and an ear ache. He also said it was looked like a tooth was finally trying to break through (though it would still be awhile) and suggested if Tylenol wasn't doing the trick to try Motrin. The scary saga with Motrin deserves a post all to itself so...(I'll warn you, it took me back to the doctor's office and nearly to the ER). Anyway, it took me 4 hours to get her to sleep that night and I swore the sleep troubles would NEVER end. The next day it was the same thing more than two hours of screaming, a drive around town and an extra nursing before she FINALLY feel asleep. I was willing to do anything...I'd set the timer and go in after 10 minutes to calm her down, I'd give her the binky and against my own good judgement pick her up and try to rock her. She wasn't having it....any of it!  

By the next day, all of her ailments were gone, but her nap troubles were most definitely sticking around. My husband forced me to let her cry until she feel asleep. It was a good 20 minutes until she finally crashed! The next nap it was a similar situation, but she cried for 15 minutes and the next time I laid her down for a nap- 5 minutes of crying, but no screaming. Finally, I just put her down awake and I didn't hear from her. She's asleep.

While I absolutely hated it, I had to let her cry. When I knew nothing could be wrong with her I knew there were no more excuses (not a runny nose, a headache, a belly ache, hunger, overtired, etc) that either one of us could make. It's amazing how fast babies can get into a habit. In those few weeks of her non-stop medical issues she had gotten used to me helping her fall asleep. And what's worse - she had started relying on it - even though for 4 months prior, she would lay down and fall asleep on her own.

If your child is having trouble napping I feel your pain. But I promise you, if you give them a day or two to fall asleep on their own, your baby will quickly realize you won't come running everytime you hear "mama" over the baby monitor.  By no means am I advocating to let your sick baby wail for an hour or even 20 minutes. What I'm suggesting is to set up an expectation, with your well child, that you mean business. Here's how I believe you can help them learn to fall asleep on their own, take better naps and longer naps!

-Take your baby to the nursery at the first tired cue (rubbing eyes, yawning, fussiness)
-Change your baby's diaper
-Give a binky (if you choose)
-Lay baby in the crib
-Sing a little song or rub her face or belly for 30 seconds
-Say goodnight and walk out
-If she's crying set the timer for 10 minutes DO NOT go back into the room for 10 minutes
-When the timer goes off return to your baby, tell her it's time for a nap but DO NOT pick her up
-Set the timer for 15 minutes
-Repeat, adding 5 minutes to the timer, until your baby finally falls asleep

The most important part is not to pick up the baby. I have to admit this is where I falter. But when I had my husband there, forcing me to let her be, she did fall asleep on her own. And that's how I've finally gotten my sanity back! So...thank you honey!

Recommend Reading

The 45 Minute Nap
How Much Sleep Does My Baby Need
Get Some Sleep: Turn Off the Baby Monitor
How to Get a Baby to Sleep
Getting Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night
Crying It Out: The Last Resort

The books I found the most useful as far as teaching my daughter to sleep are:

Sleep & Nap Help

How to Get a Baby to Sleep

Getting Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night

Crying It Out: The Last Resort

Trouble With Naps

The 45 Minute Nap

How Much Sleep Does My Baby Need

Get Some Sleep: Turn Off the Baby Monitor

Unswaddling: Cold Turkey Style

Change Does a Baby Good

I've never been afraid of change...that is until I had my baby. Funny, how she changed everything and now I'm afraid any little change will throw off her schedule,put our day into chaos and spin our world out of control. Okay, so it's not quite that bad...


Here's what I mean about change though...in the last 6 years I have lived in 5 different states, had three different jobs, got married, had a baby, adopted a dog....so clearly I haven't always been afraid of change.

I guess it's a relatively new phenomenon for me since I'm always so certain it will throw my daughter's predictable schedule into a tailspin.

For the first five months of her life my daughter was swaddled to sleep in the Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe . Everyone kept telling me I had to start unswaddling her. I knew it was time when she kept getting out of the "straight jacket" because she was clearly too big for it. So one night I went cold turkey and unswaddled her. I swore she wouldn't be able to sleep. I swore her nights of sleeping 11 straight hours were over. I just knew we'd have at least a week of crying...but no! She was fine. She fell asleep, stayed asleep and woke up happy...arms flailing. (Although, I do have to admit, I miss the excessive stretching that came with un-velcroing the swaddle every morning.)

Before that we had the drama that came with finally getting her to sleep in her crib. No, she wasn't co-sleeping with us or even in our room. She was sleeping in her room...in the carseat, that for five months, was plopped right next to her crib. The pediatrician recommended putting her in there since she had a little reflux as a newborn. She was in there so long I was finally convinced that's the only place she could sleep. The change finally came (reluctantly for me) when she kept waking up because she was no longer comfortable in the confined space of the car seat. I was so concerned that she'd cry all night over the dramatic change that I tried to convince my husband she still needed to be in the carseat. Yes, she cried for a little bit...but, again, she was fine with the change. More so than me.

More recently I changed the way I feed my little girl. Not only has she started solids but I stopped the "dream feed" (suggested in "Good Night Sleep Tight: The Sleep Ladys Gentle Guide to Helping Your Child Go to Sleep, Stay Asleep, and Wake Up Happy" ). Basically the dream feed was a sixth bottle feeding that came around 10pm. Even though bedtime was around 7:15 I would then give my daughter a 2 oz bottle as she continued to sleep around 10pm. I did this for months. She always slept right through the bottle feeding and I was convinced she needed it to sleep through the night. (Like 2oz was really doing anything!) Anyway, last week she started waking up after I'd give her this last bottle. One night she was up for nearly two hours. For a few weeks I had debated about stopping this feeding since she was getting solid food and she probably didn't need those calories anyway. But since we had always done it, and afraid of making the change, I continued. Then when she started waking up I finally decided..that's it! No more! That night I went to bed without giving her those two ounces and I was convinced she'd wake up at 4am screaming because she was hungry. But 6:45 rolled around and she woke up babbling the same as she did the nights she got the bottle.

So here's my point in all of this. As much as I'm afraid to disrupt any semblance of order, my daughter has taken to the change without skipping a beat. She seems to be adaptable to change at this age and so I'm just going with it. I'm starting to realize I can't worry about what will happen if I change something in her life because her life is going to be full of changes.

So far, so good!

Baby Monitor Debate

When I get together with my other new mama friends we always end up asking "how's your baby sleeping." What we should probably be asking is "how are you sleeping." I think I may have found the long lost key to getting 8 hours of sleep when you have an infant..and I figured out how to get my baby to sleep through the night all at the same time.


The secret's in the monitor.

Here's the thing. As a new mama you're probably buddy-buddy with your baby monitor. You are, aren't you? Just admit it - we all are! Well, at least I was! I use the monitor during the day when my daughter is taking naps. I no longer use the monitor at night.

Hear me on out on this one. It took my daughter four months to consistently start sleeping through the night. I knew she wasn't hungry and that she could make it until morning without eating, but I couldn't figure out why she'd wake up randomly. Then one night around 3am I was awakened by the sound of her babbling, but not crying, on the monitor. I stumbled into her room only to find her eyes were closed. She was still asleep and me rushing in was only waking her up. I went back to my room and realized that if I didn't have the monitor on I wouldn't have heard the babbling, I would have stayed asleep and therefore she would have too. I also realized closing her door slightly, but not completely, and doing the same to mine, would definitely be enough to awaken me by her true cries. (There's no way I could miss the crying, especially the way she exercises her lungs.) So the next night I tried it. I turned off the monitor at night. She slept the whole night through and so did my husband and I.

So here's what's happening. We all have awake times in the middle of the night, even if we don't remember them. My daughter babbles, squeals, and even cries out during hers. But she always goes back to sleep. I'm not sure how many times this happens at night..maybe two or three? (Last night I was up way passed my bedtime and I heard her babbling around 11:15. I thought, well she's not screaming so I'll let her go. Ten minutes later she was fast asleep. She woke up at 6:45 this morning happy as a lark.) By turning the monitor off I don't hear every little peep which has taught her to get herself back to sleep and given me the chance to get uninterrupted sleep as well.

Recommended Reading:

The 45 Minute Nap
How Much Sleep Does My Baby Need
How to Get a Baby to Sleep
Getting Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night
Trouble With Naps: The 2 Day Solution


The books I found the most useful as far as teaching my daughter to sleep are:

Baby Sleep Patterns

Why is it that no matter how long my daughter sleeps I obsess over it. If she doesn't sleep long enough I'm frustrated cause I want her to sleep longer. But if she sleeps too long I'm constantly asking "should I wake her?"


I've read (aka obsessed) more about baby sleep than I have about any other baby-related issue. From learning how to get a baby to sleep to learning how to keep a baby asleep through the night and how to merge from four naps to three to why there really is such a thing as the 45 minute intruder. You could say it's been an eye-opening experience...

Here's a general guideline as far as baby sleep patterns. Remember these are just approximate sleep times. Every baby is different. 

Newborn - 18-20 hours a day
3 Weeks - 16-18 hours a day
6 Weeks - 15-16 hours a day
4 Months - 9-12 hours at night + 2-3 naps totally 3-4 hours
6 Months - 11 hours at night + 2-3 naps totally 2-3 hours
9 Months - 11-12 hours at night + 2 naps totally 2-4 hours
12 Months - 10-12 hours at night + 1-2 naps totally 2-3 hours

I am blessed that my 6 month old daughter sleeps 11-12 hours at night. (Believe me it's been a long road getting here...read my post on the challenge of un-swaddling). That means that during the day she usually takes three 45 minute naps. (Ah yes, that 45 minute intruder that seems to wake her up right after the first sleep cycle). She wakes up happy so I know she's rested. If she wakes up cranky there's something else going on...still tired, hungry, gas, poop, sick...you name it.

But today...here she is having slept nearly 3 hours (still strapped in her car seat, of all places). So I'm left to wonder "what is going on and what should I do?" I don't like her to sleep too long during the day for fear it will hurt her night sleep. But then again I don't want to wake her up for fear of getting a real cranky pants. I guess I'll just leave her and let her wake up on her own. Oh, and continue to check that she's still breathing. Don't worry, she is. I'm guessing the reason she's sleeping so long today is because she has an ear infection and got a shot yesterday. Being sick can really impact the amount of time a baby sleeps, but combined who knows the power! If she was a little younger I'd be more concerned about her not having eaten in four hours, but since she's started solids I'm not too worried about knowing she's getting plenty of calories. (She loves the homemade pears we started yesterday, she's been gobbling them up). Of course when she wakes she'll probably be screaming for the milk!

And that's when I'll start worrying about her sleep again...since she got up so late when will she take her third nap? Or should I just stretch to keep her up until bedtime and deal with the cranky baby I'm likely going to have come 6pm?? Oh the worry never stops.

Welcome to new mama-hood!

Recommended Reading:

The 45 Minute Nap
Get Some Sleep: Turn Off the Baby Monitor
How to Get a Baby to Sleep
Getting Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night
Trouble With Naps: The 2 Day Solution

Crying It Out: The Last Resort

The books I found the most useful as far as teaching my daughter to sleep are:

Nap Time

I know I'm not the only one out there struggling with nap time. The thing about naps are they're when I get my mommy stuff done. But I'm finding I'm getting less and less done because my daughter is napping less.

Maybe the reason I get so concerned about nap time is because my daughter would sleep for hours on end just a few months ago. I'd always have to wake her up to eat. Now I can't get her (she's 5 months now) to sleep more than 30 or 40 minutes at a time. I'm guessing she wakes up after that first sleep cycle and doesn't want to or can't (I don't know which) go back to sleep. (At least I've figured out how to get her to sleep! and how to sleep through the night!) Rarely will she sleep longer than 45 minutes during a nap. I guess I shouldn't complain. When she's awake she's not cranky and she can usually go another 2 hours before another nap. Plus, she's now sleeping 11 or 12 hours at night so she's probably doesn't need as much sleep during the day.
Oh well, I guess my "mommy time" will just have to fit into that 30 minute nap time.

Recommended Reading:

How Much Sleep Does My Baby Need
Get Some Sleep: Turn Off the Baby Monitor
How to Get a Baby to Sleep
Getting Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night
Crying It Out: The Last Resort

The books I found the most useful as far as teaching my daughter to sleep are:

Crying It Out: The Last Resort

I'm one of those moms who swore I wouldn't let my baby cry it out. For the first four months I did it...never allowing my daughter to cry more than a few minutes.  (With the exception of one day where I was at my wits end, got in the shower and stayed there until the monitor went silent.) Instead, I decided I'd follow advice I found in several books Happiest Baby on the Block and Good Night, Sleep Tight: The Sleep Lady's Gentle Guide to Helping Your Child Go to Sleep, Stay Asleep and Wake up Happy.  The methods worked for getting my daughter to sleep...but it was staying asleep that was the main problem. She'd nap fine...sometimes I'd even have to wake her if her nap went 2.5 hours or more. But at 18 weeks she still isn't sleeping through the night. We did have four consecutive and gloriously peaceful nights when she slept through, waking up at 6:30. For the record, these were nights when I was still working overnight, and therefore didn't get to enjoy.  But since then and before then it's been a struggle. 

I believe part of the problem is just as she was learning to sleep through the night, she got sick. She had a cold which developed into an ear infection for three weeks. She got better for a week (hence the nights she slept through) and then developed another cold and stuffy nose which has gotten us to this point.  I also believe part of the problem is she's sleeping too long at daycare. (If you're thinking, "I thought you were a stay at home mom?" well I am, but I had to keep her in daycare until the end of the year because we signed up for it.) There are days when she'll sleep 5 hours before 2pm. Most babies at her age don't need more than 4-5 hours of sleep ALL DAY.  And I KNOW part of the problem is me and inconsistencies.  I'm enabling her to do this...her knowing that I'll come running. But no more. All this has landed me at my last resort: cry it out.  Here's how it's gone so far. 

Night 1:  Baby wakes up crying at 1:15 am. I give in and feed her (problem #1, I know) she falls asleep in my arms. As soon as I put her down, she cries. I pick her back up, take her down to the swing (problem #2, I know) that doesn't work. It's now 2:30 and I feel I have no other choice...I decide for the first time to let her cry it out.  By 2:56 she's asleep...and stays that way until 7am. 

Night 2: Pretty much the same thing, except she only cries for 15 minutes before falling back asleep. 

Night 3: Wake up time: around 2am. Wondering if she's uncomfortable in her carseat (where she's been sleeping for months at the dr's advice due to reflux) we move her to her crib. This seems to help. I resist feeding her this night, knowing that's part of why she continues to wake up. At 14-15 pounds she should definitely be able to make it through the night without eating.  I simply re-wrap her in her swaddle  (which she can't sleep without) give her a binky, and place her back in the crib. She cries for about 20 minutes, then goes back to sleep until morning. 

Night 4: I convince my husband he should go in when she cries since she smells me, her food supply. Of course, she doesn't wake up until 6:30 am . Praise the Lord...but will it last???

Night 5: Didn't think so!!! Wake up time, 4 am. My husband goes in reinserts the binky, gives her a little rub, says "love ya" and leaves the room. She cries for nearly 3o minutes then finally falls to sleep.  

Night 6: Same thing as Night 5 except she cried for an hour. I can't take it anymore, something must be wrong. I go in, give her the binky (resist picking her up...small victory) give her a little rub and leave the room.  She stays asleep for an hour until 5:40am then wakes up screaming. I don't go in to feed her until 6am. She goes back to sleep, and we have to wake her up at 8am. 

I'll continue to update you on our progress. I know it's a process and I know we have to break her and our bad habits. But hopefully sooner rather than later she'll be sleeping like a baby. 

_______

Updated: 12/23

Night 7: My daughter woke up crying multiple times, but only because her swaddled got loose and she managed to wiggle her arms out. She can't sleep unless she's swaddled. Yes, I know, she's four months old. That's my next project! Anyway, everytime I reswaddled her, I gave her a little pat, a little kiss and a good night. And she went right back to sleep. She started crying around 5:50 and I thought, okay that's good enough. I went to pump a little before I fed her and by the time I was finished she was quiet. She had fallen back to sleep. She didn't wake up until 8:30!!!

Night 8: Praise the Lord she slept through the night without a peep! 7:45pm - 6:03am. 

Recommended Reading:

The Sleep Solution Audio Program
The 45 Minute Nap
How Much Sleep Does My Baby Need
Get Some Sleep: Turn Off the Baby Monitor
How to Get a Baby to Sleep
Getting Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night
Trouble With Naps: The 2 Day Solution


The books I found the most useful as far as teaching my daughter to sleep are: