Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child

     

           Well, you know Connor has been going through a sleep regression phase, and last Thursday I started him on a new nap/sleep schedule. With the recommendation of one of my friends, I bought the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. I'm skeptical about a lot child raising books because I know every baby is different, but this book is backed by a lot of research and knowledge of sleep habits for babies. For a baby Connor's age, the book suggests a sleep schedule of bedtime 7 pm - 7 am, and naps at 9-10 am and 1-2 pm. Since Connor is 8 months, the book suggests that he may be up from 7 am until 10 am (or 3 hours from the time he wakes up, which for him is usually 7 am). Some mornings he is up for 3 hours, some mornings it is only 2 hours. I've noticed that it really depends on the way he sleeps the night prior. Last night, he fell asleep at 6:30 pm, and woke up a couple times before 9 pm but quickly fell back asleep without needing us to help soothe him. Then, he woke up at 3:30 am. He's been doing this over the past week or so, and I'm starting to think it's a growth spurt. He will NOT go back to sleep unless he eats and I change him, but once I do that he falls asleep on his own very quickly, and it's lights out until 7 am. This morning he woke up at about 6:45 am, and I just laid him down for his nap at 9:15. So, he was awake for 2 1/2 hours before his first nap of the day. It also emphasizes the importance of at least 45 minutes of sleep for naps. Anything less than that doesn't count as a nap! Connor usually sleeps from 45 min - 1 hour. Sometimes it is more than 1 hour, but again, that depends on the way he sleep the night prior. If he's really having a hard time napping, I know that I've missed the window of opportunity for his nap and to try again later because he isn't going to settle down. I started this schedule on Thursday (3 days ago), and it's been a little shaky, but for the past 2 nights he been in bed by 6:30 pm. The book suggests 2 Methods of getting your baby to sleep. The first method would be to let your baby cry it out and self-soothe. Some babies are great at that... Connor, not so much. He gets so worked up, he cannot self-soothe. The second method would be to help your baby soothe himself to sleep, whether it be you holding him and rocking him, or laying him beside you until he falls asleep. I use a mixture of the 2 Methods because that is what works for us. I lay Connor in his crib at the first sign of him being tired. He almost always cries, and sometimes he can even put himself to sleep if I time it just right. Most of the time, I give it 5-10 minutes until I go into his room and pick him up. He instantly falls asleep in my arms and I am able to lay him down for his nap or bedtime. I understand that it would be better for me to let him cry, BUT last Thursday when I did that, he cried for 30 minutes and then had hives on his face all day. In the book, it does say that if your child is fussy, Method 2 is the better choice. Connor is happy most of the time, but not when he's tired. What I love most about his book is that it tells you the pros and cons of both Methods, so no one method is necessarily better than the other. I've noticed that Connor is much happier, and with him being happier, so are Adam and I. I do think that Connor has been over tired, and if your baby is really cranky and your not on a good sleep schedule, I recommend that you get him on one. He now takes naps between 9-10 am and 1-2 pm, and he is in bed between 6:30-7:30 pm, and up between 6:30-7:30 am. I realize that not every day is going to be ideal for his napping schedule, but getting him on this schedule right now is the most important thing for his health and happiness. :) Here's my happy baby..