GETTING BABY TO SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT!

Image provided through: Amazon.com

December 2012.... 7 months ago...

"Its your turn to get the baby..."
"No, its your turn..."
"I got her last time..."
"I got her for longer...."
"I have work tomorrow..."
"I have to take care of her all day..."
"But she wants you..."
"Nope, she most definately wants you..."
Grumbling ensues...
"I carried her for nine months...I am still recovering. Its YOUR turn to get the baby..."

Fast forward to today, July 2013.
Our daughter is 7 months old and we are just now beginning to see the light at the end of the long and lonely tunnel of doom, gloom and sleep deprivation...(Ok, it isn't THAT bad.)
A little over a month ago, and one too many tiffs about frustration and swallowed resentment...we bought a book. A book that is beginning to shed light on a little issue that all new parents hum about: "Getting the baby to sleep through the night".
(Scroll to the bottom for the links right now if you reallllly are pressed for time)

If you are on my page reading I know you do not have time to yourself these days, not with a frequent waker on your hands. Or maybe yours is the baby that actually does sleep at night but won't (for the love of God!) take a nap during the day.
If so... I am not telling you that is the end of it all right here right now...but I am telling you that it is quite possibly never too late to sleep train your baby or toddler. Starting NOW however, is a pretty darn good time.

Back Story:
Our daughter wasnt a bad sleeper...per se. By 3 months she would wake perhaps 2-3 times per night, plus she was happily in her crib and her own room. We would offer her a bottle of breastmilk at one of those feedings. Somewhere around the 5 month mark though, she did indeed start to clock a great set of hours. Around 8:30 ish or 9 at night...till around 5:30ish to 6 in the morning---blessed uninterrrupted sleep. By the pediatrician's standards, she was indeed "sleeping through the night." 

However, with the 6 month mark---and all the milestones that tend to cluster together at this stage---our baby began to wake frequently again! Adding to the frustration was the fact that she was indeed teething. Daytime naps also went out the door too, and lets just say I was once more the same old grey, unrecognizably tired zombie that I had become when we just took her home. Not realizing how viscious a cycle we were dealing with (tiredness begets more tiredness---NOT more sleep!) we thought for sure that her late bedtimes would mean later morning wakes and more naps.... Nope! No such duck...

Enter the hunt for a solution.
I will start by saying that there a few great books on sleep training that are absolutely noteworthy, though #1 on my list is the method I chose that works best for me and my family. Check them out below! (Click picture to read reviews!)

The Sleep Lady's Good Night, Sleep Tight... by Kim West.


Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weisbluth, MD.


The No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantly



Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems by Dr. Richard Ferber


TOP SLEEP TRAINING BOOKS on Amazon.com



You have to find out what is right for you.
Do you think you can try and sustain a sleep training technique where the baby is gently taught to sleep by crying it out? Then the Ferber Method may work for you!
The most gentle approach is reportedly the No Cry Sleep Solution (though this method seems to have a questionable success rate long term for some families.
I liked MY method because it is practical. All inclusive (training through travel, sickness, broken schedules and more!)

Conclusion:

Our daughter isnt perfect and neither are we. She sleeps most night in her crib now for 9-11 hours (and she does still have a brief set of wake ups throughout the night though it isnt enough to arouse anyone---including herself----for long.)
She also takes naps daily now---two naps that are 1hr to 2 hrs each, usually! Some days she takes powernaps (3 half hour naps). Also, we finally we have solved a HUGE issue...she now naps IN her own bed!)
What was HER particular problem?
Well: me really. I nursed her to bed early on. She would fall asleep at the breast and began to expect that at all times. This actually was a very fast way to get her to sleep (and wonderful when they are younger than 3 mths old! But upon waking at night (as all normal human beings do) she had come to learn NO concept of soothing herself back to sleep! Thats why we chose to sleep train.
We have setbacks, but we are staying on track and this method is definately one worth looking into!

***Please feel free to leave your questions, suggestions and other comments as you may be helping another tired mommy like you!***

(Read the hundreds of reviews on Amazon.com and make the choice that works for you!)

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