The cry sleep
25th May 2006
This baby is so…smart? Manipulative? Determined?
Spirited? (gah.)
Also, tired.
If we’re not out and Lucy is ready for a nap, I lay her on my left arm, legs and body tucked close, and we rock or sing until she’s super drowsy. Then into the crib she goes.
After 20 seconds of being in my arms in our “sleep position” a look of recognition crosses her face: OMG she’s trying to make me sleep and I DO NOT LIKE THAT.
Then she turns red and cries. This happens every single time I put her down for a sleep. She eventually (after 30 seconds to 8 minutes) drifts off, but she ALWAYS has to cry first.
(She never does this for Eric. WHY??? Hmph.)
I’ve looked around trying to find out why the heck she does this without much success. Most days this routine is fine to deal with, but on others it’s enough to drive me batty and possibly put Lucy up for adoption.
She falls asleep no problem in the car or stroller. At night she drifts off after feeding. Some nights we’ve put her in her crib and she wakes up right away, but will put herself back to snooze land.
So…what to do? Do I try and skip the whole “Mummy-puts-you-to-sleep” thing and put her directly in her crib when she’s tired? Is three months on OK age to start that, and possible Ferber-ing (aka: crying it out)?
Most articles I’ve read and experts I’ve spoken with (including many public health nurses from the Durham Region health department) say trying any kind of sleep method before babies are 6 months old is not good and will probably psychologically damage my wee one.
Uh-oh — she’s awake!
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I am not a nurse or anything, but I believe that they get enough love and attention throughout the day that there is no way that leaving them to cry themselves to sleep is going to do any damage to them. Just my opinion. My son slept in his crib from the day he came home from the hospital and he sometimes cried for 45 minutes until he fell asleep. I would check on him to make sure he was okay, but I wouldn’t pick him up at all becuase then the process would start all over again. Now at 3 years old, I have the best child EVER for taking naps EVERY afternoon without any hesitation and going to bed at night as well.
Do what you feel is right for your child, take other’s opinions into consideration but in the end go with YOUR gut.
I have been reading your blog for a few months now, my daughter was born on 2/19/06 and it is so nice to read your posts and know I am not alone! My baby is not a napper (sometimes she naps only an hour all day, so frustrating)she has to cry herself to sleep in my arms almost every time unless I catch her at just the right moment and most times she wakes up when I put her in her crib. I have read that babies will cry if they are overtired and to try to start the nap process earlier.