Today was super fun. Austin & I hung out together all day and I am amazed at how smart and fun he is. It was just one of those days that seemed like a turning point in his development. Nothing major, just little things like telling me the cat needed water, blowing his own nose (well) while I was driving and couldn't reach him, swaying to the music we were listening to and saying "More?" before the song even ended, and when I gave him my phone to talk to Brian he said "hi daddy" to start the conversation and "bye daddy" to end it. I know how cute he sounds on the phone (heavy breathing and sweet little voice) and Brian must have been just dying at how sweet that was.
He took a 2 1/2 hour nap for me today. It was so great; I actually ran out of things to do. I found myself on the floor doing stretching exercises. It feels completely weird to have spare time. I LOVE the long naps, mostly because I know he needs it, but the spare time is the cherry on top - a big fat cherry.
It's over 90 degrees today and my house is 86. We're dying here. Austin was confused as to why he didn't have a shirt on, especially when he was going to bed. I also removed some of the bedding in his crib and he was confused about that as well. I put a fan in his room and I hope he doesn't wake up freaked about having that right by him. These days we can communicate well about many things, but I'm not totally sure he understands about the heat and why his routine was a little different this evening.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Sleep Solutions
My friend and fellow toddler mom, Kirsten, mentioned that I haven't written anything in awhile. People actually read this?? So here I am. For several weeks Austin wasn't sleeping well and when that happens the whole household is stressful and I don't feel like doing anything "extracurricular" like blogging, washing my face, combing my hair, etc. He's now doing much better so I have a small amount of energy to spend doing things for myself. Right now I feel like listing what I did to help little A sleep better so if, in the future, someone asks me what worked for us, here it is documented.
1.) Started talking up his crib and crib buddies, as in "Your crib is so nice & comfy!"
2.) Rewarded (bribed) him with sleep stickers. It started out that he would get a sticker if he slept through the night or napped for at least one hour. That morphed into putting a "night-night" or "nappie" sticker on his sleeve for him to see all night/nap long.
3.) Figured out we were putting him down for naps too late. In retrospect, this was the most obvious one. I think it is also the most important piece of the solution. Good naps equal good nighttime sleep and vice versa.
4.) Started putting a swim diaper cover on him at night. He was waking up soaked all the time! Sounds crazy but it works.
5.) If he does wake up during the night, I have given myself permission to just pick him up and take him to bed with me. We both fall right back to sleep instead of fighting with him for 2 or 3 hours. And no lights on if I do get him up. This is also from the duh! category, but Austin used to bully me into turning on the lights. I finally asserted myself for his own (and my) benefit.
6.) I try my damndest to get him to bed by his regular bedtime 7:30. This is key as well.
7.) I try to get him outside to play everyday.
He's been doing really well. He only seems to wake up if he has stimulation in the evening in the form of a playgroup or a birthday party. There's really nothing I can do about this because I'm not going to pass on all social activities. It's too important for both of us to have friends.
1.) Started talking up his crib and crib buddies, as in "Your crib is so nice & comfy!"
2.) Rewarded (bribed) him with sleep stickers. It started out that he would get a sticker if he slept through the night or napped for at least one hour. That morphed into putting a "night-night" or "nappie" sticker on his sleeve for him to see all night/nap long.
3.) Figured out we were putting him down for naps too late. In retrospect, this was the most obvious one. I think it is also the most important piece of the solution. Good naps equal good nighttime sleep and vice versa.
4.) Started putting a swim diaper cover on him at night. He was waking up soaked all the time! Sounds crazy but it works.
5.) If he does wake up during the night, I have given myself permission to just pick him up and take him to bed with me. We both fall right back to sleep instead of fighting with him for 2 or 3 hours. And no lights on if I do get him up. This is also from the duh! category, but Austin used to bully me into turning on the lights. I finally asserted myself for his own (and my) benefit.
6.) I try my damndest to get him to bed by his regular bedtime 7:30. This is key as well.
7.) I try to get him outside to play everyday.
He's been doing really well. He only seems to wake up if he has stimulation in the evening in the form of a playgroup or a birthday party. There's really nothing I can do about this because I'm not going to pass on all social activities. It's too important for both of us to have friends.
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