sleep training

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well, it’s probably no secret that sparklet ain’t sleeping much.

we had a nice window of largely uninterrupted overnight sleeping between month four and month nine, but it’s been some variation on the 10pm/1am/4am wakey-wakey-eggs-and-bakey theme since then.

in a feeble attempt to demostrate parenting leadership, we’ve launched on a campaign of sleep training.

(fwiw, i have no idea what that means either, other than it makes us feel better that we’re doing something.)

there seems to be two big problems:

first (in the immortal words of our pediatrician) if you wake up every night at 1am and eat a sandwich, pretty soon you’ll be up every night at 1am looking for a sandwich.

so, as of last Friday, no more overnight sandwiches for sparklet.

the other issue is some kind of separation anxiety from mommy — whenever the lady sparkler leaves the nursery over night, baby sparklet is awake 5 minutes later (or less) screaming for company.

ironically, daddy leaving the room seems to have no such effect.

this, of course, is one of those double slaps in the face. first slap? she doesn’t care if daddy leaves the room. nice. second slap? i’ve become “the closer,” and am now on baby duty each every time she wakes up during the middle of the night, because realistically i’m the only one that can get her back down.

it’s like rain on your wedding day. or a free ride when you’ve already paid.

crazy.

Comments

2 responses to “sleep training”

  1. Erin Walsh Avatar
    Erin Walsh

    Good luck! We did sleep training with Cadie when she was 6 months and it was a few hard nights but has really paid off.

  2. Christy Avatar
    Christy

    What you call “sleep training” I call “baby boot camp.” It’s character building (for both of you and Sparklet). Take it from someone who went through “sleep training” with a three-year-old who had never been through such before–it is much easier now when all she can do is cry (and not escape). Hang in there. And quit giving her coffee!