So it's been about a month now that Liam has been sleeping through the night reliably. The uninterrupted 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night for the first time in two and a half years has been nice. I'm sure the very act of stating that publicly will jinx us, of course.
We didn't have this much trouble getting Thea to sleep. It took her longer than some kids to get the hang of unassisted sleeping, but by 14 months — right around when I got knocked up with her brother — she was ready to be on her own all night. Naturally I thought it was due to my superior parenting skills. Liam was the cold shock of reality, payment for my hubris.
For anyone struggling to get a decent night's sleep with your little one, I feel for you. Every kid is different, but what finally worked for us was the time- honored tradition of bribery. Every night of sleep gets him a star on the calendar, and every week of stars equals a new Thomas train. Thea has been a huge help, as well, encouraging and comforting him in the best, most effective ways, which sometimes elude me and Todd. Sleep in this house is truly a group effort.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
How we got our son to sleep through the night
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i know how much of a struggle this has been for you, so i am doing a happy dance in your honor :-)
and what a helpful love that thea-girl is :-) a big yay to her, too :-)
OMG, a month! That's wonderful! You must feel like you could run a marathon. Or not yawn through yr day, at least. :-)
Speaking of Thomas trains, we found Diesel mixed in with Dash's birthday stuff. Hope Liam's not missing him too much.
Nylon: Liam has been asking about Diesel, and i've been saying, "i don't know, he could be anywhere"...Liam is smarter than me though, he knows Diesel is MIA.
I'm so proud of that boy. He really caught on and listens to us at bedtime (most of the time). Last night he sadly said "Daddy sleep with me in my bed" and when i said, "No, you're a big boy, you sleep by yourself", he quickly answered, "OK" and that was all i heard from him the rest of the eve.
Glad you found something that is working. Sounds like big sis is really helpful! Sleep tight!
Thanks for your support. I will so be asking parenting questions some day soon...I hope.
Post a Comment