I need some thoughts from some fellow mamas and papas.
Here is where we are at with napping. Little Hob, in the last few days, has decided that naps are okay but mostly only as long as he's being held. Papa Hob and I were set to begin sleep training with him this week using the Sleepy Planet "Sleepeasy Solution" but now I am questioning whether or not to begin it since he is beginning to sleep. Is sleeping while being held okay for now and we can transition out of it later or am I creating a bad habit that will have to be broken later on down the road? I see my options as
a) Discontinue holding him while he naps and dive into the Sleepyeasy Solution method.
b) Keep doing what I'm doing and transition slowly to less time being held while sleeping and more time laying in his crib while sleeping.
Right now I'm leaning toward "b". Based on your own experiences-what do you think?
Showing posts with label Little Hob. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Little Hob. Show all posts
7/19/11
7/8/11
Adventures in Napping
Let me start off by bragging a little before I hit the hot topic. Little Hob sleeps GREAT at night. From about weeks 1-10, he got up twice a night to eat and then went back to sleep. From weeks 11-14, he'd get up once a night to eat and then go back to sleep. Since around week 14, he sleeps 8:00 pm to 6:30 am and wakes up as happy as a clam and ready to go eat and play for a few hours. I have not had a single night where I've been up all night with him. But he doesn't nap longer than 15-20 minutes a couple of times a day.
-Um.-
-What?-
I was under the assumption that all newborns napped and were sleepy. That's what the books say, right? I remember reading online when Little Hob was around 8-9 weeks old and the text said "Now your baby should be much more awake and alert" and I just laughed to myself thinking "My kid has been awake and alert THIS WHOLE TIME that he was supposed to be sleepy and napping the day away!" The first six weeks of life or so, I just thought he was getting in a routine. And he was! And then we went to Little Hob's six week appointment and the doctor said that he needed about 1.5-2 hours of awake time and then he needed to be put down for a nap. So I went home ready to do that so we could finally get Little Hob into a healthy sleep routine. Little Hob, however, did not hear what the doctor said about going to sleep every 1.5-2 hours apparently because he continued to take 20 minute catnaps and be ready to go on his merry way! And it continues that way now at 16 weeks. A couple of times a week, we may get a 1-2 hour afternoon nap out of him but that is pretty much it.
I have tried ev-er-y-th-in-gggg. Little Hob has been shushed and swung. I have tried putting him down for a nap earlier and spreading the time out between when we are trying to get him to sleep during the day. I have tried rocking him and holding him through a nap. He has been put down for naps completely asleep and slightly drowsy. Little Hob has gone down for naps where I've completely recreated our nighttime routine and he is in his pajamas and sleep sack, turned on the noise machine, blocked out the light, and ran the cold air humidifier. A few times, I've provided a lot of stimulation and activity right before naptime in the hopes of wearing him out and, most of the time, have provided no stimulation to help him wind down and relax. I have swaddled and cuddled and even left him alone to fall asleep to result in...20 minute catnaps. My latest plan, after reading a chapter in a book about helping set a nap routine, is putting him to bed 30 minutes later and waking him at the usual time in the hopes that he'll pick up that 30 minutes of sleep with a nap sometime during the day.
A family member suggested that maybe Little Hob is just not tired. I thought about that but disagree for a couple of reasons. First of all, Little Hob gets super crabby and acts tired around 4-6 pm. Second, babies need sleep as part of a healthy routine. Third, I think Little Hob is tired but just has trouble staying asleep during the day. He gets fussy, rubs his eyes, yawns, etc. and give all the baby sleepy cues and eventually falls asleep but does not nap soundly enough to be asleep for more than 15-20 minutes. Fourth, whether he is tired or just fighting a routine---I want my child to develop healthy sleep habits. I want him to (eventually) be able to put himself to sleep, sleep enough hours during the night, and get the rest he needs to be able to make good decisions and concentrate. Just like any other parent, I want Little Hob to be happy and healthy and I strongly feel that adequate sleep is going to be part of that equation!
So, now what? Right now I'm looking at all the options. I'm reading books (Babywise, Ferber, the Sleepeasy Solution, and Baby Whisperer) at the suggestions of others and I'm reading and listening to other people's experiences with their child's naps. After looking at all of these options, I plan to figure out what is best for our family and talk to our pediatrician about it at our next visit. I think Little Hob may be a little young yet for 'sleep training' and I definitely don't want to mess up this sleeping through the night that he's been doing. If you have any comments or suggestions, I'd love to hear them!
-Um.-
-What?-
I was under the assumption that all newborns napped and were sleepy. That's what the books say, right? I remember reading online when Little Hob was around 8-9 weeks old and the text said "Now your baby should be much more awake and alert" and I just laughed to myself thinking "My kid has been awake and alert THIS WHOLE TIME that he was supposed to be sleepy and napping the day away!" The first six weeks of life or so, I just thought he was getting in a routine. And he was! And then we went to Little Hob's six week appointment and the doctor said that he needed about 1.5-2 hours of awake time and then he needed to be put down for a nap. So I went home ready to do that so we could finally get Little Hob into a healthy sleep routine. Little Hob, however, did not hear what the doctor said about going to sleep every 1.5-2 hours apparently because he continued to take 20 minute catnaps and be ready to go on his merry way! And it continues that way now at 16 weeks. A couple of times a week, we may get a 1-2 hour afternoon nap out of him but that is pretty much it.
I have tried ev-er-y-th-in-gggg. Little Hob has been shushed and swung. I have tried putting him down for a nap earlier and spreading the time out between when we are trying to get him to sleep during the day. I have tried rocking him and holding him through a nap. He has been put down for naps completely asleep and slightly drowsy. Little Hob has gone down for naps where I've completely recreated our nighttime routine and he is in his pajamas and sleep sack, turned on the noise machine, blocked out the light, and ran the cold air humidifier. A few times, I've provided a lot of stimulation and activity right before naptime in the hopes of wearing him out and, most of the time, have provided no stimulation to help him wind down and relax. I have swaddled and cuddled and even left him alone to fall asleep to result in...20 minute catnaps. My latest plan, after reading a chapter in a book about helping set a nap routine, is putting him to bed 30 minutes later and waking him at the usual time in the hopes that he'll pick up that 30 minutes of sleep with a nap sometime during the day.
A family member suggested that maybe Little Hob is just not tired. I thought about that but disagree for a couple of reasons. First of all, Little Hob gets super crabby and acts tired around 4-6 pm. Second, babies need sleep as part of a healthy routine. Third, I think Little Hob is tired but just has trouble staying asleep during the day. He gets fussy, rubs his eyes, yawns, etc. and give all the baby sleepy cues and eventually falls asleep but does not nap soundly enough to be asleep for more than 15-20 minutes. Fourth, whether he is tired or just fighting a routine---I want my child to develop healthy sleep habits. I want him to (eventually) be able to put himself to sleep, sleep enough hours during the night, and get the rest he needs to be able to make good decisions and concentrate. Just like any other parent, I want Little Hob to be happy and healthy and I strongly feel that adequate sleep is going to be part of that equation!
So, now what? Right now I'm looking at all the options. I'm reading books (Babywise, Ferber, the Sleepeasy Solution, and Baby Whisperer) at the suggestions of others and I'm reading and listening to other people's experiences with their child's naps. After looking at all of these options, I plan to figure out what is best for our family and talk to our pediatrician about it at our next visit. I think Little Hob may be a little young yet for 'sleep training' and I definitely don't want to mess up this sleeping through the night that he's been doing. If you have any comments or suggestions, I'd love to hear them!
6/26/11
Family Fun
Our family will be having a lot of firsts coming up with Little Hob and I can't wait to experience them all! Yesterday was our first trip to the pool with Little Hob. We had the whole pool to ourselves and the whole experience could not have gone better. Papa Hob and I are hoping to take Little Hob back today to do a little more splashing around!
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| Feeling the water on his feet for the first time. |
 |
| Not quite sure what to think yet. |
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| "This is GREAT!" |
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| In the pool with Papa Hob. |
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| Baby toes :) |
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| Little Hob was "talking" here and telling Papa Hob all about the pool! |
6/24/11
One Hundred Days Ago...
Dear Little Hob,
One hundred days ago, you came into our lives and things will never, ever be the same! You have grown and changed so much in 100 days and we can't wait to see what you have in store for us next.
You have also taught us, your parents, so much in the last 100 days. Here are a few of the highlights....
One hundred days ago, you came into our lives and things will never, ever be the same! You have grown and changed so much in 100 days and we can't wait to see what you have in store for us next.
You have also taught us, your parents, so much in the last 100 days. Here are a few of the highlights....
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| Riding home from the hospital |
- Not all babies take naps....we were not aware of this until you came along. If we're lucky, you take a few 20-30 minute naps a day but you fight it every step of the way!
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| Some days, the only way you will take a nap is in your Baby K'Tan! |
- Everything is new and beautiful through baby eyes. Watching you see something for the first time makes our hearts happy. :)
- Don't put babies on their tummies right after they eat. Really. This never turns out good for anyone.
- You love sunshine! Some of the times when you are the happiest is when we are out walking around the neighborhood. You rarely fall asleep on these walks because you are so busy just taking it all in.
- Parenting is like tag-teaming your way through life. It seems like every time one of us is taking care of you, the other is prepping whatever needs to be done next! (Or chasing after the dogs!)
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| You and Papa Hob getting ready for a party! |
- It is not possible to have too many pacifiers on hand. We'll be excited if you figure out how to keep it in your mouth sooner rather than later! :)
- The first time we heard your little laugh I'm pretty sure our hearts melted. If we could bottle that feeling, we'd be millionaires!
- There's no such thing as being discreet when it comes to you and diapers. You don't care where we are; if it needs done, it gets done.
- We have loved watching you go from hating baths to LOVING bath-time. This week you figured out how to get the little bath loofah/washcloth into your mouth. Bath toys are in your future as soon as you can sit up a little better!
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| Little Hob at 2 weeks old. He was REALLY mad about something but adorable somehow anyway. :) |
- You HATE to have your picture taken. We have been taking you to BRU monthly to get photos done and you have cried and screamed through all three photo sessions so far. Hopefully this gets better as you get a little older because you really have a nice smile you could be showing off!
- We love to sit and snuggle with you. You love listening to stories before you go to bed and are starting to "read" along with us.
- You've taught us that every baby sleeps through the night eventually...it was almost magical the first day we woke up and realized you had made it all night!
It has been an absolute joy to have you in our lives and we can't wait to see what else you have in store for us in the upcoming months.
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| Our sweet little family. :) |
Love,
Mama Hob & Papa Hob
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