It is hard to believe that it was three weeks ago that I enlisted the help of Alanna from Good Night Sleep Site. I cannot believe the difference. I am so in awe of this process and the changes that have happened that I have set up a link to my posts on the experience so that you can read them all in one place. The link will be live in a couple of days.
Sleep is better, much better. The boys know their routine, know when it is time for bed and occasionally bypass reading stories so they can just get into their cribs. The night waking has continued, but only some nights, and usually only once. The boys settle back to sleep pretty quickly and often just want a drink of water or a hug. Prior to sleep training, if the boys woke up, they would be awake for hours.
A few nights ago my husband proved the theory that you have to STICK with the program. After an exhausting day, Martin suggested that he sleep in the spare room so he could hear the boys if they woke leaving me to sleep through and later. I was all for this idea!
One woke up around midnight and seemed inconsolable (behaviour similar to when we started). Martin went through the process with him a few times, but could not get him to sleep very long. Then, the other woke up. With both boys crying, my husband went back to an old habit. He took them out of their cribs and brought them downstairs. Once downstairs they boys played, had a snack and even watched some TV. I call this night the “Father Son Party” and when I heard about it I am sure you could hear my exasperated sigh for miles. Really? You got them up and took them downstairs after all the work we have done training them? Really? Yes, really.
Just like I thought, the next few nights were filled with more night waking and screaming than we had seen for weeks. Martin promised not get them up in the middle of the night again, and I thanked God that the Father Son Party didn’t have longer, more serious consequences.
I have learned a lot about myself through this process. I have learned a lot about my boys, and children in general. While I know that many families are happy to say “My children didn’t sleep through until they were 6” or “I love having my kids in my bed with me/us” those statements are just not me.
As a parent we all make choices. I chose the one that works best for our family and I feel that the rewards have been plentiful.
Wishing you a restful night. Sweet dreams.
We have a 17 month old and have issues like htis all the time. I honestly have given up. I can’t wait to check out the site you suggested and give it a try :)
PS: Found your Blog on The Things We Find Inside and LOVE it!
Thank you so much! So glad you got a useful tip. Alanna is a genius. I highly recommend her. :)
Heading over to check out your blog. So glad you found us!
So, so true that you have to find a plan and stick to it. I’m a teacher, so I just started back to school and after a summer of easy, routine, naps and bedtimes, we are working with grandma and grandpa (daycare) to follow through with our system. It’s a little rough, but totally worth it. Here’s what we did for sleep training: http://www.thebusymomsdiet.com/sleep-training/
Happy Saturday Sharefest! Thanks for stopping by my blog.
Thank you Emily. It sounds like we went through many of the same challenges as we were sleep training. So hard on the moms!
I’m dreading sleep training.
Thank you for linking up with us at the ‘Friday Chaos’ hop. Hope to see you again next week :)
Kerry
http://www.ohsoamelia.com
Thank you Kerry! Love a good Blog Hop :)
Sleep Training is brutal but SO worth it!
My fifth child is 14 months now, and I am still nursing him back to sleep when he wakes up in the night (which isn’t every night). At this age, I never had to do this with the others. I guess I worked a little harder to get them all to go down for naps and at night than I have with #5. Not sure why…maybe it’s because I know he’s my last. Good luck with your sleep training. Stay strong, Mama!
Thank you Kathy, you too! My goodness 5 kids. I find two so challenging. Not sure what I would do with 5!
Congrats on getting a routine going! I’ve always watched Supernanny and I love her routines!! They are great! I’ve also heard wonders about a book called Baby Wise, it’s for babies though! Great post! Found you from the blog hop! Have a great weekend!
LOVE watching Supernanny. Such a great show! I wish sometimes someone would pop into my house and ensure that everything is on the right track. So far I just think it is ;)
So happy the routine is still on track!
Good for you for being confident in your choices! I was also all about my kids sleeping through the night at a reasonable age! My oldest was a challenge because he had almost constant ear infections. But after getting tubes in his ears, we did the Supernanny approach and it worked like a charm! My youngest has been a piece of cake so we were blessed there! Good luck and glad you are finally getting some zzzz’s!
Also – love the blog design! Ro did my design as well – love her! :)