6.18.2009

Baby Sleep Boot Camp

Two Mondays ago, a new era began in the Scheunemann house. Cadence was put on a sleep schedule. Cadence had managed to weasel herself into sleeping in our bed. After three sleepless weeks Jarrod & I were desperate. I had been given the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth, M.D. when Cadence was born. I devoured the chapters that I needed to create an age appropriate, child appropriate sleep schedule & last Monday, the fun began.

There were multiple rules that you needed to follow when teaching a child to sleep, according to Dr. Weissbluth, one was that once bedtime arrived parents are supposed to be strong & let their child cry until they fall asleep on their own. This time can span anywhere from minutes to hours. Jarrod & I were nervous. Luckily, nap time didn't have the same rules - you could "save" your child after a specified time. Jarrod was in charge of Cadence's morning nap & I was in charge of bedtime. Also, Baby Sleep Boot Camp began in conjuncture with Cadence receiving her new crib that Grandpa Repovsch had refurbished. I actually slept in the same crib when I was a baby.

Day One: Cadence did awesome. She took her morning nap like a champ & at bedtime she cried only as long as it took me to walk out the door of her room. She slept from 7:30 that night until 5:30 the next morning. Sweet.

Day Two: Cadence got the best of Mommy. Bedtime arrived. I did the same routine as the night before. Cadence was put in her crib at 7:30PM. She cried on & off until 9:30PM. At this point I heard a loud bang from our upstairs neighbor. I thought this was the neighbor's way of complaining about the crying baby. Later I found out this assumption was untrue. Anyhow, I ran into her room, scooped her up & began sobbing saying over & over, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." You know what my daughter did?! She looked up at me and SMILED! And then she had the nerve to let out a CUTE BABY GIGGLE! All she wanted was to hang out. This only confirmed one thing: Jarrod & I have an extrovert on our hands.

Day Three until Today: Jarrod & I fought back. Since we knew she was only crying to get us to come in & play with her we didn't feel as sorry for her. Oh, don't get me wrong, every time I heard a cry it was like getting stabbed in the heart, but our persistence paid off. She is taking two long naps a day, rather than multiple Cadence catnaps throughout the day. And I have tucked Cadence in while she was still awake at 7:45 each night this week & she doesn't let out a peep as I walk out of the room. And you know what else? She doesn't wake up until 7 in the morning!

1 comment:

Bethany said...

WAY TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!! You did it! Enjoy all the new energy you'll have now that the three of you are sleeping through the night! Oh I'm so happy for you!