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!