Just when I think I have this whole ‘being a mom’ thing figured out, my little one decides to throw me (and DH) for a loop. A ‘if-you-think-you-are-sleeping-tonight-you’re-sadly-mistaken’ loop! We made it through the daycare transitions like pros. We made it through severe diaper rash, cold, ear infection, teething, then not teething, then teething again, then another cold. But this is different. I am one of those people that NEEEEEEEDS sleep to even consider functioning during the day. Therefor, the last few nights (and days) have been pretty rough.
Not only am I sleep deprived, but I am baffled as to why my LO does not want to sleep and what I should do about it. My new mom colors are finally blaring! I am desperately searching for any sleep advice I can get. It seems to boil down to two methods. Here is what I’ve come across so far…
1. Cry-it-out/sleep training: The thought behind this is that babies at this age (13 months) need to have boundaries and need to be able to go to sleep on their own. They need to know that throwing a tantrum does not change the rules. To do this, the cry-it-out method seems to be the solution. With this method, you follow a strict routine every night. For example, eat dinner, play time, read book then in bed by 8:30pm. No amount of crying will change this routine. To reassure the baby you have not abandoned him/her, you enter the room every ~15 minutes to sooth the baby for a couple minutes. Then you leave. You continue to do this until the baby finally gives in and goes to sleep. I’ve heard that it takes roughly one week for the baby to be “sleep trained” and go down on his/her own without the crying.
2. Baby needs some lovin’: In this method, the thought is that the baby is crying because he/she is nervous/scared/insecure about something and needs the security of mom or dad. The solution is to cuddle with baby and give them the love and support they are asking for until they eventually are over the phase and go back to a normal sleeping routine.
Both solutions seem equally valid to me! So now I don’t know what to do. And I have to pick one. I keep telling myself that I can’t mess up a baby at this age by choosing the ‘wrong one.’ But I want to choose the ‘right one.’ Sigh.
This is a plea to all mommas…I need your advice!
Love,
Macy
becomingcliche
I think the solution is found in which ever you are comfortable with. I was never comfortable with CIO, although it worked for people that I know. It took until they were about 2 years old to really sleep all the way through the night. This is the hardest part of the early years. Good luck!