Perchance to Dream

Sebastian is starting to sleep like such a trouper. I read Solving Your Child's Sleep Problems, and we've used some of those techniques to help him learn to get to sleep on his own. Because of all the sleep problems I've had as an adult I want him to have good sleep habits from the beginning. What the doctor says in that book makes sense to me. He makes an analogy between using certain ways to get a child to sleep and an invalid whose pillow gets stolen in the night. The gist is, say you're an invalid and you go to sleep with a pillow beneath your head. Sometime in the night someone steals your pillow. You waken and are upset and can't get back to sleep, because you're used to falling asleep with the pillow there. Every night you start out with a pillow and then wake up with nothing. Every night your sleep is disrupted. The pillow is equivalent to a pacifier, which falls out, or being rocked to sleep and then waking in a different place with no warm body or rocking motion. Since the baby learns to fall asleep with the sucking object or the motion and warmth, he doesn't know how to put himself to sleep again without those things. In other words, the ability to fall asleep in a crib by oneself is a learned skill.

There are methods in the book to help the baby do this (such as going in at regular intervals and soothing if they cry, while they are in the crib, then going out again, waiting to see if they settle, if not going in again after an interval) and it's working! He really seems to be learning how to get to sleep in his crib, and put himself back to sleep if he wakens in the night. Last night he went down after his nighttime routine, sleepy but awake, and he didn't fuss at all. Just drifted off after lying there quietly. Today for his nap, same thing. Last night he woke once at 4 to eat and then fell asleep again for another five hours. Of course the nighttime routine is very important to give him everything he needs before going to bed: a walk in his stroller, his bath (with lavendar), massage, cuddle time in the dimly lit room, etc. Of course we're newbies at this, but I'm excited about all the implications of this for our lives. Less stress for him and for us, more time for William and me in the evening, a better night's sleep for him. I may not know what I'm doing, but I can read a book and follow instructions, by golly!

I feel much more awake having had more sleep the last three nights. I don't feel like a zombie until noon, and I can get more things done. I have much more energy when I swim, too, so hopefully I will get back in some semblance of shape before long. Very encouraged!