1) Fussiness followed by giggles followed by fussiness followed by giggles (etc.)
2) Rubbing his eyes
Sadly, there is no magical way to get a baby to sleep. Some parents have stuggles; some parents don't. Even though Preston can blog like the best of us, he can't tell me what is wrong or what he needs. So I've learned to read his cues and to be patient. We've discovered that Preston has a sleep "window" (referred to by John in the previous post). It's where he is cranky, but not hysterical. Today it started around 6:30 - so we started our bedtime routine at 6:30.
I've also realized that his naps during the day have a lot to do with how well he sleeps at night. Today he only napped for a total of 2 hours at daycare (broken up into 3 short naps). That's not really enough, but he's at daycare so I know it's tough. I think that might be why his "window" was so early. Some nights, especially if we are out, we go past his sleep window and into the hellish beyond of over-tired-ness. Those nights are the bad ones, where he wakes up more frequently and has a harder time getting back to sleep. Every child is different, I know, but Preston's sleep cues include: 1) Fussiness followed by giggles followed by fussiness followed by giggles (etc.) 2) Rubbing his eyes 3) Wanting to nurse, nurse, nurse If I start the bedtime routine within the "window" I have a few tricks to help him settle. I let him comfort nurse for a while (he would go all night if I let him, but I have things to do!) He gets *almost* asleep while nursing, so then I cuddle with him and whisper "You're asleep, you're asleep" (There's nothing quite like stating the obvious). And when I finally lay him down in his crib I gently touch his head and whisper to him for a few seconds until he settles in. If we miss the *window*.........................Daddy gets involved! Preston can get so hysterical that I get frustrated and upset. That's when John steps in and takes him for a walk around the house to give me a break. It's much more difficult to get him to sleep if we miss the window. He fights nursing, calms down only to get hysterical again, cries hysterically when we put him down even for a second, and is basically a beast. We've done it enough to know to avoid missing the window!!! So Preston, we're on to you!! (Until teething gets a lot worse, and then I'm sure we'll have a whole new set of circumstances)
2 Comments
My little girl does the giggle - fussiness - giggles thing too. It throws off other people and they think she's not tired, but I know what it really means...time to go to sleep!!
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