I just went back and read this post after I finished writing it and guys, it is ALL OVER THE PLACE. My brain! It is sleepy. I’m sorry in advance.
It’s been an AFTERNOON. I sat down to write a totally different post, but I’m just too tired.
I’ve discovered my mood since Owen was born is directly related to how well he naps. I bet you can guess how well he napped today.
I gave up on the whole “nap training” thing a few weeks ago, when trying to get him to sleep — anywhere — without me during the day resulted in nothing more than horrible, gut-wrenching screaming. His, not mine, although I cried a lot too. Don’t get me wrong, I love lying down with him and nursing him to sleep. But once I do, I’m stuck. Totally. From one to two hours at least and as much as I love him, I really need an hour to myself. Even if it’s just to do the dishes, take a shower…or sit on the couch.
Sometimes on a good day, he’ll unlatch from my breast and I can sneak away. Usually for no more than 15 minutes before he wakes knowing I’m gone. Or other times he’ll unlatch and the moment I try to ease out of the bed, he wakes and starts searching for me with his little open bird mouth; a heat-seeking missile, target: my boob. If I don’t give it to him, he fully wakes up and cries.
Sigh.
I don’t know if it’s something he will grow out of, or if instead, I’m creating an unbreakable nap time habit. Either way, I decided to try again today to get him to nap in the crib.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA NO.
Tell me this is a phase. Please? Pretty please? Like, one day he’s just going to roll over and nap all by himself. Right? RIIIIIGHT? (Meh.)
Anyway. This post has no real direction and the screen is kind of swimming as my eyes cross from tiredness. And it’s only 6:30. And I should probably make something for dinner.
Thank god he sleeps well at night. Well, he did. Now that he’s approaching 8-months he has decided to be right on target for that pesky sleep regression that many kids go through at this age. Teething, growing and what not. He’s definitely started hurling himself all over the place, so I’m pretty sure the beginnings of crawling are in our near-ish future, keeping his brain going a mile a minute, even when he’s trying to sleep.
At least he’s cute. I mean, really cute. And happy. My little rubber ducky.
Do ducks nap? It would be great if ducks napped…
(omigod what am I talking about?)
17 comments
Comments feed for this article
February 23, 2011 at 7:06 pm
Nicole
Hi!! I never commented before but I wanted to tell you that I was in your shoes. My little one never EVER slept through the night. While I was nursing he woke up at least 5-8 times a night. Then I switched to formula same exact thing, 5-8 times a night. Then eventually I stopped giving him a bottle at night but it was the same thing at least five times a night. One day I put him to sleep the same way I do every night, wearing one of the 100% cotton jammies he always wears, in the same bed he’s always in, same pillow, same blanket, same breakfast, same snacks, same lunch, same dinner, ect. Everything was exactly the same and he SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT(He was 14 months old. I survived no sleep for 14 months. crazy.) It just magically happened. Now sometimes he sleeps through the night, but most of the time I am just happy to get at least 4 straight hours of sleep. So keep doing what you feel is right for you and your little one and maybe one day he will just roll over and nap on his own!
February 24, 2011 at 10:11 am
Becky
I hope for Molly too, but I will say that you have given me hope! My one year old (today!) wakes up A LOT at night to nurse. He goes to bed in his crib, but wakes at about 10 or 11pm, and won’t go back down unless I lay in our bed and nurse him, and then he keeps waking up throughout the night. Lately it’s been worse; I think he must be getting his molars; but even when it’s “good” he’s waking up 3 or 4 times at night. I am hoping that he’ll just grow out of it. We tried standing in his room, with my hand on his back or chest, but he still just cried and cried and cried, and got more and more worked up. So that’s definitely not going to be our solution.
Anyway, sorry I don’t have words of advice to add, Molly, but know that you aren’t the only one who struggles with this same kind of sleep issue!
February 23, 2011 at 7:21 pm
Britt
I know nothing about babies and naps, but I hope he sleeps alone soon so you get a bit of a break! Can you bring a book when he’s sleeping and at least get a bit of time to yourself in a book?
February 23, 2011 at 7:23 pm
Mama Violet
My baby’s cuteness factor goes up or down depending on how much sleep I have. Yesterday her quotient went into negative numbers.
I also dream of the day when I put her down she will roll over and fall asleep without any assistance.
Hang in there!
February 23, 2011 at 7:47 pm
Jennifer
Just when you think you can’t take another day . . . something will change. Will it be for the better or the worse? I don’t know that it matters, sometimes a different “annoyance” is better than the one you’ve been dealing with. I recently reread the womanly art of breastfeeding and, at least, it made me remember why I’m feeding this sweet, loving son of mine every.single.night with no end in view!
February 23, 2011 at 7:52 pm
Jamie
Have you read Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Baby? We aregoing through a similar issue. We’ve mastered (for now) bedtime, and we’re on a pretty decent nap schedule with our baby girl, but the problem is that she rarely sleeps without being swaddled. His book had SO many insights and I learned alot that I wished I would have known when she was a newborn. I highly recommend it to any parent who is learnig how to train their baby for sleep and naps… In fact I just posted about it earlier today!
- Jamie
Utterdefeat.wordpress.com
February 23, 2011 at 7:52 pm
Navigating the Mothership
I feel/felt the same way about napping relating to my mood. Luckily, Bella has been a decent napper even if her night sleep is a hot mess at times. On the days of short naps or missed naps though, LOOK OUT. Terrible. That’s probably the #1 thing that scares me about having my second kid – the lack of a break ever. You absolutely need that time AWAY. Was he napping w/o you for one nap a day or has it always been both? Ugh, sleep challenges. I’m sure it’s just a phase, but one that will take painfully slow sleep training. But then who knows with kids!? Good luck, mama!
February 23, 2011 at 8:01 pm
Jamie
I thought the same too…that it didn’t help as much with naptimes. I mean, am I really supposed to let her cry all afternoon when I put her down for a nap?! Usually we swaddle her and rock her, trying to catch her while she’s still drowsy, but most of the time she falls asleep. I just wish we could get to the point where I could lay her in her crib and she will be able to calmly fall to sleep. Baby steps I guess… No pun intended
- Jamie
utterdefeat.wordpress.com
February 24, 2011 at 10:11 am
Sandy
Oh man! You’re telling me that it’s going to get worse next month? Mine turned 7 months yesterday. He doesn’t sleep through the night yet (still taking one bottle at night) and has suddenly decided that sometime between midnight and 1am is the PERFECT time to have a party! And guess who the guest of honor is??? At least he’s not crying…but he’s not sleeping either.
Naps? They’re all over the board. Don’t even get me started.
I just want to punch those that have the angels that slept through the night ever since they were 4 weeks old…not really, but just a little bit.
February 24, 2011 at 10:17 am
Mama Violet
I’ve never come across an “in real life” baby who sleeps through the night. I think it’s a myth.
February 24, 2011 at 11:30 am
Hilary
I’m right there with you Molly. The other night my son (8 months) only got up one time, nursed and went back to sleep. I felt like singing and dancing. I was so cheerful all day due to the consecutive hours of sleep I got. I always foolishly think it will last. Ha! No way.
I beat myself up trying to think what I can change and what I must have done wrong when he was little to make him into such a bad sleeper, but I don’t know what I could have done differently. I never know if maybe he’s in a growth spurt, or his teeth hurt, or he needs to go potty, or because he just learned how to crawl and that’s the reason he wakes up so often. One thing seems to help for a few nights, then it’s back to the drawing board trying to figure something else out. I just don’t know. It’s exhausting and there is no break for a stay at home mom.
Just know you are not alone! And as my husband says, in five years you will miss this little boy and want the time back. One thing that I do think has helped is that I try to get him to go to sleep without nursing if at all possible. I think it’s good to help them find another way to go to sleep. Have you read the No-Cry Sleep Solution? Maybe try her technique to get Owen to unlatch and go to sleep without sucking. Or, try a pacifier. I am ususally anti-paci, but seriously, sometimes it has worked and saved my sanity.
February 24, 2011 at 6:27 pm
your mom
you didn’t sleep through the night for three years.
really.
i’m serious.
February 24, 2011 at 7:05 pm
Sherry
Molly, I right there with you! My 8 month old (5 days older than Owen!) will nurse to sleep for naps and bedtime. Luckily I can sneak away after 20-30 minutes and he’ll nap for about 1-2 hrs(he does the same searching for boob mouthing thing, what works for me is I pull away and then hug him tight for about 5 minutes and then try to sneak away), but goodness forbid I try to place him in the crib. He will wake up and scream him little heart out and then no more nap (til his next nap time). So he stay on our bed surrounded by pillows and we get to stalk our video monitor until he wakes up. Were also co-sleeping so he’s not in the crib at night. We’ve began trying and it’s horrible. No one gets any sleep. Going to sleep at one and waking up at 530 to go to work makes for one grumpy mommy. He’s crawling and pulls himself into a standing position so trying to get him to fall asleep in the crib isn’t almost impossible since he won’t stay laying down! I’m a little nervous that were setting him up for bad sleeping habits too. What’s a momma to do.
February 24, 2011 at 7:14 pm
Courtney
Not to try and solve the issue with simple one word answers–but have you tried a binky? We were progressing with having Arthur sleep through the night, then he got sick, got some teeth, and we’re back to square one, but he is a good napper…and uses a binky and I’m nursing him as well….
February 25, 2011 at 12:26 pm
Sassafrass
Oh I feel the pain. I do. OE was a terrible sleeper and just as your first commenter said at 14 months it was like a switch was flipped. He napped better and slept through the night. Get through it. Trust that you’re doing the right thing and that Owen will sleep when he is ready. Hang in there!
February 25, 2011 at 1:54 pm
Kaley
Ohhh girl, I understand you wanting a break! Eight months of having to lay by Owen while he sleeps is a major sacrifice on your part! Nap training is SO HARD, for both babies and mommies. But if you decide what you want to do, as far as goals for his naptime routine, persistence is the key! I’m here to tell you from personal experience that it does get better, and you just have to stay strong even if he’s unhappy for a couple of days. Best of luck to you guys!
March 29, 2011 at 6:42 pm
Amory
Just found your blog from Navigating the Mothership! Love it!
After getting #2 through the first year and a half through her life (16 months of that of not sleeping through the night), sister #1 has been potty training…. and I’ve come to the conclusion– that you never sleep through the night. Once they get to sleep through the night (YOU get to sleep through the night), you gotta do stuff like potty training.
Good luck!!! And hang in there.