Sleep advice that’s tired
Here is a brief, very sleep deprived rant: why does nearly every baby-sleep method entail putting babies down “drowsy but awake” so they can learn to “soothe themselves to sleep.”
“If my baby could soothe himself to sleep, I wouldnt’ be reading this infernal article/book/Web site,” I want to scream. It’s like saying to an insomniac “sleep is easy, just close your eyes.”
Obviously this is the issue around our house. We’re trying to work our 11-month-old into something that resembles a normal sleep schedule and he is protesting mightily. Putting him in his crib drowsy but awake is followed by wails of agony befitting a Greek tragedy. No amount of comforting or back-patting helps. Heck, even putting him in his crib comatose has a similar result. The second his back hits the mattress, his eyes pop open and he goes through the roof. If this raises the question of why are we trying to put him in his crib in the first place the answer is because the family bed thing has mom feeling like she works the overnight shift at a convenience store. And then has to go to her real job in the morning.
Ug. Please tell me there’s light at the end of the tunnel.
Tags: sleep
This entry was posted on Monday, August 10th, 2009 at 11:51 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
August 11th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Rachel Turiel says:Katie,
Sleep-deprivation? Didn’t Obama outlaw that at Guantanamo?
Sorry to hear of your struggles. Some kids seem to figure it out easier and quicker than others. Not sure if you have it in you to hear him cry, but sometimes a quick stretch of tears (“cry it out”) can herald a long, healthy relationship with sleep.
Good luck!
August 11th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Kid Row says:If it’s outlawed, my baby didn’t get the memo! But thanks for the sympathy. I’m feeling a little more optimistic today. Although he was still up and down after 11 p.m. last night, at around 4 a.m. he woke up, cried for a couple minutes, then fell asleep on his own and slept until after 7 a.m. A glimmer of hope!