Cracked it!
So I'm obviously going to jinx everything by writing this, but I think we've finally cracked this whole sleeping lark.
As you know Theo has never been a good sleeper, he's been awful. When other people told me they used to be able to put their child to sleep without feeding, or even better someone else put them to sleep, at a reasonable hour, everyday, I could never ever see that being me. It's impossible to see a way out, until suddenly you realise that you are, in fact already out of the situation!
Of course it has happened because I've actually stopped feeding him to sleep, and all together. But in fact I sort of feel we could have stopped feeding him to sleep at night before now, and I could have continued nursing for a little longer. But that's not the way it happened, and this way still feels right. Rob has been putting to Theo to bed every night since I went away, bar one night when he was on a late, so it was down to me. And believe it or not, Theo actually went to sleep for me without much fuss and without feeding! Rob is still putting him to bed though, as they have their little routine now, which is very sweet.
I love that they get this alone time together, and that Rob has his role and place now in putting him to bed. It goes a little something like this: he gives him a bath, and gets him ready for bed. They then have a little play in Theo's bedroom until either Theo decides he's had enough and gets a book and climbs into bed, or Rob asks him if he wants to read a story (the answer is usually yes). They then snuggle in and read a few books, before Theo pushes them away and decides its time for sleep, or again rob asks him if he's ready to sleep (usually yes again). Then Rob either rubs his back, holds his hand and sings whilst Theo closes his eyes, turns over a bit before falling asleep. Magic!
This doesn't sound like my baby at all though?! How did it happen so quickly? Is this really the same child? He then usually sleeps until about 5.30-6ish, where we try and get him to go back to sleep. Rob will go into his room and sometimes go back to sleep with him in his bed, or we'll set up his train set, whilst we doze on his bed, or last resort take him downstairs to watch Thomas the Tank engine, whislt we doze on the sofa (I say we, but it's only one of us, and usually Rob. Making up for the 15 months or so that I got up continually with him in the night!)
Next weekend Rob is going on a stag weekend, and I'm popping down to his Grandparents for a few days so hopefully we can master me, and hopefully other people getting him to sleep there too!
fingers crossed!
The issue of sleep has pretty much done me in with India!! She has been awful & only in the past 6 weeks has she slept through (she's 16.5mo) and to this day she has never taken a nap in her cot in the day - never! I put it down to being on 4 school runs a day since she was a newborn as Dex was at school & Flo at p-school. She never had time for a scheduled nap as it were :( But she's now good at night 7pm - 6am whoop (although i do still feed her to sleep at times!) It also looks like she's planning on dropping her one & only nap any time soon - just like the other two who were both nap free by 18 months
ReplyDeleteOh well - you guys are doing great, it feels good being on the other side doesn't it! x
Yeh it feels really good, glad you've finally got there too! But yikes scary about thenap dropping. Buti guess you already know what to expect! I still feel little pangs of sadness that he doesn't need me to go to sleep anymore, but then I get to have my evenings back and I don't feel so sad!
DeleteYay! Sleepy Theo... I miss people reading to me at bedtime, xxx
ReplyDeleteI know me too! When I was pregnant and didn't live with rob, we would Skype when I was going to sleep and he would read me a bedtime story until I feel asleep! I miss that!
Deletea-WOOHOO! I can well imagine how pleased you feel/scared it won't last. We're still at the getting up every 3 hours to feed our little bugger but then she is only 4 months. Comforting to realise it's not always easy even when they're older.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I'd like to actually meet a woman whose baby does sleep well. I hear about them but I think they're an urban myth really ;)
It really is! And unfortunately the only people I've met who have a good sleeping baby either didn't breast feed, or stopped breast feeding. But I'm glad we nursed as long as we did as it was important to me to give him that, and sacrifice a year or so of sleep! One thing is, is that it doesn't last forever, and they will at some point decide to sleep better! You just can't tell when! X
DeleteAww so cute.
ReplyDeleteFeyi
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