Gabriella's Sleep Training

Next week I took off from teaching Stroller Strides on Wednesday and Friday so I could have the entire week to work on potty training Andrew and sleep training for Gabriella. I decided to slowly start getting Ella prepared for her changes in sleeping this week so there wasn't so much to work on next week. Andrew was not a great sleeper as a baby. He could only fall asleep nursing and he took very small naps. I spent several months with very little sleep and a tired baby. When Andrew was about 11 months old, I finally purchased a book on sleeping called Good Night Sleep Tight. I was not good at letting Andrew "cry it out", so I bought that book because it was a gentle sleep method and did not require me to let him cry. It worked great for Andrew and within a week he was sleeping great and has been ever since. It was the best advice I ever received!! So when Ella came along, I said I would not nurse her to sleep and I would teach her to fall asleep on her own from the start. Well, lately Ella has been having a hard time falling asleep. She either wants me to hold her or she wants to be in the swing. I decided it was time to start sleep training.

Gabriella has been sleeping in our room in a bassinet since she was born. This week I decided to start moving her to her room for naps and to try to get her to fall asleep on her own. Some days have been more successful than others, but she has done a pretty good job. Last night, I decided that I would not put Ella in her swing to fall asleep (I have been having to put her in the swing and then transfer her to the bassinet just to get her to sleep at night). So I nursed her, put her in the bassinet, and then sat next to her to reassure her. She cried for 20 minutes, then slept for 10, and cried for another 10 before falling asleep for the night. It was tough! I knew I had to do it, though, because she and I would both be better off once she knew how to sleep on her own.

Today has been a great day for Ella! This morning she fell asleep with no crying or pacifier and slept for an hour. Her next nap she fell asleep in the car while running errands and slept for another hour. This afternoon, she fell asleep once again with no crying or pacifier and slept for almost 2 hours. Other than her nap in the car seat, she took her other 2 in her own bed. She did so great that I decided to see how it went putting her in the crib for bed time. I gave her a bath, nursed her, rocked her until she was almost asleep, and then laid her down. She did fuss a little, but it wasn't a loud cry. She fussed on and off for about 10 minutes before falling asleep. I am so proud of her! It feels great to get her on a good schedule and know that she is getting the sleep she needs. We'll see how she does tonight and if she keeps doing this well. I'll keep you posted.

Now if only Andrew's potty training could go this well...