Totville: Toddler Activities

One day, I became desperate for sleep. Sleep was all I could think about. I walked around during the day in a daze and felt like I was packed in cotton. The world seemed fuzzy. I was tired of doing things like putting my house keys in the freezer or the milk in the oven.

So…. We started a “sleep program” called the No-Cry Sleep Solution (NCSS). That helped us establish a routine (nursing, 3 books, warm bath, brush teeth, into dark room to get new diaper and pajamas and off to bed).

This Is the Success We Had:

1. Reduced time it took to get baby to sleep by 1-1.5 hours.

2. Reduced length of nightwakings from 20-30 min to 5-6 min per for an increase in total time slept.

3. Increased actual hours slept by 2 hours.

4. Increased length of longest stretch of sleep by 1-1.5 hours in the first few weeks.

5. We both have fun during the routine.

What Didn’t Change

1. Number of nightwakings stayed the same for a long time (even though they were much shorter in duration).

What I Needed to Do More That I Didn’t Do at First

1. Move up the bedtime by 30 minutes.

After charting and doing NCSS for about 2 weeks, we stagnated.

We didn’t understand how to progress with NCSS, so we decided to move from NCSS to Good Night, Sleep Tight by Kim West. Although some crying is involved, we were there to offer support, comfort and encouragement. That was something I could live with.

One of us would sit by the crib while she fell asleep. Every few nights, we moved a little bit further away. The first night, DH offered The Nugget support. If she got really upset, she was held, patted or spoken to soothingly. It took about 35 minutes to settle her down — MUCH better than the 1-2 hours it took with nursing, and let’s not even discuss the gymnastics involved when I would nurse her in bed.

My turn at the first nightwaking…I had my doubts that she could possibly go to sleep without nursing. About 10 minutes later, she was back asleep. When she did go to sleep without nursing, I exited the bedroom with my mouth hanging open. In shock.

While I miss my little nursling in my bed, I know that a well-rested mommmy is a happy mommy. Happy and well-rested mommies play ball, play rocketship on the front lawn, talk long walks in the fresh air and will push the baby swing at the park for an hour. Well rested mommies also have the energy to make a lot of yummy and nutritious foods so that babies do not get sick. There’s a lot to be said for a well rested mommy.

Mothering Motherhood Parenting Mommy Blog Baby Toddler Sleep Sleeping Through the Night