So Luca hasn't been sleeping very well again. Kyra says it's one of those times again when he has something going on, who knows what, that makes him clingy and not want to sleep. (He's been really clingy in the morning when I leave for work. Kind of cute, but Kyra has to deal with him screaming when I walk out the door.) We've been trying to intervene as little as possible when he wakes up, but when he hasn't been sleeping well or we just want to go back to sleep, it's hard to try for a few minutes, then stop.

Typically what we do is give him his nukie, touch his back, and let him get comfortable. Kyra seems to get him to sleep just by rubbing his back. Until tonight, I wasn't able to do it because I would let him have his stuffed tiger, which he would mess around with while lying down. It would keep him awake, but if I took it away, he would scream.

Now that I've realized it keeps him awake, I take it away from him earlier, and he seems to be less upset about it. I have a theory that perhaps he just doesn't get that he needs to stop moving around to go to sleep, so I've tried holding one of his arms down on his belly and holding his feet so he doesn't rub his eyes, kick, wiggle, try to grab something, or sit up. It's worked quite well, and he calms down, but perhaps it's too much intervention.

We've read a lot about sleep and everything. We have a bedtime routine, and he usually falls asleep while mommy's nursing him. We don't talk when we go in when he wakes up. So the problem is when he wakes up and needs to go back to sleep, he just doesn't seem to know how. Any ideas anyone?

P.S. I miss ballroom dance. :*(


Lin said...

When my older brother was a baby and wouldn't go to bed, my mum said she had to carry him and rock him for like 3 hrs before he would go to sleep. So when I was born, she bought this electric sarong cradle thingy that bounces up and down, so she wouldn't have to carry me for hours again. But apparently I am quite the pig, and would sleep without it... Read More really quickly anyway... hahaha. But this is kinda what the electric motor and springs look like:

Though I guess in America the closest thing would be an electric cradle. Then again I don't know anything about babies, cradles, and what ages they are made for. So don't quote me on anything :)

Chris said...

Yeah, I'm thinking he's too big for that already. He's already over 22 pounds!

Kay said...

I don't know much about newborns, but I have spent a lot of time taking care of 2-year olds. Having a routine is key. At Montessori, we would play the same song on a tape and rub their backs until they fell asleep. Not every child needs as much sleep though. For the ones that didn't need to sleep, we had them just lay down and rest (but they were ... Read Morestill awake). According to the child psychology books my mom loves, just laying down and resting can give the child a lot of the same benefits, even if they don't sleep. Also, it may take like two or three weeks for a child to get into a new routine.

Chris said...

He's a bit older than a newborn now. Usually getting him to sleep for naps isn't so hard. Our nighttime routine starts with a bath, then he nurses, then he goes to sleep. Sometimes we read in between bath and nursing, but not lately. He's usually too tired.

Anonymous said...

Sammy & Zac have NEVER slept thru the night. which means that I have been sleep deprived for the last 5 years.. Good Luck. Sara

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