02.17.09 ~ Learning to Sleep

It's no secret that I've been obsessing over Liam's sleep. He does not fall asleep easily and does not sleep well alone. For these reasons he is often sleep deprived.

During the night he actually sleeps great (in our bed). But his naps have not been consistent during the day and sometimes by the evening time he is so tired that he cries and cries and is so worked up that he then has an even harder time going to sleep.

We tried getting him to sleep in his crib a few weeks ago. We figured if he had a quiet and consistent place to nap, he would be more rested. However, if I laid him down in his crib, sleepy but awake, he would either cry or fidget and kick his legs until I got him again. So, we gave up on the crib and I have spent the last two weeks making sure he gets enough sleep by whatever means necessary. This meant taking all his naps on me (or Jason). This method worked to help him catch up on his sleep, and it turned our fussy little crankster back into the sweet, happy baby we remembered. However, it has been time consuming and taxing to have a baby sleeping on me for five or more hours of the day. Also, on the weekends when it’s not just me and Liam in the apartment (and the atmosphere may not facilitate a perfectly quiet nap on his mommy), he was often sleep deprived again.

This past weekend was the straw that broke the camel’s (my) back. Jeff was here visiting and Liam barely slept all day. By the evening he was a big screaming mess. He cried on and off from about 3pm on until around 7pm when he suddenly passed out in my lap.

So on Sunday Jason and I resumed the “crib training” and much to our surprise it is actually working this time! I close the curtains to dim the light in the room, feed him, pull the string on his little musical bear, lay him down, and leave the room. For his first nap of the day he usually cries for a few minutes and then can put himself to sleep. However, he still needs some help for the other naps. And we haven’t even tried the crib for the evening yet. However, I finally feel like we’re making progress!

Our Lamaze reunion: