Am I teaching Sleep?

[cwolff]

It would really be nice to know I'm actually doing something benefitial in regards to my dd's sleeping.  What I've done a couple times today, and believe me it sucked but I stuck to it, is put my dd in the crib drowsy as usual.  But she's gotten fidgety instead of drifting off to sleep.  So tonight, she did the same thing.  Thrashing her head and her feet (even though she's completely swaddled).  So instead of picking her up, which does work, I kept her in the crib and held her legs with my forearm and my hand on her chest.  I murmured to her, and surprisingly she went to sleep.  It took 20 minutes or so of thrashing about and then she kept getting startled by the jolts, but she actually went to sleep.  I find this is much easier to do when it's night and completely dark so she can't seek out my eyes.  What I'd like to know is, am I teaching her to sleep independently?  Will she eventually not need me to hold down her legs, etc.  Or am I just using myself as a prop, just as I would by picking her up.  I hope I'm teaching her sleep, that would be a nice change from the total accidental parenting I usually do.

[Katet]

The thrashing/fidgeting is actually probably part of your lo's settling to sleep. have you tried putting her down & if she is calm & drowsy, just leave the room, she may surprise you & be able to put herself off to sleep, I know my lo does about 50% of the time, I try to only go back in if the noises are "upset" sounding.
Liam (also 3 months) can take up to 20mins before he actually goes to sleep & can be "talking" or fidgeting that whole time.
That said I don't think you are being a prop, as if you are consistent & you gradually cut back on it she will be able to go off by herself.

[cwolff]

Yeah, this afternoon I just stepped back and waited to see what she would do.  She started thrashing and kicking so much she kicked out of her swaddle.  She will thrash and fidget a tiny bit when she's drowsy and putting herself to sleep.  But this afternoon she was wide awake.  I did end up picking her up.  This evening when I did it, she thrashed for a bit and then fell asleep.  But then just an hour later woke up crying for no apparent reason.  I went in just as she spit the pacifier out, but she had already been crying.  Don't know if it had anything to do with anything, but it was unusual.  She's still making noises now, that she usually doesn't.  Hmm..