or am I making myself a prop?
Jack (4 months old) had been doing great - I'd been using a combination of pu/pd and pat/shhh. I had gotten to the point where I could leave the room while he was awake - for naps and bedtime - and he would drift off on his own.
We seem to have regressed a little bit over the last week, and I had to go back to pu/pd and now we are pretty much at the point where I don't have to pick him up. I can calm him in the crib and just hold my hand on his chest and talk softly to him.
Is it okay to stay with him with my hand on his chest (not talking) til he drifts off? What it seems I've had to do lately is stay there til he's asleep, then I just back away and stay another five minutes or so to make sure he doesn't jolt awake. He tends to jolt after a few minutes but doesn't wake up, so I feel okay leaving the room after five minutes. He doesn't wake up (watch, now that I said that he will!) after that and sleeps for about an hour or so at each nap. Last night he slept from 7:30 to 4:30 (!!!!) and then ate, then was up for the day at 7am.
Is it okay to stay with him until he's out, or should I be leaving the room when he's awake and then just coming back in when he is upset? Leaving him to fuss doesn't seem to work - he usually gets himself into a tizzy and can't settle himself, although at night if he wakes up before he needs a feeding he will settle himself then. For naps he seems to need my help.
