Hi All!
Just thought that I would post that things finally seem to be slotting into place. I have posted on and viewed these message boards for the past 2 months and got so much helpful advice and support from so many of you that i just wanted to say that everything seems to have clicked into place.
We implemented easy when thomas was 5 weeks old and started off with a 2.5 hour routine. Shortly after this Thomas got into the habit of 45 min naps. We tried everything - wake to sleep, putting him down earlier, having a long wind down period and I seemed to spend most of my time shh-patting him back to sleep until his feed time. He also started to become a nightmare to get off to sleep at night - me and my dh just didn't know what to do and where we were going wrong. We did everything by the book - we had no stimulating activities after 2pm, a long wind down, with the same routine every night, we made his bedtime later, earlier and tried feeding him at different times. I felt like I was spending all day just shh-patting him back to sleep and struggling to entertain him during his active times just in case I over-stimulated him. For the past 2 weeks I stopped trying to get him back to sleep and just tried to enjoy him more.
One post from someone really struck home to me - babies work on their night sleep from 0-3 months and their day sleep from 3-6 months. Thomas is now 3 months old and in the past week - without me even trying or doing anything different - he has started to nap for a minimum of 90 mins and will go down to sleep without any help whatsoever. I lie him down and he moans and groans for about 30 seconds and then settles himself off into snooze land. I am convinced this is because of our shh-patting him in his cot all this time.
He has also amazingly fitted into the 3-hour easy routine like a glove the past week.
I just wanted to post and let you know that your efforts will be repaid. I know that every baby is different and maybe getting past 3 months will make no difference to your lo but i do think that some babies are not developed enough to get back to sleep on their own during the day, even though they may be able to do it in the middle of the night, until they mature a little bit. The first 3 months were hard but it has been worth it to get such a predictable routine and such a happy and settled little one.
Thank you to everyone who has given me advice over the last 3 months!
Love Louise and Thomas
xxx
