A babies perspective....

This is yet another sleep training post (it seems to be the theme the past few weeks). Call me crazy (or sleep deprived- basically the same thing) but I just KNOW that all of our babies get together during playgroup, and they share their stories about how they can keep their mommies up at night. Babies are smarter then we give them credit for. For instance, Cannon has this internal clock set in his head, and he WILL NOT wake up any later then 5:30 am. I don't know if his internal clock is set on Hawaii time but I am considering moving to NY to get to sleep in until 7:30.

Here is a funny little thing that I have come across, that lets us see into the mind of our beautiful babies.

Sleep Training...

OK, here's my situation. My Mommy has had me for almost 10 months. The first few months were great--I cried, she picked me up and fed me, anytime, day or night. Then something happened. Over the last few weeks, she has been trying to STTN (sleep through the night). At first, I thought it was just a phase, but it is only getting worse. I've talked to other babies, and it seems like it's pretty common after Mommies have had us for around 6 months.
Here's the thing: these Mommies don't really need to sleep. It's just a habit. Many of them have had some 25 years to sleep--they just don't need it anymore. So I am implementing a plan. I call it the Crybaby Shuffle.

It goes like this:
Night 1--cry every 3 hours until you get fed. I know, it's hard. It's hard to see your Mommy upset over your crying. Just keep reminding yourself, it's for her own good.
Night 2--cry every 2 hours until you get fed.
Night 3--every hour.
Most Mommies will start to respond more quickly after about 3 nights. Some Mommies are more alert, and may resist the change longer. These Mommies may stand in your doorway for hours, shhhh-ing. Don't give in. I cannot stress this enough: CONSISTENCY IS KEY!! If you let her STTN (sleep through the night), just once, she will expect it every night. I KNOW IT'S HARD! But she really does not need the sleep, she is just resisting the change.

(If you have an especially alert Mommy, you can stop crying for about 10 minutes, just long enough for her to go back to bed and start to fall asleep. Then cry again. It WILL eventually work.) My Mommy once stayed awake for 20 hours straight, so I know she can do it.
Last night, I cried every hour. You just have to decide to stick to it and just go for it. BE CONSISTENT!

I cried for any reason I could come up with.
-My sleep sack tickled my foot.
-I felt a wrinkle under the sheet.
-My mobile made a shadow on the wall.
-I burped, and it tasted like pears (I hadn't eaten pears since lunch- what's up with that?)

-The cat said "meow" (I should know. My Mommy reminds me of this about20 times a day.)
(Once I cried just because I liked how it sounded when it echoed on the monitor in the other room.)
-Too hot, too cold, just right--doesn't matter! Keep crying!!

It took awhile, but it worked. She fed me at 4 am. Tomorrow night, my goal is 3:30am. You need to slowly shorten the interval between feedings in order to reset your Mommies' internal clocks.
P.S.- Don't let those rubber things fool you, no matter how long you suck on them, NO milk will come out! Trust me.