It goes back to the age-old saying “you have to put babies to sleep” for they cannot do it independently yet. But still, for anyone who’s tried to put a baby to sleep it sounds easier than it is.
To note, my daughter is 3 1/2 months old.
First Nap During the Day
She wakes up from her night’s sleep between 9:00 and 10:30 am. At first, she is ready to play. Which mainly includes smiling and having her attempts at giggling.
At the first signs of being tired (heavy eyelids, glazy eyes, rubbing eyes, getting quieter, or yawning) I begin the process.
Pre-napping checklist:
- Burp rag ✓
- Non-expired milk ✓
- Non-stimulating area (including no open window blinds or loud noise) ✓
- Assisting items (blanket, diaper changing products, supporting pillow) ✓
- Slippers or shoes in case I have to walk the floor (I have a bad back) ✓
- Phone ✓
Okay, now let’s get to work.
Firstly
Find the position that works. My daughter will fall asleep when I walk the living room, walk the bedroom, sit on the couch, sit in the rocking chair, her sitting in her baby rocker/swing, and when she lays in her bassinet. I never know which will work at any given time.
Is she responding to:
- Walking, if so, what type of walking? My baby likes natural bouncing
If that does not work:
- Sitting (rocking or still?)
Still not sleeping after 20 minutes of patient attempts?
First Responders Checklist
- Does she have a clean diaper?
- Does she not like the milk and do I need to get new milk? If she already drank bad milk I need to prepare for a longer transition and possibly quite a bit of spit-up
- Temperature: milk temperature and room temperature
- Does she have gas and do I need to implement gas holds (over the shoulder or on the forearm)?
- Am I being positive and do I have a calm, settling, and comforting demeanor?
- Do I need to change up rocking or walking speeds or baby positions?
- Does she have a previous injury (scratch, an arm bent, head bump, etc.?)
I will continue until I find a position when her eyelids drop for a second or she puts the back of her left hand to one of her eyes. Then I know I have her.
And that’s how it is done.
Secondly
If she moves around a little every so often, my daughter might not have drank enough milk. I’ll then see if she will drink more milk without talking to her or making any noise. In this case, I hate bassinets, because I have to bend over and mutilate my back.
At times she will wake up for whatever reason and want to play around. So, I let her get it out of her system and start the process over again.
It might be frustrating at times, but I always remember one thing:
It’ll be more frustrating and be frustrating longer if I distress her enough to make any negative psychological issues. A baby that is stressless and healthy learns more quickly and develops smoother.
So, when I think I hit my limit I remember that. The last thing I want is to put more work on myself and my spouse. I’ve said this before in articles, “prevention is cheaper, healthier, and quicker than treatment.”
Thank you for reading! Thank you for your positive comments!!
—
This post was previously published on medium.com.
***
You may also like these posts on The Good Men Project:
White Fragility: Talking to White People About Racism | Escape the “Act Like a Man” Box | The Lack of Gentle Platonic Touch in Men’s Lives is a Killer | What We Talk About When We Talk About Men |
—
Photo credit: Picsea on Unsplash