Crib training and napping

As much as the days are long, time is flying! Is it really January 18th? Already? Is my baby almost 2 months? WHAT??

This week, we tried to train Kent to sleep in his crib rather than his fisher price chair. He goes down easy enough in his crib at nighttime, but day is tougher. Day naps were hit or miss anyway in his chair, so maybe it's not the crib that's the problem. Ever since he was born, he's slept in people's arms, he's slept in the bathroom (or the kitchen) with the exhaust fan on, he's slept in the living room with all kinds of commotion going on, and he's slept in my carrier and during car rides. Books tell me that consistency is key, but his room is the furthest place from where we work and live and eat and hang out, so it's hard to banish him down that long hall. Plus, we like to keep an eye on him and keep the daytime noises normal so he understands that it's a nap and it's day. Books also tell me that a wind down routine is important, so we try to do that every time we want him to sleep. Sometimes Kent falls asleep easily, sometimes not. It's the 'not' that drives me crazy because I'm torn between letting him cry and helping him sleep by shushing and patting and getting him sleepy in my arms. He's so young and it frightens me when he gets SO upset that he turns purple with that one vibrating cry that lasts several seconds!! Both systems work, but I don't like either of them: one breaks your heart and the other is exhausting if he doesn't fall asleep right away (which is maybe half of the time?). My sister-in-law Corrie suggested to figure out what my nanny is comfortable with (and what she has time for with her own 3 kids) and start working on that. My sister mentioned that since Kent eats every two hours still, maybe that's what gets in the way for good naps. It's possible. I plan to ask my pediatrician what his suggestion is, especially whether or not I should let Kent dictate his feedings this month, or if I should try to space them out a little more. All to say, about crib-training, I guess it's more important to us that he gets good naps than for him to learn to nap in his crib.

I've been worrying about the number of naps he gets, and when they are during the day, which, right now, are pretty inconsistent. It's challenging because it makes scheduling anything almost impossible. I couldn't tell you when he'll nap tomorrow, but I know he will at some point (yay! I know something for sure). I've consulted so many people and too many books and online sources. All of them confuse me and I'm annoyed that books' schedules treat babies like they are a predictable robot: eat - play - nap repeat all day. But I get it: authors tell you that the parent sets the routine, but what if the baby doesn't seem sleepy? Why force a nap? We've done that and it makes everyone frustrated. So I think I'm done with this issue (hahah famous last words: I'll probably stress out over it in 2 weeks time). I think I'm just going to put him down when he looks sleepy, and if he's alert after eating and he stays alert and calm and happy, then he won't nap before the next feeding. Shouldn't we respond to our child's cues instead of decide for him what he wants and when? My sister-in-law Val says that there's so much advice and so many methods out there that I'm bound to find something to support what I believe. She's right!

I still welcome any thoughts/advice on our sleep issues, but like Corrie said: sleeping and eating problems are problems in parenting for years! So yay--that means I'll have blogging material forever!!

And let's end with some adorable pictures: