After about four or five nights co-sleeping with me again (because he was sick and needed the comfort), I didn't know where we'd be with his sleep transitioning. We had just put the crib railing back on when he started getting sick, so would we have to remove it and back up a step?
Two nights ago (Sunday) I nursed Mister and tried moving him to the crib. No go. He was mad! So, back to bed with me and he was awake and standing up at the crib railing (which is right up against the side of my bed). So, I figured if he is happy to walk along the railing on my bed, maybe he should do it from inside the crib. I put him back in the crib standing up at the railing. I starting playing with him. Tickling him through the bars, singing (which made him start dancing - a newly developed skill of his) and we were even kissing through the railings. After about 40 minutes of this I started to get quite, I brought my pillow close by and left my arms through the crib bars and just laid still. Eventually he stopped standing and just sat in the crib, a little whining, then he'd flop down...sit up, whine, flop, sit up, whine, flop...finally he fell asleep in his crib on his own without shedding a tear!
Last night I nursed him at bedtime as usual and placed him in the crib; no problems, he went to sleep. We repeated this a few times throughout the night and once he struggled to sit up in the crib after I just laid him down and cried really loud. I laid my hand on his back and said my "key words" and he immediately flopped down and went to sleep without another peep. Totally awesome! I'm so proud of our little man!
Note: "key words" is a suggestion made by E. Pantley in The No Cry Sleep Solution. She suggests repeating the same words to baby as they are falling asleep at the breast or however they usually do before you start sleep transitioning. Then baby associates those words with sleepiness and sleep time. I thought it was a bit silly, but I tried and perhaps it actually works!
Just when you thought it couldn't get any better...Tonight Matthew (hubby) took Mister upstairs for bedtime stories while I got ready for bed. While I was still getting ready, he whispered downstairs to me that Mister was asleep in his lap, sitting in the rocking chair. I suggested he try putting him in the crib just to see what would happen. So, Matthew turned out the lamp and put Mister in the crib...no protest, no fuss; perfect! Matthew came downstairs and that was that! WOW! Congrats Mister, Congrats Daddy!
I love my "boys"!
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