Sleep Training

Its no secret that getting our wee one to sleep has proved problematic. I know we're not alone, but it sure can feel that way when you're in the midst of it. Recently we've noticed that Alison is much fussier and less attentive during the day, and I attribute this shift to her lack of naptime sleep. She's been doing worlds better on nighttime sleep for about the last 2 weeks, even sleeping up to 11 hours on most nights. Its those pesky naps that have us pulling our hair.

I'll admit that I have been pretty relaxed on having any sort of schedule, be it for feeding or sleeping. I thought it was working for us but, at close examination, it really wasn't. I let Alison tell me when she was hungry and I would wait until I saw a sign that she was sleepy to start my (pretty much) non-existent nap routine. No wonder she couldn't fall asleep!

From what I've been re-reading in Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child she's unable to coax herself to sleep for naps because she is so overtired. A particular passage really resonated with me and sounded EXACTLY like what Alison has been going through. So, we're going to try out the advice of putting her to bed a bit earlier than normal (5:30) for a bit and really hammer out being home for all of her naps and getting that ROUTINE down.

I've just got to say how much I appreciate all of my mommy friends for their words of wisdom, encouragement, and honesty.

Love this new smile 4-2-13

My silly sunshine girl 4-1-13