Up until today, Baby's sleep training was going fairly well; after 30-40 minutes of protests cries, the baby monitor would suddenly go all quiet, and I knew that she was headed for up to 45 minutes of slumber. During our visit to the Plunket Family Centre yesterday, the nurse considered 30-40 minutes of crying before settling in to sleep as "settling well" (which I was quite surprised about).
Today's naps didn't go so well. Her first nap of the morning was ruined because Baby turned out to have an unbelievably pooey nappy. Because I wasn't sure whether to put her straight back to bed or not (she'd already been there over an hour, fully awake), she ended up getting overtired and having a screaming fit before finally falling asleep. Her second nap was in the buggy. The third nap has been a disaster so far; her screams were, I'm sure, heard across the street, down the road and around the corner. I gave up after half an hour; after a cuddle and a feed, she's now lying on the bed in the study while I'm at the computer.
I'd like to tell her that this is for her own good; that if she'd only let herself fall asleep now it'll avoid another overtiredness screaming fit later. This is where it'd be handy if she could talk. I wonder whether one can say these things in baby sign language?
5 comments:
Of course you can say that in baby sign language. But she won't understand it yet, of course.
Them being able to talk doesn't necessarily help. George junior's really testing us at the moment by constantly getting out of bed at night. I've started putting him back to bed now that I'm "allowed", so that he doesn't get the reward of Daddy's attention that he's after. Then he says to me "I'm gonna tell Mummy you're being mean to me!"
Sigh. Hang in there!
you should have a go at least. if you're up at about 4am you can learn it off of VH1 -they have signed music videos. The 50-year-old lady signing and gangsta-bopping along to 50cent is well worth staying up for.
xxB
Oh dear. This is going to be no help whatsoever but I feel I really must share.
Even a nine year old who definitely can understand the words I say to him doesn't accept the fact that he's tired and refuses to sleep. I tell him he's cranky and grumpy and crying because he's tired and if he would just have a nap he'd feel better but to children sleep's all just a giant conspiracy to stop them from having fun!
editter: sounds like something I see on those supernanny tv shows
boudica: actually I did see an article about baby sign language. It's apparently best to wait until the baby is six months old before she should learn it.
ms mac: yep that sounds exactly like what Baby is trying to tell me; that lifes too interesting to interrupt with sleeping and eating. Yet these are two of life's great pleasures!
I actually have a memory of being very grumpy and tired and my mother telling me I was just overtired and that made me even grumpier cos I WASN'T tired (even though I was). So yep, what Ms Mac said.
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