Baby's nap training was going well - in the last week, the time it takes to put herself to sleep decreased from almost an hour to sometimes less than a minute (although each nap still only lasts 45 minutes). But this weekend it's gone a little backwards, and I blame the boy.
It's not that he'll pick her up if she gets hysterical - that's perfectly understandable (as long as he doesn't then rock her to sleep, which he did last weekend, to my annoyance); I think it's because Baby has so much more fun during the weekend because he's around.
It seems to me that Baby goes to sleep more easily during the week because I'm relatively boring. Under my care, the most excitement she can expect, is tummy time, rolling around naked on the floor (that's her not me), occasional swings (where I sit her on my hands and swing her from side to side) and endless opportunities to watch me do housework.
The boy, on the other hand, happily makes up for not being there during the week (he gets home in time to do her bedtime routine), by giving tons of cuddles and hours of the kind of play that daddies are so good at. So it's probably no wonder that when Daddy's home all day, Baby doesn't want to sleep.
But that's no excuse to cut short Baby's nap time just because she's been protesting for over half an hour. In doing so he may well have cancelled out a whole week of sleep training. I'm just a little irritated. I can see now why some people become control freaks.
4 comments:
Get one of those baby cages, a big one, and put the boy in it on weekends. That should do the trick.
flying kiwi: well, the cage would have to be big enough to contain all his computer gear, or else there'd be a prison break-out in no time...
boudica: I can't beat it - he's just way too much fun. If I were small enough to fit on his hands I'd be just the same.
Avery's daddy is more available to play on the weekends (she tends to be in bed by the time he gets home during the week) and it is nice to have the extra hands around the home but he just doesnt play in a way that Avery is use to. in the end, she gets bored with him and watching him and starts looking around the house for me. its quite sad really, I guess I'm her favorite
and my whole feeling about this sleep training you guys are doing....it's a little anal, I do my best to give avery a nap in the morning and hopefully she gets one in the afternoon but I'm not counting the minutes while she's asleep and I try not to count the minutes it takes for her to fall asleep. I feel that if she is tired, nature will take its course. all I can do is keep it quite and dark and do my best to regulate her day.
boy, I had alot to say here. hope i didnt over step my bounds
avery's mom: it's a shame Avery isn't find your hubby entertaining enough. In our case, it's probably because the boy isn't a first time daddy (he has a daughter from a previous relationship) - so he's pretty confident with babies compared to me.
You're welcome to express your opinion about whatever you read on this blog - that's why it's there of course. I'm only "anal" about the 45 minute nap thing because I can tell that it's not enough; after Baby wakes up from a nap that short, she doesn't last more than 1-1/2 hrs before she needs another nap again. It makes it hard for me to take her anywhere (since she can't just sleep anywhere), and also because so much of the day was spent helping her to fall asleep (4 times a day, excluding bedtime). I know that if she could nap for at least a couple of sleep cycles each time she'd have so much more time for playing.
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