Daily Mantra: Tomorrow’s another day
My first baby I parented by the book…literally. Save Our Sleep was my bible… I followed it as much as I could handle. I didn’t let Julian self-settle until a year, but I found the routines and the solid introduction brilliant. I listened to people who said don’t rock to sleep, don’t feed to sleep and don’t co-sleep. Maybe I missed out on something and maybe Julian did too because I love being close to my baby this time around. I discovered Pinky McKay and realised that not all baby experts recommend that babies self-settle. That said, there is only so much i can handle and I don’t have time to rock to sleep as much as Leo is wanting…
The last couple of days we’ve been away and he’s been out of his routine and his bed. He has taken ages and ages to settle and I kept having to put him down, in a noisy house full of children and then go get him again, when his little voice was finally heard through the din.
Today though, after a morning of packing, cleaning, three hour drive plus another hour to go get our dogs, I’m exhausted. So much so, that when little Leo refused to be put down, I couldn’t cope. I literally was reaching for my Save our Sleep book in my mind as I sshed and patted and cajoled him to just stop crying and go to sleep. I went downstairs. I left him to cry. I couldn’t do it. I climbed back up the stairs. Rocked and patted and cajoled. Left when he was quiet. Climbed the stairs after the crying became incessant, then left again for fear of screaming back at him.
I went downstairs, I had a drink of water and regrouped. I grabbed a bottle for him, as I tried the breastfeed already, and went upstairs. Two minutes later he’d finished the bottle and went down without a peep. Um…oops. So self-settling isn’t my answer at the moment. I need to try and listen to my child and go through the checklist…hunger, nappy, tired, bored…before i change my whole parenting philosophy.
At the end of the day my goal is to have a happy, secure, contented and very loved little baby. Hopefully my mothering mojo is back tomorrow after a good night’s sleep.
We all have our moments! You know what, with Leo (my third) I decided to follow my instincts…I have a bedtime routine, but if he cries I go in and comfort him, no more control crying here…a recipe for disaster in my experience …I figure he will eventually sleep through…usually by the time they are three in our house!