I knew from the beginning that we would sleep train. I hate that it has such a negative connotation, because teaching a baby to sleep is not bad. My simple reasoning for wanting to sleep train is that I like to sleep because I feel better when I do, therefore I can parent better when I’m less exhausted. I think any mom would agree with that. Parenting is easier when you don’t feel like you’re going to pass out. If I feel better after a full nights sleep, then I know that Sawyer does to! Especially because she’s growing so quickly during this first year of life, and that all happens while she sleeps. That being said, if what you’re doing works for your family (cosleeping, bedsharing, nursing to sleep, rocking) then that’s totally fine. Do what works for you! Don’t fix what isn’t broken!
Months 1-2
We were careful not to let every nap happen in the same place during the first few months. A few in her dock a tot, a few in the swing, some in our arms, in the car seat while out, and in the carrier. It was simple, feed her, play a little, sleep! At night I’d wake her up every three hours to nurse until the pediatrician gave me the go ahead to let her sleep around 1 month. I followed the basic outline of Baby Wise for the first few months which really helped me as a first time mom. We were getting 2 hour stretches in the first month, then 3-4 hours the next, and I think the longest ever was maybe 5-6.
Months 3-4
I realized I had gotten into the habit of rocking and paci replacing to get Sawyer to sleep. This is also when her naps turned to 40 minutes on the dot. I knew the rocking had to stop because the second I laid her down she’d wake up. The rocking wasn’t an issue for a few months, and I urge you to soak up the cuddles while you can, but for us it became a problem. I wasn’t going to hold Sawyer all night long. I tried a few different things, like rocking for shorter and shorter amounts of time, laying her down and bouncing the crib mattress until I saw her fall asleep then slowly stopping. Eventually we were able to lay her down awake and her put herself to sleep. This was all thanks to the navigating 3-4 months from Taking Cara Babies. It helped us slowly transition Sawyer from completely relying on us for her sleep, to becoming more independent while still having night feedings when hungry. This is definitely when you have to determine if a baby is hungry, or if a baby is looking for comfort. Always feed a hungry baby. During month 3, Sawyer had a few nights of waking up every 90 minutes wanting to be nursed or have her paci replaced. This is also when she started sleeping about 8-10 hours with the 3-4 month guide.
Months 5-6
We got the ABC’s of Sleep as soon as Sawyer was 5 months. She was already sleeping pretty well, but I wanted to be prepared for any regressions or issues. I read it and watched the videos, but didn’t completely implement it for a few weeks. She also finally started napping longer than 40 minutes around 6 months, so we transitioned to 3, 60-90 minute naps. We really started implementing ABC’s of sleep when Sawyer was waking up at 4-5 am every morning. She was sleeping about 10 hours, waking up and crying for 30 minutes, then going back to sleep for another hour. It was so hard to be consistent because I just wanted to give in and get her up for the day. The early morning wakings finally resolved after a few weeks of fussing every morning. It got shorter and shorter, and sometimes didn’t happen at all! By 7 months she was sleeping until at least 6.
5 Month Schedule6 Month Schedule
Taking Cara Babies ABC's Of Sleep
Months 7-8
Sawyer has never been a quiet sleeper. When she was a newborn she was loud, and would grunt, and cry out, but still be completely asleep. That didn’t end until recently! Everytime she transitioned from sleep cycle to sleep cycle she would fuss and cry for 30 seconds-5 minutes. I had no idea that this was normal, and would’ve assumed she needed me if it wasn’t for all the reading I did. That fussing and crying out at night during transitions has finally lessened! She sometimes will fuss for 30 seconds at around 2 am or 4 am then go right back to sleep. She’s taking 2 naps a day that are 60-120 minutes each. Sometimes she’ll still take a catnap in the car too.
7 Month Schedule8 Month Schedule
Lots of people told me I got lucky with a good sleeper. They didn’t see the dedication and tears (hers and mine) that prayed and researched how to help her sleep independently. Honestly I think Sawyer is a really bad sleeper. She loves to sleep, but she had no clue how. It took weeks of transitioning from rocking to being in the crib for naps. It took months to resolve the 5 am wake ups. It took consistency to keep her from needing her pacifier replaced throughout the night. This could be a very different story. Of exhaustion, defeat, bed-sharing and nursing all night because I didn’t have the tools to teach her to sleep. I’m passionate about sleep training because moms need space, babies need sleep, and husbands need their wives.
Why We Chose Taking Cara Babies!
Why We Chose Taking Cara Babies!
