Showing posts with label Parenting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Parenting. Show all posts
Sleep: Months 1-8
Friday, December 14, 2018
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!
Taking Cara Babies
Thursday, December 13, 2018
I’m all about giving children the gift of independence, especially when it comes to sleep. Just like eating, sleeping is a fundamental skill that will last them a lifetime. I did a ton of research into different programs before deciding on Taking Cara Babies ABC's of Sleep. I also used her Navigating 3-4 months guide and that set a strong foundation for Sawyer. With our next baby, I will definitely take the newborn course for all of her amazing strategies during those first weeks. As I share my love for Taking Cara Babies, but I’m being careful not to give away all the juicy details and trade secrets that you’ll find in the classes. So if you have a specific question that I didn't answer, feel free to comment below or message me on Instagram. This is mostly an overview of Taking Cara Babies, rather than our personal experience because most people are asking IF they should try it. If you're looking for our personal sleep experience from months 1-8 (with links to her monthly schedules), head to this post. Taking Cara Babies worked for us, and they have a 98% success rate that your baby will sleep 10-12 hours by the end of 14 nights (probably sooner).
Why Cara
There are tons of different methods, but Cara’s is based on child development, being emotionally available, and self soothing. I really felt like I could trust her expertise because of her background as a nurse, and years of experience. I also read lots of her blog posts and watched her Instagram stories to see if her program would be the right fit for us. A big plus to me is that she allows pacifiers! I’m a paci advocate all the way, but that’s a blog post for another time haha.
Crying
It does involve crying, because your baby is going to protest the change. Taking Cara Babies is very clear that they will cry. Also, Sawyer still fusses as she cycles from sleep cycle to sleep cycle. She’s not upset, she’s not hungry, she’s just a noisy sleeper. We all hate hearing a baby cry. It’s the worst. I promise you that a few nights of crying is going to save you nightly crying during bedtime, and throughout the night for soothing. We also struggled for a few months with early morning wakings that she would cry for 20-30 minutes around 5 am then go back to sleep. Early mornings are the last issue to resolve, but sure enough she’s sleeping until 6-7 now.
Schedules
Cara’s guide provides a lot of sample schedules, but she’s sure to tell you that every baby and every day is different. She really explains wake times, nap lengths, and prime bedtimes so you understand there’s a lot of variables for each family. That way you’re able to make a schedule that works for your family. It doesn’t have to be extremely strict to see an improvement in sleep so it’s perfect for more relaxed mamas or type A's like me!
Naps
Cara gives so much insight into naps, and why they seem like such a beast compared to nighttime sleep. Apparently naps and nighttime sleep use different parts of the brain… WHAT!! So you’ve got to teach both, but nighttime will probably resolve first. The approach to naps is the same as bedtime, but you can conquer them at the same time or nights first then naps.
Feedings
Cara gives you tools to wean night feedings slowly to maintain milk supply! She also leaves room for your discernment about whether your baby still needs a feeding early in the night. All night feedings after 11pm are completely weaned though. Make sure your pediatrician has approved that your baby can sleep through the night without a feeding.
Results
Because I did the 3-4 month guide, my experience is a little different than someone who had no foundation before ABCs of Sleep. Sawyer was already sleeping 8-10 hours when we started so the improvements seemed a lot less drastic for us. You will definitely see your baby sleeping 10-12 hours in just a few days. If you’re having any difficulties, then you can schedule a phone call with a sleep consultant to discuss specifics. I’ve found that many sleep issues we’ve had, like early morning wakings and short naps, are covered on Cara’s blog!
The biggest thing I’ve learned from Cara is that sleep is not linear, especially when they’re young. A baby may sleep 12 hours for a week, and then have a rough night because wake times were off or naps were rough. Be consistent anyway. Your consistency will help your baby know that they have one option- to sleep. Even if you aren’t interested in sleep training, or have no sleep issues, @takingcarababies is just fun to follow!
IG: @takingcarababies
Website: takingcarababies.com
Blog: takingcarababies.com/blog
Christmas Gift Giving Tradition
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
Sawyer’s first Christmas! This is a pretty momentous Christmas for our family because it marks a transition. We are moving from our sweet married couple Christmas traditions to sharing our love for the season with children. Let’s be real, Christmas is about the kids. I don’t mean that in the traditional sense of but your children twenty presents, and hope they eventually understand the meaning of Christmas. Christmas is one of those yearly opportunities to imprint the beauty of the Gospel onto our children! The whole world is celebrating the birth of our savior even though many don’t even realize or acknowledge that aspect. Christmas is something we all remember from our childhood because life is made up of moment that shaped us. Daniel and I want Christmas to shape our children’s faith, and I’m almost certain that the least important aspect of that is presents.
We’ve decided from the start our kids will only get five gifts plus their stockings. I’ve always loved the tradition something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read, and something to give! This guarantees that our kids aren’t only expecting new toys, but shows them that the simplest things, like a winter coat, is truly a gift!
The main reason is that the anticipation of Christmas is about the birth of Jesus. Getting gifts can enhance that excitement, but it shouldn’t be dependent upon the gifts. I do love that gifts are a physical example of Jesus being the most precious gift to us. I long to explain to them that their toys are gifts that are temporary, but the gift of Jesus is eternal!
Another reason is that we aren’t going into debt over Christmas presents. Christmas is not an unexpected expense. It happens every year, and it will always be planned for in our budget. It’s much easier to buy tons of gifts if they’re going on a credit card with no immediate responsibility for the cost. We don’t have a set amount for each person that we will stick to every year, because it may change depending on our income.
I can remember showing off all my
Christmas presents to my friends. We all compared what we got, and obviously didn’t mention any jealousy but there definitely was some. Somehow a gift a friend received turns into the only thing you ever wanted, and makes your middle school life tragically terrible because you didn’t get it… even though you got a new phone, ugg boots, tons of new clothes, and a wii. Bless my mom’s heart for being so giving and loving, but I was a BRAT. Meanwhile who knows if some of the other kids in my class got gifts at all, and if they did were they donated from the local church or hand me downs from an older sibling? I don’t want our extravagant gift giving be the reason another child thinks they are less than, unimportant, or unloved. Praise Jesus that earthly wealth and belongings have no relation to His love for us!
Something to give is probably my favorite aspect! We will let the kids choose something to give for the Christmas season. At first we will do it for them, eventually we will help them choose, and then we will completely leave it up to them. Something to give could mean choosing a child off the tree at church to buy a Christmas gift for, buying a produce basket for our sponsored child’s family in Uganda, helping send a kid to
Young Life camp, or buying blankets for the animal shelter. God definitely reveals our passions and gifting through our giving rather than receiving.
I’ll be sharing a few gift ideas for each category for a 6-12 month old, but please keep in mind that Sawyer will get ONE thing from each category. Just because I think something is a great idea, doesn’t mean I have to buy it or that she has to have it.
I also wanted to share this amazing article about the four gift tradition that comes with some Printable Gift Tags .
Merry Christmas!
