SLEEP: Persistence is key! and a routine works wonders!

I think we may finally be getting over the sleep protest from Dylan! Ooooo and it makes life so much better! We have gotten in a pretty solid routine now for nighttime (as well as naps) and it works wonders. Before having Dylan I always assumed we would just take baby everywhere, he would sleep anywhere and life would be on the go as usual. Boy was I wrong!

After much research and reading on all the baby sleep philosophy's/training methods, I had more knowledge on the subject then I knew possible. And boy has it all come in handy. I never knew how important routine is for a baby. That they learn from and understand sleep ques. Such as Bath, Book, Bottle, Bed. That they need a way to "wind down" from their busy day!

Anyways, Dylan's routine consists of this; (times are approximate and varies depending on when his last nap was): Solid foods around 5:45 (sweet peas are his fav.!), bath around 6:15 (included is a baby massage and some floor play time), At 6:40 he watches a little Baby Beethoven movie clip online, and then 6:50 he gets a bottle in his room while rocking to baby mozart cd, and then around 7:00 he's down in his crib. He used to fight going down in his crib, but through some modified CIO (crying it out) he now goes down really well.

When we first started his routine and CIO, we weren't very consistent, sometimes we would go get him after 5 minutes of crying, sometimes rock him, sometimes I would nurse, sometimes he would get a bottle etc. You get the point. Anyways, it was really unpredictable for Dylan and unfair. So after finally getting on the same page every night is the same and it works wonders.

The few things that I have found that have made a difference are these:
Bathtime always calms/winds him down. Make sure after bath that lights are dim, noises are quiet (reduces stimulation). Don't let him doze off while eating (nursing or bottle) it takes the edge off of his tiredness and makes it harder for him to go down. White noise (the sleep sheep) helps him to stay asleep. He also loves his "lovey" blanket (a tiny blue elephant blanket)Don't rush in to get him if he fusses/cries in the crib, you have to give him a chance to learn how to fall asleep. Don't second guess yourself. I always find myself wondering "what if he's really not tired." When really he is.

Anyways....just wanted to write this post, not only to help my mommy friends, but to keep in my memory how we made it work so we don't forget for the next child! I'm sure as Dylan continues to grow and develop (including teething) things will change again and we will modify.

By the way, last night he slept through the night for the first time!!! 7:00pm-6:15am!!! I hope it wasn't a fluke! We are also able to put him in his crib awake (but drowsy) for naps and bedtime and he will put himself to sleep. It amazes me!

Here's a picture I snapped right when I peeked over the crib to get him up this morning. I love his big sleepy smiley face in the morning. I have to say, it's probably my favorite part of the day!