when miss v sneaks into our bed in the morning,
she's usually doing the "snow angel", "h is for hell" and eventually "the stalker".
lately our little lady has not been sleeping well.
as a newborn she was tough.
we never had the newborn stage where she was supposed to sleep all day.
she would only sleep for 20 minutes at a time.
most of the time she only slept in her arms.
the minute she was set down in a cradle, swing or bed,
she would wake up and cry.
nighttimes were awful too. she would cry for hours most nights.
as she got a little older she started sleeping for longer periods.
then for a few months she was sleeping in her crib great at night.
we taught her how to fall asleep on her own.
she'd sleep 8 hours, nurse, and sleep 4 more. that was great.
over the past few months,
as separation anxiety set in, and she learned to crawl,
she won't fall asleep on her own anymore.
she sits up and cries. she will cry for hours.
she wakes up in the night again and wants soothing/nursing.
after a few months of letting her cry it out at bedtime,
soothing her every 10 min or so, for about an hour,
we decided crying it out wasn't working,
and that we personally preferred to rock her to sleep.
she's only this little for such a short time :)
there are a million parenting books out there,
but every baby is so different,
and we are very unlucky in the sleep department.
2 hour naps during the day? never.
try 30 minutes tops. she is just too on the go.
what she lacks in sleeping skills,
she makes up for in talking, clapping, waving, and all her cute social skills.
she made about new 5 best friends (old ladies) at the grocery store today :)
so anyway, she gets what she wants. spoiled girl.
for now, we rock her to sleep! (no more crying for an hour every night)
mamas, please tell me your special tricks for helping baby sleep.
what worked for you?
