My little baby boy has always slept with me during naps and bedtime. It wasn’t ideal, but when you’re a first-time Mom and recovering from a C-section operation, you settle for anything that will give you more than just a few hours of sleep. That’s how it’s been for the past five months since Jett was born, and so we just all got used to it. And it’s not like it’s been terrible; holding your baby in your arms while he sleeps is intoxicating and addicting -- the more I look at him, the more I fall in love! I mean, how could you not with this face?
But then chores needed to be done, I needed to fix myself some food or take a shower, and I couldn’t do any of these when I’m stuck on the couch with a sleeping baby in my arms! Parents all over the world can relate when I say that when you finally get your little one to sleep, it’s like hitting the jackpot every time (lol). So, my temporary solutions were to either camp on the couch with him and my food, or strap him to a carrier and wear him while I do my chores. It was okay, but wearing him all the time was wearing ME down, plus it wasn’t safe to fry food or clean the toilet with a very fragile little human strapped to you. There are days when I’d have no choice but to wear him for hours at a time, and it took a toll on my back.
So I finally decided, enough was enough. It was time to train the little dude to sleep elsewhere other than in my arms or the carrier.
I started off with asking my sister-in-law (who has a 4-month old and a 3-year old) for tips. I’m lucky to have her coz she is always willing to entertain and answer my questions. One of the things she suggested was using a white noise app or machine. Now, I’ve heard about those before, but I’ve already tried it with Jett when he was about two or three months old, and it didn’t work back then, so I gave up on it. I decided to revisit the idea and try new tricks as well, such as turning on the vacuum cleaner or hair dryer in place of a white noise machine (since I didn’t have one).
Turns out it was the best idea ever. Of course, baby didn’t fall asleep right away -- I had to do the good ‘ole swaying and rocking before finally putting him down, but IT WORKED.
And so we transitioned into a new routine. Before it was ‘play, eat, sleep’ (I had to nurse him to sleep every time), but now it’s ‘eat, play, sleep’ -- which is how it should’ve been from the beginning, apparently, but hey, this is my first rodeo in the parenting world. We were actually thinking of just selling the swing (pictured above) because it’s just been sitting in a corner like a sad puppy, but now I’m glad we didn’t coz we’re FINALLY using it! His naps on the swing are definitely a lot shorter compared to when he sleeps in my arms, but at least he can sleep on his own now.
It’s only been five days since we started this routine, and already I’m seeing improvements. It’s still a work in progress, but I think if we continue doing what we’re doing, and not lose patience, we might not have the hardest time transitioning him to sleeping in his crib, in his own room, at night! Small victories like this is what makes the daily grind worth it. I love being a Mom! ^_^
