All Mommy Wants For Christmas Is A Silent Night...

Ha! Jack's shirt really says it all. A perfectly silent night would be the greatest Christmas gift ever. But then again I would probably wake up and go check on him to make sure he was ok if that did happen so I guess it's really not a possibility. :o)

Little man HAS been doing so much better with sleeping lately though. Naps have been awesome and nighttime slightly better although nowhere near where I think he should or could be. Anyway, we changed up a few things and started solids and I really think that has made all the difference in the world.

I read three books on different schedules and ways to get your baby to sleep. (Babywise, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, and The Baby Sleep Solution) All good books. I kind of adapted different aspects from each book. So this is a typical day right now:

Anywhere from 6:45-8:00 am: Wake, drink bottle, tablespoon of baby food, play in bouncer and on floor with toys.

2 hours after waketime he goes down for a nap in his CRIB. Yes, I said CRIB! :o) This little booger is one smart cookie and he just like he decided to ween himself in one day, he decided one day that he no longer needed his swing and preferred to sleep in a bed or a crib. Score for me! No crib training required here (except for staying in there at night~ next on the list!) Sometimes he does wake too early from his nap or wakes up still a little cranky and I put him in his swing and he will sometimes go back to sleep that way.

Since he isnt nursing anymore he eats during his awake time so when he's sleepy he either wants to be rocked for a minute or just laid down in his crib. It literally has been taking under 10 minutes for him to pass out, a lot of times just a couple minutes! It's been SOO nice to have him cuddle with me finally. Sometimes he does fight it a bit but I can usually get him to sleep and its much better than the screaming battles we used to have and the waking after 10 minutes. I think drinking his bottle during his awake time has made a hug difference since he used to eat right before he took a nap.

We continue on this 2 hour schedule throughout the day. 2 hours after he awakes he goes down again. Seems to be working and I dont force the 2 hour rule, he just seems to be naturally tired then and starts to get a little fussy or rub his eyes. I look for those cues and then thats when I try to put him down. So far, so good! He's been taking 3 naps a day~ usually each lasting at least an hour each! Sometimes an hour and a half or two mid day!

Nighttime is still a struggle. He will go down easily most of the time but will wake an hour or so into sleep and has trouble going back to bed without being next to me. Then he's been waking up around 3 am and crying for an hour... yuck. Hoping to figure that one out and keep him in his crib more. A lot of times he's still waking up at least 3 times a night. Seriously kid, you're almost 6 months old! Get with the program!

Another new thing that has been nice~ he will transfer from carseat to crib without waking! I've NEVER been able to do that and just successfully did it last week. I've done it a few times since then and its been successful. He usually doesnt take quite as long of a nap when it happens, but still! Poor little guy has been tired and falling asleep in the car during this busy Christmas season of parties and shopping and running around.

Anyway~ any nighttime "staying asleep/going back to sleep" advice would be welcomed by me. And I hope this can help any of you mommies out there who are still having nap and sleep troubles of their own. :o)

Have A Very Merry Christmas! 

PS. Be on the lookout for a new blog design soon! Yay!