Learning Good Sleep Habits

This week Daddy, Papa and Grace are learning new sleep habits. Now that Grace is three months old (as of Monday!), it is time for her to learn to fall asleep in bed, and not her daddies' arms. The "ferber" method lays out guidelines for how long to let Gracie go while crying in her crib before coming back in to console her. The theory goes that with enough repitition of this, she will eventually be able to go to sleep without crying and the need to be consoled. She will also be better at napping--which is important as she prepares for daycare, starting in August.

Tonight was the first time her dads tried this approach--and also tried putting her to bed "unswaddled". While it was heart wrenching hearing her cry and holding off for 15 minutes at a time to go into the nursery to console her, the method appears to work. After 30 minutes, Grace was peacefully sleeping, making her adorable sleeping sounds (alternating squeaks and sighs). Her dads will keep a close eye on her as she sleeps unswaddled to make sure she doesn't end up on her stomach, but Grace continues to exceed expectations. Her neck muscles are strong enough to turn her head from side to side and her arms are strong enough to lift her off the bed and announce her discomfort, if needed, with some very loud cries.

So far so good!