Snuggle nest. That's what we bought before we brought precious baby girl L home from the birth center. We knew we'd keep her right beside us those first fragile days, delicate weeks, and even tender months. As she outgrew the Snuggle nest, she still took up residence safely cushioned in the middle of our bed. It was only when she began to become more mobile, around the age of six months, that we decided it was time to transition her into her crib.
I stopped breastfeeding L when she just turned eight months. She was a biter. And in spite of all the advice and proactive tactics suggested by LLL and one of our hospital's local breastfeeding support group, she continued to chomp chomp chomp. The last straw, a nasty infection, I said, "Done!" And honestly had no regrets; it was nice to wear trap-door-free bras again.
So when we were expecting baby boy E we knew what we wanted. The Snuggle nest came back out. L had her choice of a big girl bed or a crib. The crib wasn't even made-up for E until well after he was born. And, like L, he slept with us and napped everywhere and anywhere.
And, like L, when baby boy E started to become mobile (slightly earlier than L) we decided for his safety and our need of quality (and gymnastics-free) sleep that we transition him into the crib.
He was five months.
E is now about to turn one and we are still struggling in "transition" mode.
Unlike L, E is not a chomp chomp chomper and has been the most delightful breastfeeder, so I am still breastfeeding as we approach his first birthday. Where weaning was an effortless and natural seque last time, I am anxious about how to actually wean-wean, this time around, if you know what I mean.
Get rid of one feeding? Um, I don't keep track of them. It just happens when it happens.
Our family was ravaged by sickness last week. After MLK day, we all fell ill, and all stayed home sick moaning amongst each other in a sea of soggy tissues.
Here it is Sunday and we're finally coming around.
Needless to say, the crib transition has been non-existent this past week. We've been co-sleeping snoring sickies struggling through the dazed cold medicine nights (and days, for that matter).
Back to square one.
Oh, my little boy, will you ever sleep solo? Through the night? Solo and through the night?
3 comments:
good luck with the transitioning and sleep training...I look forward to your advice. thanks for being kind and having E a year ahead of our second bundle so we have a nice roadmap :P
we're going to try the same routine as with gg...cradle in our room for the first 6mos then transition to the crib...keep your fingers crossed for us
I weened all of my kids at different times.
Anny, weened herself at thirteen months.
Aka, weened him at fifteen months, because he was able to speak in complete sentences.
Samps, weened at two, had to put band aids on them and tell him they were broken. I suck.
You'll make the bed transition soon enough. xxx
*I think I did the same thing Lori did for Samps while weening Pickles.
Jack stopped on his own around 11 months. Can't remember the rest. All a blur. He was definitely sleeping in his own bed by 3, because we had Pickles by then.
I remember wondering when the kids were ever going to stop breast feeding, needing diaper changes, needing naps or lugged out of car seats...And these last six months, it's finally hit that they're self-sufficient little beings.
This is why I have so many other things going on. You get used to those levels of care-taking and it's hard to stop operating at that intensity.
So! You've got much to look forward to after every milestone.
Before you know it, you'll be throwing your back out trying to move your 7-year-old to his bed from the couch where he stopped and dropped without warning.
Did this last night.
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