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Pony: sleep myths
5.30.2007
I am so over the early-morning co-sleeping, but I just can't handle getting up every hour through the night. I dearly wish G. could consolidate his "night-naps" into one long stretch of sleep.
Our hard work has paid off, and he now goes down with little complaint at 7:30 and sleeps for 3 hours. I stay up until his first feed at 10:30-ish, then I put him back down. 12-12:30 he gets up again. then 1:30-2 ish. then 3. then 4. then every hour until 7, by which time i have brougt him into bed with me and he is holding both his feet, rocking on his back and moaning loudly with his eyes wide open.
In case you have some advice, here are some myths dispelled:
Put him to bed later, when he is more tired.
Keeping your baby up late after 2 months of age is a really bad idea. He will get fussy, cranky, and really hard to soothe to sleep. An overtired baby sleeps worse than one who is well-rested; his body secretes cortisol, a stress hormone that keeps him awake.
Maybe he is napping too much during the day
Babies are supposed to sleep around 14-16 hours a day. Ideally, 12 of those hours are at night, 4 of those hours of nap are in the day. Unless they are napping really close to bed-time, or unless they have reversed their nights and days (very rare as they get older), sleep breeds more sleep. (see previous point).
Give him a bottle of formula before bed and he will sleep longer
Despite stuff I had researched that said this statement was bullocks, I tried the bottle of formula before bed. Doesn't work for me. It's not hunger. I think he is waking up because he does not know yet how to put himself to back sleep once he wakes up from a sleep cycle. Pacifiers don't work. Can I just let him cry?
