Teaching babies to sleep

When Sal was a new baby, I spent more time lamenting over his lack of naps than he actually spent asleep. I remember loading up a screaming baby in the back of my car and driving the beautiful swerving roads of Hidden valley in a desperate attempt to get him to sleep. The more he screamed, the faster I accelerated. That could've been a recipe for disaster, so it was my first and last attempt to drive him to sleep.

At his 3 month check up, I spoke to my pediatrician about his sleep habits, and in turn, she handed me a tattered edged book. She told me that she had used it for her sons, and that many of the families she treated had found success with it.

Check it out here: www.pollymoore.com

I took the book home, and read it in one afternoon while bobbing a fussy baby on my knee. 

It proposed paying attention to when your baby wakes, and paying attention to sleepy cues around 80 minutes after waking. By nature, we are all primed for rest in 90 minute intervals. Adults can go from cycle to cycle without needing rest, while babies may skip one or two cycles, but could be ready at say,  the 180 or 270 mark. 

The next morning, I was a slave to the clock. I noted when Sal woke, and sure enough, 75 minutes later he was yawning, stretching and fiending for milk. I swaddled him, popped a bottle in and off he went to sleep right at the 90 minute mark. His first week of doing this, his naps only lasted twenty minutes or so, but they eventually became longer to the point that he took an hour nap around 8:00a and then an afternoon nap around 1:30p. 

With Carla, I've been lazy. She is now almost 5 months old and I have yet to schedule anything for her. She goes to bed after Sal, usually around 7:30-8:00 and sleeps til 7:15a. Sleeping through the night has been good enough for me.

But now, I'm starting to feel guilty. Sal isn't getting the one on one time he deserves (and needs). Carla isn't sleeping much at all during the day, unless we are out and about and she naps in the ergo or in the stroller. I know babies need sleep, and in discussing it with NZ, I've decided to try the 90 minute method again. It would be nice to get her on a regular napping schedule even if it means I may miss out on coffee morning or play dates for a month while we sleep train. Eventually, I think she will take her first nap around 9:00, and hopefully again in the afternoon while Sal rests. 

I started training her this past Monday. Day one was a success. Three naps and a decent bedtime.

Tuesday was equally as successful. 

Wednesday, however, was a shitstorm. I didn't pay attention to when she first woke, and then was trying to read signs of readiness all morning. There was a lot of screaming on Tuesday. A lot.  Carla, Sal...and almost myself. She never did nap on Tuesday morning, so when I laid Sal down in my room to rest after lunch, I gave it a go with her. I fed her, then "sacked" her (the art of putting a halo sleepsack on) and put her down. Again, screaming. Sweating. She was a hot mess. After twenty minutes of listening to her, as well as Sal who was yelling from my room, " She crying. Cah crying. You hurt her!" instead of laying peacefully reading his books. I admit it. I gave up. I gave in. I grabbed Carla and we went in my room to get Sal. This was all of 1:30 pm. Waaaaay to early for a drink, and a long way off til NZ would be getting home.

About to lose my head, I put her in my ergo, Sal in the stroller and just started doing laps around our compound. It was over 80 degrees and humid. Not exactly walking weather. Within minutes, both were out. I rolled Sal back into the house, and spent the next hour glued by sweat to Carla until she woke up.

Today is Thursday.

You can bet I watched the clock this morning. 

Carla woke at 6:40a. I sacked her and started feeding at 8:00a. By ten after, she was out cold. Two hours and twenty glorious minutes of sleep. We were out and about during the next 90 minute cycle so she skipped that one. It's now nearing 1:30 and she's almost asleep again. 

I know there will be hiccups along the way, but I feel like progress is being made towards a better organized day. When my kids nap, they have happier afternoons, and that makes me happy.

*i received no compensation for this post. It's simply a book that helped our family that I thought may be of use to my readers. 

Mourning mornings

For the last two weeks, I've been in denial.

Each morning, I tell myself that the previous days were flukes...

That surely, my son will take his morning nap.

Such is not the case.

Morning naps, sadly, are a thing of the past.

Just like that, one snowy morning, he decided that he was done. No more morning workouts, showers or breakfast in solitude for his mama.

Why nap? I gots lots of playin to do.

And I admit it....I'm mourning his morning naps.

He has adjusted well, making up for the lack of morning nap by taking a longer afternoon nap, but it's me who is having a conniption fit trying to re-configure my morning routine which I had grown to love.

For now, it's mid-day workouts (right after I put him down for afternoon nap), followed by a shower and lunch. So, I apologize to anyone who sees me before 1:00pm, I will be shower less and disheveled for another week or so until I manage to get my act together and get my shower in before he wakes for the day.

I'm also relishing in his long afternoon naps for now-perhaps I can actually start a project and finish it! I know its just a matter of time until he decides that afternoon naps are also a thing of the past, but I'm hoping to string them along as long as I can.

Think its possible to have him nap til he's in grade school?

When did your kids stop napping?

Dyeing fabric

Dana over at MADE 's recent post on dyeing onesies inspired me to try it myself. I have a bunch of white onesies just waiting to be made unique. If you recall this post, I made iron on appliqués for a few of them.

To dye the onesies, I first washed them to rid them of the packaging starch. Once finished, I left the onesies damp. While the wash cycle was going, I dissolved a package of "Bahama Blue" DYLON dye in 4 cups warm water as directed by the package. I also filled a home depot bucket with a few gallons of warm water from our bathtub.

I'm fairly accident prone so I decided this needed to be an outdoor project. Next to a hose. On the grass. The last thing we need is a turquoise patio.

I added 4TBSP of salt to the bucket of water and then poured the dissolved dye into the bucket and mixed it with some tongs to assure it was mixed well.

In went four onesies and some muslin fabric ( I let half the muslin hang out of the bucket...trying for an ombré swaddle blanket). I stirred constantly for 15 minutes and removed my first onesie. I rinsed it in cold water and threw it in the washing machine to sit while the rest marinated in the dye bath a while longer. I removed the second one at a half hour and also pulled about 6 inches of my submerged muslin end  out of the dye bath to try for the gradient effect.

L: 15 minute dye bath
R: 30 minute dye bath

The remaining two onesies sand muslin stayed in an hour thanks to an 11 week old who refuses to sleep anywhere but on me in the afternoons. With daytime naps being a constant struggle, I often give in just to ensure he gets at least one good stretch of zzzzz's. He's a real cat napper, napping no longer than 45 min at a time. This is why quick projects like this tend to be my cup of tea these days.

My favorite thing about the dye bath is that each onesie came out a unique shade of the same color. Some vibrant ( the ones that basked in the bath an hour) , and others very light ( the one that dipped in for just 15 min).

Ombre effect dyeing technique= success!

 Similar to Aden and Anais swaddle blankets
 for a fraction of the cost

Once all your fabric is dyed, rinse in cold water and then throw it in a warm wash cycle. I like to throw in old towels to absorb any dye that may escape. To be extra careful not to have my next load tinted a special color (er-- turquoise in this case), I run my washer on its cleaning cycle afterwards.

I took it one step further and added some swag that I had printed onto iron-on adhesive paper.

Aviator glasses

The sun never sets on cool

Showin some Big Wheel love

It's an easy one afternoon project, perfect for baby shower gifts or your own little one.