Welcome to the Commenting Pixie Party!
Here's what I think: whatever fireplacin' works! That Baby Blue, she's fifteen handfuls.
So maybe I should whip out the ladies in pre-scool to keep the screaming at bay?
Hmm. Hadn't considered it. But with the amount of time I am spending there, AM is nursing anyway. I could double the fun! (I am SO.only.kidding.)
Honestly, if you find something that works, keep using it until it doesn't. It's a good rule, I think.
Received parenting wisdom about adolescence is that it's horrible. Let's hope BB upends that one, too.
I hope you're still blogging when she's a teenager. I can't wait to hear what she comes up with.
Sorry... I had LG-type successes w/ all three. No advice here.
Teen-ager advice: Roll with it, baby.
'Whatever works' is one of The Best parenting creeds we've ever come up with at our house. Here's to more restful nights for all of you!
i'm with what works, too. and the teen years? LG will throw you for a loop, and BB will mostly just sail, is my guess. they like to keep you on your toes, is my theory.
Teh lap-sleeping magic is not working tonight. Apparently she's planning to stay up all night. Well. That was a good idea while it lasted, anyway.
Sigh.
Any advice for getting a dog to go to sleep? I can't nurse her, and I'm running out of ideas.
I'd say that she's reading your blog. Thus, the thing to do is post about how great it would be if she'd stay up all night all the time, and see if she'll upend that.
Otherwise, I think she might be a Romanticist rebel. I'll look forward to having her in classes whenever you think she's ready.
Whatever works is an excellent motto. I'm sorry it didn't continue working, though.
I could send you some lovely TtFTE DVDs, if you think that might help Molly, Songbird. Or do you think she's more of a Dragon Tales kind of dog? Because we must have $175 worth of Dragon Tales DVDs just sitting here going unwatched...
I am definitely from the school of whatever works. Especially when it comes to teh sleep. Sleep is top on my list of important needs for both Mama and child.
Teenage parenting advice? Choke, choke. Steel yourself is my advice, because what it is, is constant change.
Actually, all Molly wanted was MILK
bones.
All I can say is that the snuggling routine is what works around here as well. Miss Baby now gets to lay down in the big bed with mommeeee and daddeeeee and PWEES! WEEEED BOOOOKSSSSS! until she settles down. It's a nice way to spend a half hour in the evening, and she seems to sleep much better when I take the time to get her ready for bed like this. We'll see how things go tonight, when we have guests for dinner, and she won't get the snuggle & read to which she's grown accustomed.
Baby E has been quite freqeuntly falling asleep in my arms while watching TV, because she goes into a screaming freak-out as soon as she realizes I'm trying to put her to sleep, even if I'm rocking and nursing her in her bedroom.
Whatever works, I say.
I think Jane Dark has the right idea. Reverse psychology could do it.
I *thought* I had mad parenting skillz until my third child came along. First two kids slept 8 hours straight, during normal sleeping time, from 6 weeks on. My almost 3 year old son still doesn't. At some point we just started pretending he was doing what we wanted.
Now we know full well our baby sleeps not because we know what we're doing, but because we lucked out. Or dodged a bullet. Or something. Good luck.
(Sorry for the length of my response.)
Far from an expert here. But I'll throw in my two cents.
I completely agree with the "whatever works" approach to parenting.
I nursed LC to sleep lying in bed with him until he weaned (when he was 2.5 years old). The reason I was most scared to stop nursing? How the hell was I going to get him to sleep?
Answer: not that bad. Put on pjs, brush teeth, either read books in bed or watch a bit of Treehouse TV (Canadian kids non-commercial programming), then turn off TV/reading light, he snuggles up next to me (in what to be the side-lying nursing position), and I rub his back and usually tell a story. A boring, droning, help-put-him-sleep story.
Oh - and he must, must, must slide his hand under my neck and wrap his hand in my hair. The kid has had a hair fetish since birth. Honestly. For comfort he reaches for my hair. No thumb sucking, no pacifiers, no puppy, nada. Just my hair.
I too wonder how we will go from "mommy lying down with LC to go to sleep" to "LC falls asleep on his own". And then I tell myself that surely he won't need me to fall asleep with in college. Right?
I say continue nursing to sleep. She's not ready to let that go yet. You will evolve a new routine. And she's only two.
Sending happy sleep vibes,
Chili.
Welcome to the commenting pixie party, Chili, and thanks for the example. Baby Blue has a fetish with my belly button, so I'm pretty sure that, in the unlikely event that she ever weans, my belly button will be her snuggly of choice.
I don't really get it. Aren't her stuffed animals cuter than my belly button???
I suspect your belly button thought is correct, Phantom.
Baby E just refused to nurse before bed. Flat-out refused. It's been almost 6 hours since she last nursed, and that was pretty brief. She arched her back and shook her head adamantly.
She fell asleep rubbing my elbow, her comfort object body part of choice.
And may I just add that it makes me want to cry? I'm so not ready for her to wean herself.
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