Just when you think you’ve got it … Everything changes!

EXCEPTIONS

I would like to note that, everything we do in terms of daily routine works only when my son is healthy and does not have any physical or health problems.  Even though we try our best, there are some exceptions to our sleeping routine.

Discomfort due to cold, stuffy nose, teething may cause babies to wake up in the middle of their sleep. I hold my baby and sing lullabies and shush to calm him down in these situations.  I  am capable of singing three straight lines of a lullaby while asleep without forgetting a word, straight through. Once he is up, we do not try to calm him down with nursing unless it is urgent. Nursing only causes the baby to condition to wake up the following days for milk even when they have no other discomfort at all. This has been proven by my experience.

Gaining a new motor skills such as standing up and sitting straight, caused my son to wake up in the middle of his sleep from time to time.

He woke up during “growth spurts” to be nursed. During those times, you can not deny your baby of nursing.  Lately, we have also experienced night terrors. We learned that there are different methods to alleviate that as well.

If my son cries more than usual, during sleep time, (except for “I really have a problem” cry), we use two methods.  We go into his room, sit next to him, we tell him, “let’s sleep together”. If we notice that he is really sleepy, we leave him alone. 5 minutes later, we see that he falls asleep.

The last chapter of the book summarizes everything perfectly.

Just when you think you’ve got it … Everything changes!

Every day is a new adventure.  This last chapter of the book talks about exceptions that mess up the routine. It tells you whether they are temporary or permanent and offer solutions as well.

We constantly listen to and observe our son and try to understand him. We read books, we ask for recommendations, we share opinions, we want to understand and communicate with our baby.

He looks at us to see what we are doing, if we are consistent then he knows more or less what we are going to do. There are times when we make mistakes or “accidental parenting” in Tracy Hogg’s terms. We try to learn from our mistakes and adapt accordingly.

If you are looking for a guidebook for sleep and daily routine, Baby Whisperer is the main book I would recommend. The book is more comprehensive than what I’ve shared in these posts. This book not only talks about sleeping but also about eating, activity as well as a big picture. It suggests different solutions for different baby personalities and with different examples. It includes practical recommendations and applications. This book works well with my personality and thought process was not very strict. I suggest reading it during the last trimester of your pregnancy.

Related Posts:
Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg – Part I
Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg – Part II
Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg – Part III