I have three children, so I’ve made pretty much every mistake known to Mommies, except the fatal ones, as luckily, all three of mine are alive and well. But the biggest mistakes I’ve made have been in my daughter’s sleeping, or lack thereof, habits. So, let me tell you my story, and hopefully you won’t be destined to make the same mistakes I have.
First, when she was very tiny, I let her fall asleep in bed with my husband and me. I was nursing at first, and it was just easier to nurse her lying down and let her fall asleep. Then I would move her to her bassinet. Later in the night, when I nursed her again, sometimes I would fall asleep so quickly after nursing her, that I wouldn’t even move her back to the bassinet. She would just sleep with us for the rest of the night.
Later, when I had moved her into her crib in the nursery, I would still let her fall asleep in our bed first. I did this because I enjoyed it, it was convenient, and because she didn’t fall asleep easily in her room. And, I managed, in the process, to teach my daughter that she needed to be in the room with someone in order to fall asleep. So, guess what happened when she woke up in the middle of the night? She wanted to come back to our bed to fall asleep. And, worse, we gave in. Then we found that she was sometimes willing to go back to sleep in her bed if we gave her a cup of milk, so she began to require a cup of milk every morning at 3:00 am, long after she should have been sleeping through the night. She is now 2 ½ and only in the last month have we managed to go from 9:00 pm until 6:00am with our daughter in her own bed with no milk.
So, why didn’t I make any of these mistakes with the other children? Well, they were just different. They were sleepers, and my daughter is not. Both of my boys can fall asleep within five minutes of climbing in bed, and could sleep through and explosion. My six year old used to ask to take a nap. My daughter, on the other hand, doesn’t need as much sleep, and doesn’t sleep as soundly. So, I had more trouble getting her to sleep, and gave in to any tactic that worked. With the boys, all I had to do was put them in bed.
Now, I’ve told you this story to point out that we all make mistakes with our children, and to point out how important it is to start your child out with the right sleeping habits. I didn’t sleep through the night for almost 2 ½ years, and I have no one to blame but myself. So, take it from someone who has learned the hard way. Put your baby to sleep in her own bed, and teach her to fall asleep all by herself. You’ll be glad you did. And, you’ll be rested.
