......and its starting to be a problem.
Lucy's current caregivers (my dad, brother, and sister) tag team baby duty Monday through Friday, while Casey and I are off gallivanting 50 minutes west of F. Thrills.
From the very beginning, Casey and I have leaned towards the attachment parenting style. And we've followed the 7 B's to a T. The 7 B's, for those not hip to the AP lingo are Birth Bonding, Breastfeeding, Babywearing, Bedding close to Baby, Belief in the language value of Baby's cry, Beware of baby trainers, and Balance.
Being sans schedule falls under the "Beware of baby trainers" category. We have a nighttime ritual, but it doesn't commence at the same time every night. We look for Lulu's cues to figure out when she's tired and ready for bed. She recently started rubbing her eyes when she gets tired - which is adorable and a huge improvement from the spontaneous and inconsolable crying.
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But like I said, being without a schedule is starting to affect everyone. My dad/Fallon/Cole have to hold Lucy all day long or she gets fussy. I'm talking can't put her down for ten minutes fussy. And she's kinda heavy to be holding for ten hours straight. Just sayin'!
I guess utilizing the Attachment Parenting style is great, for those who get to be a stay at home mom...but for those that have to continue working, it makes childcare a little troublesome for your daycare providers. Back in the day, when I was on maternity leave, I was never able to accomplish a whole lot while Casey was at work (i.e.: showering, eating, using the bathroom....let alone anything truly productive - like laundry or cleaning). So to impose that kind of responsibility on not one, but three people's lives, is a pretty craptastic feeling.
I have no idea what a good schedule looks like or whats to be expected from a 5 month old; She's never been a very good napper. But her lousy sleeping habits and constant need to be held have to be remedied. I've done a little reading about infant sleep habits (which I shall post about later), but I'm trying to find some inspiration for a good, healthy schedule for Lulu (suggestions?). I'm hoping to be able to persuade my Dad/Cole/Fallon to try out babywearing and this new schedule, because I think it could make everyone's lives a little easier.
What's your baby's schedule like? Are any of you ladies following the Attachment Parenting style?
I agree with you on AP. I think it only truly works when there is a full time SAHP.
ReplyDeleteWe started off early trying to get into the E.A.S.Y routine. It didn't really work, but enabled us to find our own flow.
We cycle through the same three things throughout the day (until night time when it's cluster feeding and bed routine) Eating, sleeping and activity time. (the E.A.S of E.A.S.Y) But not in any specific order. Each cycle takes from 2-4 hours depending on Aria.
We watch her cues. If she eats and starts yawning or dozing, she goes down for a nap. Even still awake, I put her in her crib, bouncer or swing and she'll fall asleep on her own.
If she's smiley and acting happy then we play for a bit until she gives us a sleepy cue.
When she wakes up, same thing, hunger or play cues.
It's not really a routine, but Aria understands how things work and she goes with the cycles very well now. At first it was hard. She wouldn't fall asleep on her own, but now she's great about it and it means we can actually be productive.
I've never heard of the E.A.S.Y. routine, but the concept makes perfect sense. I talked to Papa Goose about it, and its something we are going to make a conscious effort towards. Thanks Jaye Fay :-D
ReplyDeleteKris and I talked about this a lot when Elle and Ryan were in the 4-6 month age range. She told me about the 90 sleep program, which made me much more aware of Ryan's tired cues. He naturally followed this pretty close - he was almost always ready go to back down for a nap 90 minutes after he woke up.
ReplyDeleteKris also posted on her blog about her experience with CIO, or a modified version of it (which is similar to what we did except that Ryan never cried long enough to warrant repeated checks... we let him "CIO" for literally 5 minutes and he was asleep and we never looked back).
She's got a ton of information here: http://www.seacowcircus.com/2011/03/kristin-sleep-academy.html
I hope that helps! I think what Lucy is going through is probably just a phase. Ryan hit a hard-core "I need to be rocked to sleep" phase at about 4 months, so she might be going through something similar. I hope you find a good solution soon!
Meg, Meg, Meg. How is it you always have such good advice? I read your comment first thing this morning, and started the 90 minute cycle immediately. Its ACTUALLY working. WHOA. Lucy has had two one hour naps in the swing (this is monumental b/c 1) she has never had two GOOD naps in one day 2) she usually falls asleep attached to my boob). Thank you, my friend! You're the best!
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