When Noah was a baby he was a terrible sleeper. He needed tools to get to sleep (his dummy and red wrap) - and that was after we’d paced the floors of our house for what seemed like hours. Sleep was elusive for him (and us) unless all these elements were right.
Ethan has always slept quite well; sleeping through at an early age and waking up in the mornings with his big brother most of the time. Even getting him to sleep wasn’t really a battle – he would drift off blissfully after I’d fed him until eight months and since he’s had a bottle that worked almost as well. Like Noah he has a wrap and dummy (and also a soft bunny), but they are not integral items in his sleep cycle.
This sleepy scenario changed not long after I started working full time and Harvey was at home with the boys. Like Noah before him, Ethan insisted on seeing his dad each night before he would sleep. This wasn’t usually a problem unless Harvey was late coming home from work. After his long-awaited cuddle with his father, Ethan would settle into his cot for the night.
Now the roles for Harvey and I have reversed he has changed tack too. He won’t sleep until he has seen me. But I can’t get away with just a cuddle before he drifts off like Harvey did – I need to spend at least 20 minutes with him before he is satisfied. Not that I mind the cuddles from my baby at all. But it started to get worse, with long periods of crying when he was put to bed at night. Our solution was to put the radio in his room. We alternate between classical, easy listening and jazz to see which works. He seems to have no preference, but likes the background tunes to soothe him to sleep.
We think this behaviour is part of a bigger separation anxiety issue. Noah was very similar at the same age – he got upset when I left the room, didn’t like me leaving him with anyone and cried when I did. He was at his happiest while sitting on my lap. Ethan is just the same, although he usually prefers to use me as a climbing frame than sit on me. He follows me to the toilet, pulls at my clothes as I work at the bench, cries when I leave for the office and asks for cuddles constantly when I am around.
We know it doesn’t last forever, as Noah grew out of it into a confident toddler. In the meantime we’ll keep trying out all the radio stations we can find!
What sleep methods do you use for your baby?
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Johanna Baker-Dowdell is mum to two boys – Noah and Ethan – and combines looking after them with her work as a blogger, journalist, writer and public relations consultant. She owns and manages Strawberry Communications which started small in the third bedroom, but has grown into its own office space (in the converted garage).
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Sunday, 28 February 2010