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2 under 2 was a really bad idea
I am choosing to ignore that comment.
8)
Research has shown (many times) that babies aren't habit forming up till 8 weeks (and in plenty of cases, a few weeks beyond). The trick is doing whatever it takes to keep them happy until they're around 12 weeks at which point you should recognise what works for them and you which can evolve into a routine.
Interestingly, nobody ever posts "I tried Gina Ford and it was bollocks" which suggests of course a big stinking pile of confirmation bias. Anecdotally, I've seen the book gathering dust on the shelves of some friends who aren't getting any sleep 9-12 months into it. The only thing I'd ever advise regarding sleep routines, is to keep the bedtime routine post say 6pm pretty regular and relaxing.
Babies are different and some are better sleepers than others. I was given a brief insight into having one that doesn't for a week with teething and a virus. It was a shit week and emphasised that nobody likes a Smug McSmuggins. 🙂
I'm convinced that there are three types of parent - 1) those whose babies/ toddlers have interrupted and irregular sleep at some point between the ages of 0 and 4, 2) those who are kidding themselves and 3) those who are liars 😀
I found (the hard way) that actually putting ours to bed earlier helps - otherwise she'd get 'over tired' which meant she'd go manic for hours.
Obviously if they still have a daytime nap that might need changing/removing.
I feel your pain.
brakes, I think category 3 is the weightiest subset. 🙂
And, ^^^ I agree. Early to bed is better IME.
Yip if you wait to late they get a second wind and go bonkers, found this out over the Christmas holidays.
Cat 3 parents are normally super mother types based on the ones wither side of me in the queue to the pool last weekend. They were having a boast off about how many meals they had made for the week ahead while Jeremy was in the office on Saturday morning and Jilly was at horse riding. I nearly pissed myself laughing.
Both little Speeders are playing a game of tag team insomnia with a helping of nightmares thrown in for the 2.9 Y/O boy and teething for the 1 Y/O girl. * Add that to the 16 hr days (own boss) and I'm a "bit tired"
I really don't know how you cope with this.
* 2 under 2 was a really bad idea
Oh dear... this will be us in a few weeks time.
babies aren't habit forming up till 8 weeks (and in plenty of cases, a few weeks beyond). The trick is doing whatever it takes to keep them happy until they're around 12 weeks at which point you should recognise what works for them and you which can evolve into a routine.
Was reading something the other day about this and how they are born a few months too early and need a womb like environment initially. Going to put that into practice with no 2.
We were all over the place for the first few weeks with no 1, it was hideous (though not sure you can ever be properly prepared for it.) Wasn't until we got a good book (not Gina but along similar lines) that we got into a decent routine. Also controlled crying sounds awful at first too, but you do get to know the different types of cry and quickly realise that being in and out and picking him up all the time is not helping him.
Oh and firmly cat 1 here!
We have a 1.5 year-old and a 4-year old.
Both sleep pretty solidly from 7pm to 7am. The ingredients are:
- lots of outdoor exercise; walk, scoot, cycle everywhere possible
- no telly...as in the one we have lives in the loft (until a Homeland season!)
- only occasional iPlayer on laptop for the kids
- a proper playroom that is only for playing
- can come into our bed, but only for a snuggle before I do fake snoring and rolling onto them
I realise some of that is mainly to make us feel good, but I think it works!
5 month old twin daughters 😐
They are pretty good and sleep from 7 - 3, quick feed, then down until about 7. That is on a good night. On a bad night it feels like the little swines are a tag team and we are the hapless underdogs.