Sleep & Lincoln

​Let me start by saying that I went into this baby sleep with zero knowledge. Literally. Wake windows meant nothing to me (I hadn't even heard of this term until I began searching for help). Every nap from the time Lincoln was born to 4 months was in my arms. He was in the pack'n'play in my bedroom with a sleep sack and white noise, but that was it as far as my knowledge of sleep for babies. 

At 6 months this is an example of his day: 

• 6:30 wake
• 8:20 nap for 21 minutes
• 10:52 nap for 31 minutes
• 1:26 nap for 26 minutes
• 5:15 nap for 21 minutes
• 7:00 down for night
• Wake at 10:07, 12:43, 2:10, 5
• 7 wake 

Looking back, I have no idea how I survived 6 months of this! But at the time, I thought it was normal. I had no idea that 20 minute naps weren't healthy and that a sleep cycle for a 6 month old is about 45 minutes. He never cried because one peep and I would run to him. ​

Anyway, I found Maggie Moore of Get Moore Sleep on instagram and started to read about her philosophy and educate myself on sleep training, wake windows, and all things baby sleep. The timing was perfect because she was hosting her first ever Moore Sleep in a Week and I got in it. The course taught me about safe sleep, the ideal environment, schedule and naps, windows that are appropriate, and four different sleep training methods. ​

I was full-on ready to go with my method which included controlled checks. What this means is that it wasn't cry it out and included some intervention on my part. I would let him cry in intervals starting at 1 minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes,  10 minutes, and then repeat 10 minutes until Lincoln was asleep. Welp, night one and he was inconsolable. I was up ALL NIGHT with him and took his temp in the morning. It turns out that he had bronchiolitis and we were admitted to the hospital for 5 LONG ASS days and nights. Sleep training was on hold.

A few more weeks went by since he was weak and still recovering. I was letting him sleep with me in bed and I had taken some time off from work to make sure he was back to his normal self. I picked a night where I knew I could give him my time and energy. ​

Our bedtime routine is and always has been dinner, bath, lotion and cream, new diaper, jammies, books (3 is the average), lights off, fan and sound machine on, sing our song, place in bed. So night one and I did our routine and put him down. No problem. About an hour later, Lincoln woke up crying and when I did my checks, it only escalated. He was getting more and more upset each time I entered and exited his room. So I made a quick decision and decided that this method wasn't working and we'd have to do something more like cry-it-out. 

I locked myself in the laundry room with a silenced monitor and laundry going and cried while Lincoln cried. It lasted for 45 minutes, and then he was asleep. He woke at 12 am and I went in, fed him, placed him down, he whined for all of 5 minutes, and then boom--asleep. 

And I kid you not, it was as simple as that. One horrible night of 45 minutes of crying and he figured out what worked to help him connect his sleep cycles. Naps took about 3 weeks to fully get together because I was going from 4-5 naps to 2-3 naps depending on the length. ​

​At 7 months old, this is an example of his day:

• 6:10 wake
• 9:12 nap 1 hr 20 minutes
• 2 nap 59 minutes
• 6:37 bed slept 11 hrs 24 minutes