www.lullaby-babies.co.uk
tel: 01904 299627
Welcome to the Baby Sleep Blog!
We have covered the ‘Ferber Method’ in some detail in previous posts. However, following a recent comment on the site I thought an extra post was needed to discuss how nap times and co-sleeping fit in with the technique.
We have continued using J’s bedtime routine with the inclusion of putting her into her cot awake. Half expecting the same as the night before, however this time it took her 10 minutes to settle. It is nice to be able to have the evening to ourselves and not having to rush up when she cries.
We have followed instructions to the letter, and J’s bedtime routine has only changed in the fact that we don’t put her in the cot asleep. This resulted in her having a hissy fit and crying, so we followed the technique and went in after 10 mins, didn’t pick her up and said ’shh shh’ continuously whilst rubbing her. We do have the problem that she likes to stand up in her cot so we were concerned that it was going to be a pain. After 35mins the crying tappered off and by 40 minutes it had gone very quiet.
All was quiet last night and I went to bed feeling upbeat about starting the Technique. Surprisingly J slept till 3.45am to which I was woken with screams. I didn’t go in straight away but when I did she was standing upright in her cot, dummy out and wailing like I’d neglected her for hours. I quietly went over and without taking her out the cot I swooped her back to lying down. (not sure if you are allowed to do this as it might be classed as picking up).
For 2 minutes I repeatidly said ‘Shhh Shhh’ and rubbed her belly as that is her usual cue when going to bed to go to sleep. She went quiet but still eyes wide open. After what i thought was 2 mins (not easy to count when your tired) I left her. As soon as I took my hand off her she started crying again.
After months and months of being woken up every night (10 months to be precise), I’ve decided to do The Ferber Method starting tonight. I just want to sleep and I know its going to be hard but I need to do something otherwise I’ll be ending up walking down the aisle with black bags under my eyes.
I am delighted to announce that our new range of premium gifts for babies are here. Please feel free to take a look and a listen by visiting the Lullaby Babies home page (http://www.lullaby-babies.co.uk). The design and manufacture took a considerable amount of time but as I’m sure you’ll agree, it was certainly worth the wait!
Please read The Ferber Technique (part one) before attempting this technique. As I discussed, this method should only be considered if your baby is healthy, well-fed and at least six months old. Before starting this technique you have to be sure your baby is only crying because he wants something rather than that he actually he needs something. If you suspect it might be the latter obviously give him everything he needs (a change, a feed etc). Please note, I am not advocating the Ferber technique, I am simply letting you know the best way to go about it if you decide you want to give it a try.
Dr Richard Ferber was the first to propose the idea of ‘controlled crying’ in 1985. Since then it has taken on many names such as, cry it out, self-soothing, sleep training, crying down and many more. Some techniques vary slightly in the details but they all work along the same basic principal as Ferber first proposed.
There are few baby-related issues that evoke as much controversy as this one. Some big names in the field frequently have fiery exchanges because of their conflicting points of view. Many will remember Gina Ford and Dr Miriam Stoppard for example, who had a fierce debate on The Today Programme over the issue.
Sleeping bags for babies (also known as Grobags) are becoming an increasingly popular choice for new parents everywhere. I think I’m right in saying that the large majority of parents, however, still prefer to buy cotton sheets and cotton cellular blankets for their newborn. This is because they are easy to layer so baby can be kept at the right temperature by simply adding or removing a blanket. You can click here to read how many layers a baby should have in relation to the room temperature.
If, like many parents, you decide that baby should sleep in a moses-basket or carry cot to begin with, you can buy specially sized sheets and blankets for this purpose. This makes it easier to ensure that there isn’t an excess of fabric that baby could potentially wriggle down under and have their breathing restricted by. I highly recommend buying the right-sized bedding for the sleeping solution you choose. Although, there are a variety of fabrics available, I would suggest you consider the stretch-cotton sheets as these are less likely to become loose in the night and taking them off and putting them back on is a doddle.