Much has happened since my last update.  We are now moved to our own place which allows us to have our room back and Aidan a room of his own.  He adapted to that change without any problems which was wonderful.

Not long before the move, Aidan learned to stand and hold on to things.  For a while, I was overjoyed, until the night, when he refused to sleep and promptly stood up in his bed, looked at us and bawled.  SIGH!  So much for the joy.

We’re past that now.  Our solution?  Ask him to sit down in his bed and if he resists, gently ungrip his hands from the sides, sit him down and thank him.  Then talk, sing and soothe him to lay down, and encourage and appreciate him as he complies.  These simple steps have helped even on the toughest nights to get him to lay down and go to sleep.

Not long after we moved, Aidan started getting panicky.  Every time we left the room, especially me, he would erupt in serious tears.  Some late night research showed that he’s at the ripe age of 9 months when babies go through separation anxiety.  OH GRIEF!  We’re working through that phase as well and things are much much better now.  Something that we’ve realized is that if we leave Aidan alone, it’s best to have some background music going to occupy him so that he doesn’t panic and he’s got something to pay attention to, especially since his toys just don’t make the grade (he doesn’t much care for toys).  Lots of reassurance helps as well.

Our latest sources of entertainment are watching Aidan point and identify people, him counting, learning his abc’s (he’s still on a), enjoying the swings and slides at the park and crawling full force.  Our latest challenge, learning how to get him to sleep through the night and make him independent of nursing to go sleep.

Wish me luck!

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

When setbacks occur in your child’s sleep routine, you may need to go back to basics with him. Re-introduce the consistency of the bedtime rituals and do the following:

• If your child kicks up a fuss as you leave the room, say calmly and cheerfully: “I love you. It’s bedtime. I will see you in the morning.” Then smile and leave the room.

• Get ready for your baby to cry from 30 to 60 minutes but remember this is a want not a need. At this age in the child’s development you really shouldn’t give in to his demands easily or you will only reinforce his confidence in this technique’s effectiveness and you’ll increase the problem.

• In the middle of the night, analyse the cries and decide honestly, if you think he’s really in need or if he only wants attention. If you’re sure it’s just the latter, be strong and wait him out. This will give him the chance to cry it out and learn to comfort himself back to sleep. If you must go back in the room, give him a pat on the head and a soothing sentence but do not pick him up or this may signal playtime! (Please note ‘crying it out’ is not acceptable for younger babies and we advise strongly against it).

Once you’ve taken the above measures and tackled separation anxiety your nights should be peaceful once more. The hard part is over and all that remains are a few little adjustments to reflect the physical and mental development of your child. (Lavin, Glaser, 2007)

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Separation anxiety is a perfectly normal stage in a child’s development and can start anytime from at around 12 -20 months. Baby’s increased awareness causes her to realise that you may leave her at any time. This shows she has mastered skills such as recognising the difference between family and strangers, knowing how essential you are to her life and anticipating the feeling of loneliness that will follow from your departure. Unfortunately, she cannot comprehend that the departure is only temporary so it causes her great distress and panic to know that you might not return. Separation anxiety gradually diminishes as the child realises that you come back each time. However, during the condition, it obviously presents a large problem at bed-time.

(more…)

Bookmark It

Hide Sites