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!

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• Separation Anxiety. This deserves a post of its own.

• Temperature. Is he too hot or cold? Be careful not to overdress him and see the table at the end of this post for the right temperatures.

• Dressed for sleep. In the early months, many babies like to “sleep tight,” securely swaddled in a cotton baby blanket. Older infants like to sleep “loose,” and may sleep longer stretches with loose coverings that allow them more freedom of movement.

• Distractions. Is his room too noisy or too light? Block out disturbing backing noise with a soothing lullaby CD. Purchase darkening blinds to shut out the light which may be awakening him. This may also lead to an extra hour of sleep in the morning.

• Blocked nose. In the early months, babies need clear nasal passages to breathe. Later they can alternatively breathe through their mouth if their nose is blocked. Reduce the amount of problem-causing articles from baby’s room as these can cause stuffiness (cigarette smoke, baby powder, paint fumes, hair spray, animal dander, plants, clothing, stuffed animals, feather pillows and fuzzy toys that collect dust.) If your baby is particularly allergy-prone, a HEPA-type air filter will help. Consider buying a salt-water nasal dropper and give baby a few drops if he has a stuffy nose. Consult your doctor or pharmacist first. (Lavin, Glaser 2007).

Correct Room Temperatures

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Babies learn best through routine and this is the age when baby is ready to get into the habit of eating and sleeping according to a fairly consistent timetable. The best way to accomplish the challenge of getting your baby to go to bed at a regular time is to follow a well organised day with a consistent bedtime routine. A bedtime routine can include all or some of the following: bath, feed, story, massage, cuddle, lullaby. It culminates with the baby in her place for sleep on her own or with you. A little trial and error is needed to see which techniques relax your baby. In time you will develop a unique bedtime ritual of your own but you should follow this advice:

• Set a bedtime and try and keep it as consistent as possible. Bedtimes can vary from as early as 7pm to as late as 9pm. Your lifestyle and work commitments may determine this for you. The important factor is consistency. Don’t set a late bedtime thinking baby will get exhausted and sleep right through. This is bad news and usually doesn’t work. She’s far more likely just to get overtired.

• Try and make the elements of the routine come in the same order: babies love predictability and will be much calmer if there are no surprises.

• Also try and make sure it’s practical. There’s not much point in having a routine that’s easy to follow at times and difficult at others.

• Make sure it’s possible to do all the things you plan in the time allocated. Start setting the mood for bedtime 30 to 45 minutes prior to putting your baby down for the night. Dim the lights, put on a relaxing lullaby and lull the mood. Many experts now recommend a 20 minute book sharing period, even with very young babies. You may want to think about starting your routine a little earlier than you planned.

• Try and make sure you won’t be disturbed during this period. Perhaps consider taking the phone off the hook etc. so you can give your baby your undivided attention and his routine won’t be interrupted.

• Change your baby into comfortable pyjamas with no frills, buttons or tags that can potentially cause itching or poking.

• Put your baby to sleep in the same place every time. It is best to have your baby go to sleep in the same place, including for naps. This way, when she is put down in her crib, she will understand that it is time to go to sleep. If she is sleeping in a variety of different places, she could get confused. Obviously, this one is difficult for parents who work, and put their babies in day care.

• As many components to the pre-bed ritual as possible, should be conducted in the baby’s room. If every night you go into her room to get ready for bed, she will understand that it’s time to go to sleep. Her bedroom should be for sleeping only. The last thing you want is for your baby to associate her bedroom with play time.

• Literally tell your baby every night when it’s time for bed-time. She understands more than you think and she will start to associate the phrase with sleep-time.

• Many babies like to hear soft music as they are drifting off. Musical patterns are powerfully pleasing to the brain and can mask household sounds that disturb your baby’s sleep. You should play the same lullaby each night so that baby associates this with sleep and will start to drift off upon hearing it.

Obviously there will be times when the routine won’t be possible. That’s completely fine but you should try and get back to normality as soon as possible for the routine to be effective (Lavin, Glaser 2007).

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