The Crybaby Shuffle

Here are the new things I accomplished today:

I started "cruising." That's what they call it when you hold on to furniture and walk around. Mommy says what I did today was more like "inching," and I didn't get very far, but I still think it's a milestone.

I used my baby couch to climb up onto the grownup couch.

When I finished my "nap" (it was only 5 or 10 minutes long), I played nicely in my crib and talked to myself instead of screaming hysterically like I usually do when I wake up. I was probably just all screamed out, after speanding an hour arguing with Mommy about whether or not she should put me down for a nap in the first place.

I think this is a good time to re-post the info that Mommy's friend Shannan gave her back in March when I was sleep-training Zayde. Grownups, pay attention:

A Baby's Perspective on Sleep Training...

OK, here's my situation. My Mommy has had me for almost 7 months. The first few months were great -- I cried, she picked me up and fed me, anytime, day or night. Then something happened.

Over the last few weeks, she has been trying to STTN (sleep thru the night).

At first, I thought it was just a phase, but it is only getting worse. I've talked to other babies, and it seems like it's pretty common after Mommies have had us for around 6 months.

Here's the thing: these Mommies don't really need to sleep. It's just a habit. Many of them have had some 30 years to sleep -- they just don't need it anymore. So I am implementing a plan. I call it the Crybaby Shuffle.

It goes like this:

Night 1 -- cry every 3 hours until you get fed. I know, it's hard. It's hard to see your Mommy upset over your crying. Just keep reminding yourself, it's for her own good.

Night 2 -- cry every 2 hours until you get fed.

Night 3 -- every hour.

Most Mommies will start to respond more quickly after about 3 nights.
Some Mommies are more alert, and may resist the change longer. These Mommies may stand in your doorway for hours, shhhh-ing. Don't give in. I cannot stress this enough: CONSISTENCY IS KEY!!

If you let her STTN (sleep through the night) just once, she will expect it every night. I KNOW IT'S HARD! But she really does not need the sleep, she is just resisting the change.

If you have an especially alert Mommy, you can stop crying for about 10 minutes, just long enough for her to go back to bed and start to fall asleep. Then cry again. It WILL eventually work. My Mommy once stayed awake for 10 hours straight, so I know she can do it. Last night, I cried every hour. You just have to decide to stick to it and just go for it.

BE CONSISTENT! I cried for any reason I could come up with:

My sleep sack tickled my foot.
I felt a wrinkle under the sheet.
My mobile made a shadow on the wall.
I burped, and it tasted like pears (I hadn't eaten pears since lunch - what's up with that?)
The dog said "woof" (I should know. My Mommy reminds me of this about 20 times a day. LOL.)
Once I cried just because I liked how it sounded when it echoed on the monitor in the other room.
Too hot, too cold, just right -- doesn't matter! Keep crying!!
It took awhile, but it worked. She fed me at 4:00 am. Tomorrow night, my goal is 3:30 am.
You need to slowly shorten the interval between feedings in order to reset your Mommies' internal clocks.

P.S. Don't let those rubber things fool you, no matter how long you suck on them, NO milk will come out! Trust me.


Now my only question is, what baby gave away this insider information? Oh well, it doesn't matter. I have very alert Mommy, but I think she's starting to crack!