Sleep School

Reactivated J's sleep training today.

I've been somewhat negligent, I know, taking the easy route of having everyone sleep together on mattresses in the one room.

After all, co-sleeping is an Asian thing, no?

The problem is, J won't sleep on her own. Not unless she's having a feed and drifts off by herself. And then if I so much as try to put her down on the bed, she wakes and cries and we have to start all over. She still wakes 2 or 3 times a night demanding to be fed. If I ignore her, she ups the ante by shrieking so loudly that no one else gets to sleep.

The nightly interruptions are getting so draining that I feel exhausted during the day. J is so clingy she won't even lie quietly if I lie down with her. She just tugs at me and whines until I get up and entertain her! The situation is getting desperate.

Chatted with a mum at school yesterday and she told me about the Sleep School conducted by the Sunshine Hospital. Her then 8 m.o. baby refused to sleep on her own, but after a few days of indoctrination with the Sleep School technique, she's fine now, much to mum's relief.

Basically, the Sleep School uses a version of the controlled crying technique. The baby is put to bed by herself. If she cries, the parent comes in at set intervals of 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 minutes to pat her. Then the parent leaves the room. After 10 minutes, the routine is repeated at 10-minute intervals until the baby falls asleep. If after one hour the baby is still crying, she probably isn't ready to sleep and the parent takes her out of the cot.

This morning, a friend dropped by for tea and I mentioned J's sleep issues. She suggested I just harden my heart and put J to bed anyway and let her cry until she exhausts herself and falls asleep.

First try:
11.25 am - Put J to bed.
12.25 pm - J still crying! Took her out and gave her lunch. End of mid-morning nap attempt.

Second try:
4.40 pm - Put J to bed.
Let's see how she goes...

Update:
It took a solid one and a half hours before J settled down and stopped crying. She probably had (just) an hour's worth of sleep before dinner. Still, it's a good start!