Sleep Training

It's funny how kids can be so different. I'd marvel at those who were able to do CIO after Max was born and as he grew. No way would that work for him. He just gets more and more and more upset until he can almost make himself sick. N is that way as well. She is actually my best sleeper and best self soother, but every now and again she can get herself riled up till no tomorrow. The other day she started crying about midway through my last pump of the day and, because I was tired and really didn't want to unhook and rehook, I just let her cry for about 10 minutes. Boy she got herself wound up. As an aside, I can't wait until she can sit herself up and gets moving a bit more because almost always it is a gas bubble stuck for her that she can't get out. Anyway, R is really the opposite of Max and N. he almost always needs to cry or moan or fuss a bit before falling asleep. If you go in, he will pop right up and be all happy and like...let's party, yeah!...and then will have to settle back down and then will again need to cry or moan or fuss a bit. I'm not sure it is really a CIO scenario in the truest sense, but you need to let him cry where as with Max and N trying that just leads to disaster. Just interesting observations.

In other sleep realated news, I'd love to move N and R to a once a day nap. I've done it a few times on the weekends for various reasons, but not regularily. Sadly, I don't think they are quite ready. But hopefully soon.

Often, I see parents walking around with a sleeping child in their arms. The other day a mom took a sleeping toddler out of her car seat and walked her older child into Preschool all while the toddler still slept. I see babies sleeping in strollers and out and about. These are not my children. I often wonder if it is a genetic type thing or if they just get regular and enough sleep during home naps and the night that they aren't tired enough. I just can't push it enough most of the time to see cause I think it would be too much of a disaster. These early years pass so quickly and I can just wait to do that out and about until they are older and don't need naps and hopefully avoid poor behavior as a result.

Anyway, the whole sleep issue is one that I have found most intersting as a parent and that often tends to be so contreversial amount parents and parenting styles. I keep meaning to pick back up Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child and rescim some of it. I've promised myself I'll do that to brush up before trying to mess with the 2 a day to 1 a day naps.