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***Alexa's mom***
I have a few questions for you... I've been following the blog (although I'm a bit far behind since I've had my LO!)... do you really give her a full bath every night? Do you put her down at the same time every night, or let her eat whenever she wants during the day and then the last feeding you just put her down?
I'm trying to read Baby Whisperer, but it's going slowly - well, maybe it's baby brain b/c I don't remember much of what I read.. and another friend sent me Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy child, so I started reading that too. DS just started sleeping in the crib some... speaking of which, when she naps, do you put her in the crib for that too, or just let her sleep wherever she falls asleep?
Also, where did you get the baby legs?
Hope you don't mind all the Qs!
TIA!
Re: ***Alexa's mom***
Hey there! How's it going, looks like you are just about to hit the 6 week mark, awesome! Things will shortly start to make more sense. :-)
First of all - Those are the two sleep books that I have! Well I have more but those are the only ones that I have managed to start reading.
On the Baby Whisperer, just read the chapter that explains E.A.S.Y. and then read the sleep chapter. Those are the most helpful parts!!
Bath - Yes, we give her a full bath every night as part of her bedtime routine. We only started doing that a month ago. For the first 2 months, we only bathed her 2-3 times a week. We do it every night now because she loves it and it's a good routine to get into. I try to use soap sparingly and make it a relaxing experience. I put a warm wet washcloth over her tummy to keep her warm and use a cup to pour warm water over her.
Bedtime Routine - I cluster-feed her every 2 hours (6pm, 8pm) then we give her a bath, put her in her sleep clothes, read her a book (if she'll stand for it, sometimes she just fusses so we sing her a book), then I put on her sound machine (ocean waves), put her in her Miracle Blanket and top her off with one last feeding. I make sure to put her down drowsy but awake, then pat her in her crib and when she's nodding off, I turn out the light (we have a dimmer so it's on dim the rest of the time) and leave. She falls asleep really quickly. :-)
We aim to have her down between 10-11 p.m. I know it's late, but she's only sleeping 5-6 hours at her longest right now, so it's better for us to put her down when we go to bed to maximize our sleep. I tried pushing her bedtime earlier, to 8 p.m. but then she woke up multiple times in the night and it didn't work as well for me. I plan to start moving her bedtime earlier and shoot for getting her to sleep longer once she hits the magic 4 mo mark.
Feeding during the day - I follow the E.A.S.Y. routine. When she wakes up, I check her diaper and pretty soon, I feed her. Then after she eats, she has some Awake & Activity time. This usually means I put her on her activity mat so she can self-entertain while I have breakfast. Or I'll put her in her crib and turn on the mobile while I jump in the shower. After she has been awake for 2 hours, she starts to fuss. It's like clockwork. Almost EXACTLY 2 hours, she needs a nap. (She yawns, rubs her eyes, it's pretty obvious!)
If I am home, I put her down in her crib. I put her in her Miracle Blanket, dim the lights, turn on her ocean waves and rock her. Sometimes I use a pacifier if she wants to suck. I try not to use the paci at night, only for naps. (If it falls out while sleeping, I never put it back in.)
She tends to take one 30-60 min nap mid-morning (10 am or 11 am) and then a long afternoon nap of about 2-3 hours. Sometimes she'll have a third 30-60 min nap in the mix, depending on the day.
If I am NOT at home, she naps in her car seat. I love it when she naps in her car seat, which is in the snap and go, during lunch so I can have both hands and enjoy a nice lunch! If she is still sleeping when I get home, I leave her in the car seat and set it in a quiet/dark place until she wakes up.
I try not to wake her when she is sleeping, except when she hits 3 hours. I never let her sleep longer than 3 hours during the day for fear that it will affect her night sleeping.
So... I am feeding her pretty much every 3 hours, give or take. She goes longer between feedings when she takes her long nap and then only 2 hours between evening feedings because I am clustering them. She eats about 7 times a day. (I know this about her feedings and naps because I kept a log of all her nursing and sleeping for a couple weeks, something I highly recommend so that you can see where your baseline is)
I would add that we do a bottle every other day and that would take the place of the 8pm feeding, or second to last feeding.
Whew! I know that was a lot... And I know that different things work for different people and different babies. Alexa is pretty easy, so I am lucky. Let me know if you have any questions! Or maybe some other moms who know more about this stuff can chime in... I feel like I am still figuring things out! :-)
www.babylegs.com
I believe they are having a 2-for-1 special right now! Promo code on the site...
Malia & Dave & Alexa
Happily married since 2-17-08! Three since 9-9-09!
Baby Blog
sorry to butt in but can I just say that Annalise absolutely hates getting a bath and screams bloody murder the whole time, even if she is kept warm? I don't ever see bathing as part of her bedtime routine, even though I know every parent out there talks about how great it is at signaling bedtime for them! or maybe it gets better as they get older and she'll start enjoying it?? I hope so!
Jaime & Brent
Oahu, Hawaii | Sept. 9, 2005
My Food Blog - Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats
jaime - try this: http://www.bathluve.com/ourproduct.html
i got it as a gift and it definitely helped!
Thanks, Malia!!!!
OMG! Genius! I am so ordering this! I just use a wash cloth right now, which works, but this is so cute!
Jaime, they def like the bath better as they get older. So it will get better!
One idea: I try to make anything she hates into a game... With big smily expressions, happy faces and talking to her as I bathe her. Also, keep the water running while you do it b/c they love the sound of running water. We use her tub in the sink right now and she also loves looking out the window or up at the light... HTH!
Malia & Dave & Alexa
Happily married since 2-17-08! Three since 9-9-09!
Baby Blog
Jaime & Brent
Oahu, Hawaii | Sept. 9, 2005
My Food Blog - Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats