Newton's third law states: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Did you know that this law applies not only to objects but babies as well?
So apparently Aaron sleeping through the night means that he wants to sleep less during the day. As his nighttime sleeping has increased, the ease in which we can get him to nap and sleep for the night has decreased. We can see the eye rubbing and the hair twirling. We sometimes see yawns. We see his gaze becoming glassy from time to time. We know he's tired. We know he wants to sleep. And yet, when we go into his room to put him to bed it's like WWIII. Somehow a 9 month old baby often wins the battle against a pair of grown men.
My guess is that he doesn't like waking up alone and in a dark room. But that theory doesn't always hold true because sometimes he can wake up happy. Here's what we know...
- He's happy being held in most rooms but when we walk into his bedroom to put him down he squirms (and screams)
- He's happy being in his bedroom to play so it's not an issue with the bedroom
- He's can be content playing in his crib so I don't think the crib is the issue
- He's unhappy going to bed during the day and the night so I don't think it's an issue of him not liking the light or the dark
- Baths, feedings, pacifiers, soothing music, shushing, rocking, singing, playing until he wears himself out, a new diaper, and everything else we use to get him to sleep are all hit or miss; we have to just keep trying things because we don't know what will work
- We go see the pediatrician tomorrow (hooray! I don't actually think I'll get a good solution because "babies are babies and do what they want" but at least I'll get to know their current weight and height)
This started out like a physics problem but I think I'm going to have to be Sherlock Holmes to solve this riddle. I was never good at science but luckily I often figured out who the thief was in Scooby-Doo cartoons so I think I have a chance at solving this.
After going through surrogacy and having twins, this is the story of my life after fulfilling my dream to become a father.
They KNOW they're tired, and they KNOW that the bedroom is where you go when you need to sleep, but if they sleep they might MISS something! If you're in someone's arms falling asleep, well, you don't really notice that you're falling asleep, and at least you're THERE in case something HAPPENS. Going in to the bedroom, no matter how tired, means that you're GUARANTEED to MISS when something HAPPENS, and just because you're in your room and can't see it, something WILL happen, dammit!
ReplyDeleteI think you're doing well just trying to be consistent as possible. They get older, test the boundaries and eventually, most settle back into routine if you stay as close to the routine as possible. :). Good luck!
ReplyDeletewhen Blake started doing that, I asked the ped about it and she said it could be a form of separation anxiety and suggested that I stay in the room while he falls asleep. it's worked pretty well over all. he fusses a bit trying to test me - see if I'll get him out - but I just rub his head and sit back down on the floor. it's worth a shot.
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