Ever since Finn’s epic bout of illness last month, his sleeping habits have regressed to that of an infant. There once was a time when he slept from 12 midnight to 7 in the morning but those days are like a fuzzy distant memory, mostly because one does not have much of a memory without any sleep.
Now, not only is he waking up every other hour, he has developed a sensor to detect if he’s being carried or not. He can be sound asleep in my arms but once I transfer him into his cot, he’ll immediately open those peepers, eyeball me for two seconds and then launch into a screaming fit. He doesn’t care much for pats or repeated shhh’s or that bizarre Japanese water gurgling method.
He wants only 2 things: to be carried and boobs, preferably simultaneously.
Putting him down without waking him up is like a art form, one that I’m evidently not very good at despite having tried numerous methods like the ones below.
1. Swift and Decisive
You know the tablecloth pulling trick where you yank off the cloth without smashing the utensils? Sort of the same concept. Do it in one swift motion and hope the baby doesn’t notice that he’s no longer in mommy’s arms but in his cot.
Effectiveness: 28%
Downside: There’s an equal chance of the baby getting startled and becoming FULLY AWAKE.
2. Nice and Easy
The other extreme is to ease the baby into it via small, barely noticeable steps.
Shift the baby’s head from your arm to the palm of your hand. Gently lower him into the cot. Place baby on pillow. Ease your hand slowly from underneath his head.
Effectiveness: 34%
Downside: If he wakes up at any point, you have to go back and start from the beginning again.
3. The Boob Trick
When the baby is almost done drinking, lower him into the cot without breaking contact with the boob. Hold the position for like 30 seconds and when he’s settled in his sleep, remove the boob and voila.
Effectiveness: 69%
Downside: This move requires you to be a contortionist or you’re probably going to get a hernia.
4. Develop Consistent Sleep Triggers
Use certain repeated actions to induce sleep like stroking his head or kissing his cheeks or shushing. Keep these actions consistent before and after putting him down so he gets lulled to sleep.
Effectiveness: 2%
Downside: Don’t bother, it doesn’t work.
Anything else I should be trying?
