Sleep Fighter.
Monday, July 9, 2012 at 8:30PM 
The art of sleep-fighting! Both of my kids are masters at it. They have it down pat!
Apart from a 1 week stint when she was 11 months old, Ella didn't sleep a full night until she was nearing her 4th birthday, and even now - she rarely gets through a whole night on her own. And as for day naps....she stopped them a couple of months after her 2nd birthday....much to my disgrace.
I still remember Ella's baby days; us driving laps of our suburb at crazy hours of the night to get her to chill, and eventually fall asleep, or doing laps of the dining room pushing her in the pram. Doing whatever it took to get her to succumb to the world of sleep!!
I just don't understand the notion of fighting sleep! If you're tired....sleep....simple :) I would love someone to rock, pat, sing & hush me to sleep.....there's no way I'd fight it :)
And it looks like Ryder is following in his sister's footsteps. Lately he has perfected the art of fighting sleep and is doing a good job of keeping this Mumma on her toes! He doesn't fight it every nap, there's no rhyme or rhythm to it....he likes to keep me guessing :) But it is becoming a more regular occurrence! Maybe teething? Maybe that icky period when they're ready to change routines & schedules but some more time & effort is needed? Maybe illness - as we've all been snuffly this week thanks to lovely Winter bugs? Who knows! Or maybe he just likes snuggles, cuddles & being carried for as long as possible?? And don't get me wrong....I love that! BUT.....some days, I've got stuff to do, and places to be, and it's not possible to carry his 10kg body around constantly. And an over-tired baby is not fun by any means!
Sometimes, he'll go down in his cot, give me a cheeky smile as I walk away & just like that he drifts off to sleep. And most nights when I put him to bed, he self settles quickly, and without protest. But then there's days {like today} where each nap is a mission!
I read a 'baby guide' book when I was pregnant with Ella. I still remember that feeling of "Haa this parenting-gig will be so easy! I'll just follow this author's routines from day one and we'll be smooth sailing!" HOW WRONG WAS I?! Guess what? Not every baby is the same. And although I believe in routine & consistency, I also believe that each day is different, each season is different & each baby is very different. It took me a while to realise this, because as a first time Mum, I was convinced that these books knew best & I couldn't parent properly without them! But as soon as I accepted that my child/ren are not lovers of sleep, and are not deep sleepers, I stopped forcing myself to abide to these published routines. I started letting my babies tell me when they're tired, hungry, happy, bored, and/or had enough. Going with the flow of a baby's rythym is much easier in most senses!
However, with that said; we still have days when it all falls to s**t. Like when it takes a whole lotta effort to get your tired baby to just fall asleep! It's frustrating & stressful & very time consuming.
But....when they do finally succumb.....they look so angelic & perfect when they sleep, and you almost feel bad for being frustrated at their fight.
Today, after a 1hour 45minute battle with Ryder {which consisted of many attempts to put him down, get him up etc} he finally fell asleep in my arms in the rocking chair. I laid him in his cot, and took all of these shots that are featured in this post. Watching his little face peacefully crinkle & droop, and his beautiful pink lips bounce and rest; I felt so in love & so at peace. I again reminded myself that with parenting {and life}: nothing lasts forever!!! One day soon, I won't have to fight him to sleep - we'll be onto the next phase, the next chapter, the next stage!! So I'll just ride it out.....like all frustrating things....and take it as it comes!
Reader Comments (5)
We have talked about this many times before and yes, all babies are so different! But there really is something special about a sleeping baby. They look oh so peaceful and beautiful. Before you know it, the next stage will be here. xx
See, that angelic face! That's how those darn babies get away with it!!
You know I feel for you, Claire. I am you!
x
He looks so sweet sleeping :) Why do babies fight sleep??? So exhausting for their poor mamas :) Hope Mr Ryder decides he likes his naps again soon for you xx
These photo's of Ryder are just gorgeous, he has such a sweet little face. Lachlan was not a very good sleeper so I can sympathise with you. It used to take so long to get him to sleep and then he would sleep for 40 minutes and be awake. But he is now nearly 9 and loves his sleep, so there is hope for little Ryder yet, he he.
Katena x
I can totally understand and relate to the sleep issues you talk about here.
My daughter was a baby who wanted to be patted, rocked, cuddled, sang to and comforted in every way possible before going to sleep.
I can't tell you how many times I pushed her around our lounge room in the pram to settle her down. She was easy to get to sleep but very hard to keep asleep. As soon as I thought she was sleeping and then lowered her into her cot she woke up and cried. She wanted me to be holding her all the time just like Ryder enjoys with you. Babies have no idea how demanding they can be do they!
It took us a long time to get into a sleep patern and for her to sleep through the whole night without waking and crying. As a new born baby this was fine and expected but as she reached 1 year old, 2 years old, 3 years old I was getting more and more frustrated and exhausted.
In fact I had to return to work 3 days a week when she was 15 months old and I swear more often than not I would go to work only having had about 4 hours sleep night after night after night. Looking back now I have no idea how I managed. I know I did feel tired all day and had to really try hard to concentrate at work and not make mistakes. It was a very stressful time.
To make matters worse all my friends that had babies used to tell me how their baby was sleeping through the night perfectly. I would feel like pulling my hair out and wonder why my baby was being so un co operative and stubborn. Thankfully once she started at pre school she got herself into a better sleep routine and eventually started sleeping though the night. I can't tell you how grateful I felt.
Now at 12 years old I can hardly drag her out of bed each morning. She loves sleeping now and has done for many years. She wants to sleep 10 hours or more every night. If only she started that at age 1 :)
I hope Ryder improves his sleep pattern for you soon. Hang in there, one day it will happen. Thinking of you :)