Sleep? What's that?!

I have been reading "The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night" by Elizabeth Pantley. First, let me say that our little Muffin is a fairly good sleeper, aside from days when she is having lots of pain with teething. She still wakes on average of 3 times per night though, for short nursing sessions. Based on the average sleep needs of other babies her age, I have found (after logging her sleep patterns) at she is about 2 hours deficient per day. Along with increasing her calorie intake during daylight hours, this is the routine I have come up with for her with the advice from the book:

Sleep Routines
to be followed as closely as humanly possibly!

Naps

1. Turn on water sounds in bedroom
2. Read 2 books
3. Nurse or bottle feed
4. Rock or bounce in moby while Scout plays music (5 minutes)
5. Rub back/ pat butt
6. Sleep
7. (repeat steps 4 & 5 if she doesn’t sleep)


Bedtime

1. 6:30- bath
2. Turn on water sounds in bedroom
3. Massage with baby lotion
4. Put on pajamas, diaper with lots of ointment
5. Read 3-4 books
6. Lights out
7. Sings a few songs
8. Nurse or bottle feed
9. Rub back/ pat butt
10. Sleep
11. (repeat steps 7 & 9 if she doesn’t sleep)


Daddy followed the night time routine perfectly and she is fast asleep as I am typing this. I hope that this, along with my attempts to gently diminish her suck-to-sleep association , she will reduce her night waking to 1-2 times per night within the next month or so.

*I also walked around with a stuffed Kanga down my shirt all day long to make sure it got my scent on it. We are leaving that in her crib while she sleeps.