5 months.
Dear Holly,
This is a very special week for you. Mommy gave me the green light to have full jurisdiction in applying “The Cry It Out” Method to help you learn to sleep through the night.
I did this for your brother when he was 7 months old and now I am happy I get to “sleep train” you about a month and a half sooner than I did with him.
Mommy didn’t mind waking up twice a night to feed you for these past couple of months, but it transitioned into you waking up every couple of hours. I pointed out to her that you weren’t actually physically needing to eat. Instead, you needed to be re-calibrated to be able to sleep longer than 2 hours at a time and I was more than willing to assume the role.
Without much need to persuade her by this point, I presented Mommy with the plan that starting this week, I would sleep upstairs in the room next to yours, with the baby monitor right next to me, so I could wake up and supervise you “crying it out.” That way, Mommy could start getting full, uninterrupted nights of sleep again, while I wake up with you to help you learn to cry yourself back to sleep.
Here’s how it’s been going so far:
Night 1, Sunday: You went to bed around 9:30 PM and had your final feeding for the night. You woke up twice, both times for a duration of 20 minutes. Both times, I had to flip you over after you were exhausting yourself by crying on your stomach, while holding yourself up with your arms. The first time you started crying, you got your foot stuck in the bars of your crib. But after letting your cry for a few minutes that way, you revealed that you easily knew how to remove your leg from the bars yourself. From that point on, I knew not to fall for it.
Night 2, Monday: You went to bed around 9:00 PM and had your final feeding for the night. You only woke up once, this time for just 10 minutes. I had to flip you over on your back again- then you immediately went back to sleep.
Night 3, Tuesday: You went to bed around 8:00 PM and had your final feeding for the night. You only cried once, for 30 minutes inconsistently. However, you remained on your back the whole time, meaning this was the first time I didn’t having to flip you back over.
Night 4, Wednesday: You went to bed around 7:00 PM, though I fed you a full bottle at 10:00 PM; which was 3 hours after you fell asleep. Beginning at 2:00 AM, you mildly, inconstantly cried the first time for 30 minutes, then fell back to sleep on your own. Again, I didn’t have to flip you over. You did it yourself this time. Then again at 4:00 AM, you did the same thing for this time for only 10 minutes.
What my notes of this show is this: With each following night of me applying “The Cry It Out” Method on you, you have been A) falling asleep earlier, B) teaching yourself to either remain on your back or flip yourself back over yourself, and C) wake up happy with a slightly bigger appetite.
Clearly, this method is working for you. Through my supervision, you are teaching yourself to remain asleep through the night, like a child; as opposed to a newborn.
This means better rest for you and Mommy, and eventually me, once you eventually stop crying or waking up all together in the middle of the night.
I remember how 5 years ago when I applied this method to your brother, I was told by a few people that I was depriving your brother of love and assurance, to the point that he would be psychologically damaged from letting him cry it out.
Fortunately, your brother has grown into a well-balanced nearly 6 year-old Kindergartner. He was the first boy student in his class this school year to be awarded by his teacher, Student of the Month, in September.
So I am fully convinced that you will turn out just right, as well. This is a good thing for our family.
Love,
Daddy
