Sleeping Through the Night

My son taking a 2 hour nap!
My son Tommy just turned one (11 months adjusted).
A week ago, I would have told you he was perfect in every way, except for one thing. He wasn't a good napper, OR sleeping through the night. That's pretty much where the perfection ended!

I've been holding off on writing this "Sleeping Through the Night" post incase it was a fluke, but Tommy has been consistantly sleeping 12 hour nights AND taking two 1- 1 1/2 hour naps a day for over a week! Hallelujah! It seems too good to be true, but guess what? It's not!

If you're reading this post, I hope I can give you some much needed hope. You are NOT alone with a baby who won't sleep! If you're like me you've read all the popular books. Baby Wise, The No Cry Sleep Solution, Happiest Baby on the Block, etc. etc. etc. Michael and I tried everything. Being quiet, being loud, blackout shades, rocking, singing, dancing, rice cereal, you name it!

I was tired of being tired, and so was Michael. Not to mention, just trying to take a shower or do ANYTHING with a baby who doesn't nap takes some serious skill! I kept thinking that as he got older he would grow out of it, but it got worse! He had been waking 2-3 times a night, screaming and crying, and we thought it may be teething, but even Tylenol wasn't helping.

So, a week ago (January 4th to be exact), I laid in bed and prayed to God,"Dear Lord, please, please give my son and Michael and I a peaceful nights sleep. Please take away any issues he is having that is keeping him from sleeping. Amen."
That night I went to sleep, and guess what happened? Tommy woke up twice that night screaming and crying. I thought, what happened?! God must not have heard my prayers! 

The next morning while drinking my coffee I accidently came across THIS LINK.
Jaded, yet curious, I decided to check it out. The first thing that caught my attention was the (FREE) 6 question sleep report you take about your baby. My results were immediately emailed to me, and I was hooked. The reason? This program seemed extremely easy to follow and told me EXACTLY what to do. There is no gray area. I did a little research online and read countless stories and reviews from other mothers who had tried everything and this program was the only one that worked! The best part? If it doesn't work for you, you have a full year to get a refund! I was sold. I bought the $20. downloadable book, printed it out, and read it in one day! I started that night with success! Tommy slept from 7:30pm-7am! I could not believe it! Guess God DID answer my prayers.


Now, I can't tell you "the secret" to getting YOUR child to sleep through the night, because every child is different. The author and sleep specialist, Dana Obleman has different approaches for different children. That's what I like about this program. There is definitely some "crying it out" involved, but she has strategies where you can remain in the room with your child or leave. There are also chapters on naps, toddlers, and sleep strategies for different ages. The main thing is CONSISTANCY. If you want to start this program but feel like going to the mall the next day or doing lunch with a friend, it won't work. Michael and I decided from day one we would do whatever it takes and would devote all of our time to to helping Tommy sleep. We knew in the end we would ALL be rewarded. Especially sweet Tommy. We now have a well rested and even happier baby! There IS a God!
 Here are a few things WE changed in our approach.....

~Routine (no longer than 20 minutes) Example: Bath, bottle, music, book, bed.
~Putting him into his crib sleepy, but AWAKE.
~NO rocking to sleep.
~Cutting any night feedings cold turkey.
~AlWAYS putting him to sleep in the SAME place.
~Taking all toys out of the crib, and choosing ONE stuffed animal to sleep with.
~Letting him cry, but checking on him and reassuring him every 10-15 minutes.

We went from a baby who was still getting a 11pm and 4am feeding, to a baby who goes to sleep at 7:30pm and wakes at 7:30am!  To all parents out there, do this program NOW! You will be so happy you did. It's time to get your life back! Best of luck!
~Lea ♥

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