The Vandevers: Labor of Love

When Ethan was a brand new baby, we did what most parents do-- had Ethan sleep in our room. He slept in his pack and play for the first 2 weeks. He did not do very well because he was flat on his back and would constantly spit up and wake himself up to cry. I tried to burp him- but even to this day Ethan will not burp at night.

So, our solution was to put a a little bouncy seat in his crib- in his own room. This way he could be propped up and sleep at the same time. It worked perfectly- he gave us 2 stretches of 4 hours of sleep at night. What a great baby!

Until now... Ethan has outgrown his seat. He will wake up in the middle of the night crying because of the precarious position he has gotten himself into. He will scoot down to where he is literally hanging off the edge of the seat. He will turn sideways so much his little head is under his body and he can't get it out from under it. Yikes! He doesn't need it anymore. He has slept plenty of times on his back now in different places (pack and play- our bed while mommy is showering- our bed on Sunday morning when we want to sleep in).The only problem is- he does not like sleeping in his seemingly huge crib alone.I can't blame him.

I don't think I would change what I did with putting his seat in his crib. It gave me peace of mind that he would not choke to death on his spit up.( Plus some desperate prayers in the middle of the night.) It allowed us to put him in his own room at 2 weeks. It was something he enjoyed and was helpful in getting him to sleep long stretches at night.

I knew this day was coming- when I would have to teach Ethan to adapt to something new, to try something he didn't like for his own good. His first big lesson. Sleeping in his crib alone.

It started last night. I'm not into crying and I don't think Ethan is either. I looked up some methods of people who agree with us. I stumbled upon a video of Dr. Sears (whom I am loving) and a method he suggests. He suggests that when you put your baby in their crib- to place your hand on his chest and stay there until he falls asleep. It lets him know that you are there and it will be ok.

I never did this with Ethan when he was in his seat. He would fall asleep on his own- no big deal. But with his seat gone- he will cry and cry. So, to reassure him that it is ok -he can fall asleep without his seat- I have used this technique. I just put him down for a nap in his crib and he started to cry. I went in and put my hand on his chest for about 5 minutes. He fell asleep and I left. We did this 2 more times and he is out cold.

I think he will be able to get more sleep because he won't turn himself upside down in his seat. But it will take a little bit of effort on my part to get him used to the crib.

Here are some pics of Ethan asleep in his seat.