As first-time parents, we are very much frighted by how little we know about parenting.
Every day I have the feeling that there are so many things I know about now, I wish I knew it earlier.
I was told that there were things I didn’t do right, so that our nine months and two weeks old son couldn’t go to bed himself.
So to correct the mistake we have made, the father have been asking around and bought a few books on this topic. The solution is: we need to train Anton to go to bed every night at roughly the same time, to his own bed, without needing drinking from the mom.
Then we have had the below attempts:
Day 1: First-day training started at 6:30 pm bath, around 7 pm the father started to try to put Anton to bed. Of course, as we expected, he didn’t like it and tried to protest. After 4 times of putting in and getting him out of his bed, the father decided to use a carrying cloth. Anton fell to sleep within one minute after being carried. Our adults’ night started at 8:15 pm.
Day 2: After many times repeating of putting in and getting Anton out of the bed, the father managed to leave Anton awake, then he fall sleep in his bed at 8:10 pm.
Day 3: After repeating many times of putting in and getting Anton out of his bed by the father, I took the task over, and I used his favourite art card as a fan to help to put him to sleep in his bed. He fell asleep at 8:05 pm.
Day 4: Saturday going out and coming home slightly later than 6 pm, Anton had his bath at 6:30 pm, and we repeated the same procedure, with stronger protesting from Anton. By the end, Anton became very tired and he fell asleep in his bed at 8:15 pm.
Day 5: Sunday, we started at 6:45 pm, experienced a few rounds of put down and getting him out from his bed, then I carried him, he fell asleep at 8:15 pm.
Day 6: I missed his 4 pm nap. at 5 pm, he was hungry and tired. I managed to feed him some food, but he refused to drink milk. Anton fell asleep at 6 pm, too early. wake up at 6:50 pm, then we repeated the same putting him to bed procedure…
By the end, we realise that plan didn’t work out as pretty as the text explained.
Now the reality is that we have dinner at around 6 pm, the father changes Anton to pyjama, toothbrushing, bedtime story, milk drinking (most days), then Anton falls asleep in our big bed.
The turning point for us to get over the “sleeping problem” is that, what matters the most for us is not that Anton behaves as we expected, but that Anton is happy and sound. Everything else, secondary.
