If crankiness is any indication, I'd say, No, power naps don't work for babies. For a number of weeks now Renee has had 'nap troubles'. This means that some days she will only "power nap" for 45 minutes at a time. Now, this wouldn't be a problem except that as the day progresses her mood declines and, by bedtime she has become a baby monster. Lucky for me this is usually the time that daddy Charles arrives home to meet baby monster at the door. Lucky for both of us this doesn't happen every day, not yet, that is. So, what do you do when your baby has sleep troubles? Well, you turn to "the experts" of course. And "the experts" are there, waiting for you. They are waiting because nothing is more certain or more constant than babies having sleep "problems". Here's what the experts say:
Expert A: Your baby doesn't nap long enough because he isn't tired enough.
Expert B: Your baby doesn't nap very long because she's too tired.
Expert A: Give baby a pacifier.
Expert B: NO! Meet baby's needs first, cuddle her instead. Teach her to self-soothe. (??!@)
Expert A: Rock/cuddle baby to sleep.
Expert B: Never rock baby to sleep or he will not learn the art of self-soothing and you will have to rock him to sleep until college.
Expert A: Put baby on a routine.
Expert B: Don't force baby into a clock, let baby feed and sleep on demand.
Expert A: Put baby to sleep in his own room.
Expert B: It is best if baby sleeps in a room with a parent until six months of age.
Expert A: Soothe baby with a swing.
Expert B: NO! Baby doesn't rest properly in a swing.
Expert A: Let baby "cry it out."
Expert B: If you let baby cry it out he will lose trust in you and he stops crying because he no longer expects you to respond. (holy shamoly!)
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! You get the idea. All of this conflicting advice just results in conflicted parents and a baby that grows into a child that needs lots of therapy. The first child, that is. After that, parents learn that there are very few "experts" when it comes to babies and they just stop listening.
4 comments:
Ha ha. That is so true. The "Experts" are wacked. Unfortunately I don't have any advice for you because Ben has pretty much always been a good, consistant napper. Since he's started cutting his naps down to one long nap per day he has been sleeping better at night and his naps last about two hours. He has decided that he needs to wake up at 8:00 a.m. so mommy has become quite a good napper too! Love you.
Self-soothe. Fancy word for teach them how to suck their thumb. Who said, "we spend the first half of our lives getting screwed up by our parents and the second half of our lives screwing up our kids." Probably Erma Bombeck. Therapy for everybody - on the house. This expert says get yourself a collection of Erma Bombeck books, read them, and laugh until you pee. She wrote, "Motherhood, the second oldest profession" and "Family: the Ties that Bind and Gag" and "Just Wait Til You Have Children of Your Own" and "I lost Everything in the Post-Natal Depression" and "At Wit's End" and "If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing In the Pits" among several other "Expert Books". She's the only one worth your reading time. She helps you with a heaping dose of laughter. Rule 1: Baby Rules, period. That is the first and foremost important thing to remember. Now you're on your way. Here are two hugs and kisses to help you XOXO
You probably know you're own baby best, so that makes you an expert. And, depending on how short your fuse is as the time, I think Expert A and Expert B have good ideas. Just DO NOT drown the baby! DO NOT! Drowning the baby is a bad idea, all experts agree.
Renee sounds EXACTLY like Caroline. I wish I could tell you things were better at almost 4mos. Maybe at 6mos?
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