Back to Sleep

It's everywhere. Printed on sleep sacks, posted in the pediatrician's office, mentioned in every piece of parenting literature out there. Back to Sleep. Put your babies on their backs to sleep. (Read: If you lay your baby on his tummy before he is able to roll over on his own you are a horrible parent and will likely wake up to a dead child.) Okay, slightly overstated, but that is how this rookie mom (and incessant rule follower) felt at times. Until the sleep deprivation kicked in.

Drew & I have been discussing this all week. Jackson is almost 5 months old. He is not rolling over yet, but is oh so close. He lifts his head and has great strength and control. His bed is free of loose blankets, stuffed animals or anything else that could cause suffocation. Dare we allow him to sleep on his tummy? Our friends with young kids all said the same thing...yes.

Since starting our consistent bedtime routine just over a week ago we've come to several conclusions. He is not waking up because he is hungry. "Crying it out" does not work for any of us. When something wakes him (the startle reflex, a noise, a stuffy nose) while on his back he can not soothe himself to sleep - when Drew or I help him it takes less than 5 minutes. He's just not comfortable on his back. In short, the kid (like his father) prefers to sleep on his tummy.

So we're breaking the rules.

Two nights ago, Jackson went to bed (on his back) at 8:30. He woke up at 9:30. He woke up at 11:30 and ate. He woke up at 1 something and again at 2 something. Exhausted, I decided to throw caution to the wind and that time I put him on his tummy. I had to wake him up at 6:30 to get ready for daycare.

Last night, Drew & I decided to go for it. Jackson went to bed (on his back) at 8:30. He woke up at 12:30 and ate. When I put him back down I laid him on his tummy. This morning, I had to wake him up at 6:30 to get ready for daycare. That's 6 hours later!

I'll admit, I woke up at 4:00 and snuck in his room to check on him. And I sleep with his baby monitor less than a foot from my head. But I would do those things anyway.

While it may be too soon to know for sure (it's only been 2 nights) I think we have found a solution that works for us. And I'm okay with breaking the rules. If there's one thing I've learned as a parent, it's that each kid comes with their own set of rules. In the end, you have to listen to your gut, follow your instincts, do what works for you. In this case, even though Jack's on his tummy, finally...we're all going back to sleep!