The Big Guns

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One of the oddest things about children and babies is how they fight going to sleep.

As an adult, I can't fathom why anyone would fight something so heavenly and wonderful.  When my head hits the pillow, I smile wide and nuzzle into the faux-feathery goodness of the cool pillow beneath my head.

But children?  No, no, no.

They will squirm, thrash, wail, and make gruesome, scary Halloween faces despite all of a parent's best efforts.

As that parent, you will set-up the bedtime routine for success:  the lights are down low, the hum of some lullaby is playing softly in the background and the temperature is just so.  Mommy or daddy settle in for the trying task of winding the child down from a *busy day. 

As a mommy to sweet Sayler I have recently discovered ways to calm her, but like the restless little child she is, she bores easily- so what worked for the last 2 or 3 days to help lull her into a deep sleep is no longer useful.

I learned all about the wonderful benefits of "white noise": The whirring of the fan, the sounds of water running, the quiet, steady rythm of a heartbeat...

And for a solid week the sound of running water, a tight swaddle, and steady rocking was all it took. (The running water noise complements of a teddy bear that plays different sound effects...) 

Then it was the heartbeat setting, the tight swaddle and walking around the house...

Then sweet Sayler decided she didn't want to be held like a newborn and instead wanted to drape over a shoulder where she could watch out for danger behind us...

(oh, and at her 1 month birthday she decided she was too grown up for a swaddle and little Houdini fought her way out of every tight swaddle while grunting the whole time...)

Figuring out the changing ways of a curious child can be a bit taxing, at times, but also a great way to quickly build an arsenal of maneuvers to soothe a sleepy tyke.

Recently, when all else fails... we have had to pull out the big guns.

The "big guns" is actually just one piece of heavy artillery...

It's the vacuum.

The simple, intoxicating white noises of yesterday are no longer enough for her.

This week, should she refuse to slumber at her nightly bedtime and pull all her creepy, contorted faces, daddy drags in the Dysun, cradles his baby close and turns on the loud machine.

And almost instantly...

Like magic...

She falls asleep...

Mouth agape...

Eyes rolled back.

If we turn off the machine prematurely, we stir the hot lava of Krakatoa and she will be sure to let us know how we have failed her- once again.  The face contorts.  It isn't her best look.

So the key is to wait a solid 10 minutes, lie the baby to rest in bed with the machine still whirring, and slowly drag the vacuum away from the scene before we can turn it off.

Victory!

Baby will be asleep for 9 hours with 2 quiet feedings in-between...

(All whilst getting a little cleaning in, too)

This is what works..

At least this week....



Comments

Ashley said…
You are hilarious, Cambria!! The things that we do as mommies can be very entertaining. My "white noise" was the dryer. I swear I had that thing running more empty then actually drying clothes. And sleep just continues to be an issue for what seems like forever... I'm trying to figure out how to get the boys to sleep without jumping off of their headboards for 2 continuous hours =) I definitely see a broken arm/leg in the near future!
July 2, 2011 at 3:16 PM
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