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A mom wrote in today during The Mommy-Muse Is In: Empowering Your Journey into Motherhood with this question:
“My six month old son currently co-sleeps (as of last week). Prior to that, due to a two week growth spurt, he would fall asleep while nursing on his nursing pillow. As a result of that sleeping arrangement, he would only sleep on his nursing pillow while nursing to sleep. I’ve managed to get him to fall asleep on his pillow while nursing then transfer him to our bed without fully waking. Previously, if I set him down, he would wake up fully and not fall asleep until his next nap time. He even went on a two week nap strike which thankfully has ended. I tried waiting until he was in a deep sleep to set him down, but he would wake up after a very short nap crying and he seemed confused and a bit distrustful - I think this may have contributed to his nap strike. I have been trying the “Pantley pull off method” to get him to sleep after he has finished nursing with mixed results so far, but we are continuing to try (its been about 1 week so far). He refuses a bottle when offered at bedtime and he’ll only fall asleep with me on his pillow nursing at bedtime. He typically falls asleep around 7:30 or 8:00pm (after his bedtime routine) and sleeps until 6:00am waking usually 3-4 times a night. I nurse him back to sleep when he wakes in the middle of the night. Ideally, I would like him to sleep in his crib and through the night. For naps, I do encourage him to sleep in his Snugli, car seat, while bouncing on the exercise ball as you suggest in your book to demonstrate to him that it’s possible to fall asleep in different ways.
How do I break this sleep association and get him to sleep in his crib through the night?”
Elizabeth’s Solutions:
“Remember during the interview we talked about the fact that when babies always fall asleep one certain way – such as when your son falls asleep nursing on his nursing pillow. When you wait until he is totally asleep to put him in bed – the last thing he remembers is nursing on the pillow! (Much like if you were to wake up on the kitchen floor – what happened? How did I get here? I’m tired and need to get back to sleep!)
The gentle removal process (“Pantley Pull-Off”) is where you remove your baby off the breast before he is fully asleep – and then transfer him to bed while patting and shushing so that he learns to fall asleep without nursing. You should do this same thing each time he wakes up during the night. It means a little stress for you for a week or two – but the results are worth it!
In order for your baby to welcome his foreign crib as a place to sleep it can help to get the bed ready for your baby – make it more cozy and welcoming. That way when you transfer him there he’ll be more likely to sleep. A few quick tips:
- Have a few cheerful play sessions in the crib throughout the day to make it more familiar.
- Invest in a quality crib mattress or padded crib mattress cover. Many of the standard mattresses that come with cribs are hard, stiff and plastic coated, making for an uncomfortable sleeping surface. Shop around for a mattress that has a superior cushion, such as those with a foam core. You can also find padded or quilted crib mattress pads that are safe yet much softer than the mattress alone would be.
- Use soft crib sheets, such as those made of fleece, flannel, terry cloth, or jersey knit. These fabrics are soft and warmer to the touch than traditional crib sheets and less jarring when you first lay your baby down.
- To ease the transition from your warm body and arms to the crib, warm the bed surface before naptime. You can lay a warm towel (just out of the dryer) on the baby’s spot while you get her ready for bed. (Rub your arm along the entire surface of the bed each time to be sure it is not too hot.”
Want More Information?
Go to www.pantley.com for sleep logs, parenting information and lots of questions and answers.
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