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Greeting table members and fellow parents. I thought I would start a thread on consciousness sleeping arrangements for young children.
As a first time parent for our ten month old Boy (Lyran) I like to observe his developing patterns and communication so I may quickly adapt, reseach and intuitively experiment what works and what doesn't.
With sleep being such an important part of our lives there are alot of key elements that work towards or against a good night sleep.
I find it amazing reading and conversing with other parents that a staggering amount have ongoing trouble either putting their youngling to sleep or having them wake up every 2-3 hours during the night.
I do not believe it when I'm told "baby's can cry for no reason, it's their way of communicating"
to me that statement is a contradiction in itself and one I have never taken onboard.
Cause and effect.
One of the challenges new parents face is co-sleeping.
Do I? Don't I? Should I? Could I?
we were advised highly by our friendly Plunket nurse (New Zealand help and support for families) who I do respect and value, strongly urge not to co-sleep. I can see the dangers of rolling over and smothering a new born loved one, however I feel there are ways around this e.g placing them in a washing basket or tok tray lined with blankets and cushioning. This would ensure the child's safety aswell as keeping them close.
I feel it extremely important to keep my child close in times of his need as it is natural instinct to want to feel safe and warm being so new.
I also do not wish for an ongoing parent/child deep attachment dependence, as having my own time/space is crucial to refilling an empty so to speak, aswell as teaching our child independence from an early age. The idea of keeping my child in a cot with bars awaiting our arrival does not resonate with me as it reminds me of what it would be like in jail.
I'm breaking away from this method and experimenting with a new one that I have found quite balanced.
Our bedroom is childproof (as much as possible lol)
at the end of our bed we have placed his mattress on the ground with all the fittings and on the other side we have a couch which forms a barrier to ensure he doesn't roll out in the night. A d.i.y bed head made from a plank of wood wrapped in blankets and nothing to stop him crawling out at the bottom.
this enables our child to get up on his own accord whenever he feels like it. Like I said I watch and his behaviour very carefully often from a camera/ monitor system outside of the room.
every day is different and it has taken slightly extra effort keeping him in bed however I feel the pro's much weigh out con's.
rather than relying on us for his every need in a cot he has more freedom and mobility to either play with some toys, have a snack or drink from his bottle. After about 2 weeks of this experiment quite often we find that little extra sleep in or during the day he often will play by himself for upwards of an hour on his own before crawling out to the lounge where he is welcomed and greeted with love. He becomes extatic and proud that he can work his way out of bed through the door left ajar and find his parents.
he also has the comfort of sleeping with us as we can easily lay beside and comfort him to sleep aswell as allow him up in our bed when need be.
setting and environment is crucial to early and ongoing development I feel.
what are some other tools and techniques you've come across that have worked for you?
As a first time parent for our ten month old Boy (Lyran) I like to observe his developing patterns and communication so I may quickly adapt, reseach and intuitively experiment what works and what doesn't.
With sleep being such an important part of our lives there are alot of key elements that work towards or against a good night sleep.
I find it amazing reading and conversing with other parents that a staggering amount have ongoing trouble either putting their youngling to sleep or having them wake up every 2-3 hours during the night.
I do not believe it when I'm told "baby's can cry for no reason, it's their way of communicating"
to me that statement is a contradiction in itself and one I have never taken onboard.
Cause and effect.
One of the challenges new parents face is co-sleeping.
Do I? Don't I? Should I? Could I?
we were advised highly by our friendly Plunket nurse (New Zealand help and support for families) who I do respect and value, strongly urge not to co-sleep. I can see the dangers of rolling over and smothering a new born loved one, however I feel there are ways around this e.g placing them in a washing basket or tok tray lined with blankets and cushioning. This would ensure the child's safety aswell as keeping them close.
I feel it extremely important to keep my child close in times of his need as it is natural instinct to want to feel safe and warm being so new.
I also do not wish for an ongoing parent/child deep attachment dependence, as having my own time/space is crucial to refilling an empty so to speak, aswell as teaching our child independence from an early age. The idea of keeping my child in a cot with bars awaiting our arrival does not resonate with me as it reminds me of what it would be like in jail.
I'm breaking away from this method and experimenting with a new one that I have found quite balanced.
Our bedroom is childproof (as much as possible lol)
at the end of our bed we have placed his mattress on the ground with all the fittings and on the other side we have a couch which forms a barrier to ensure he doesn't roll out in the night. A d.i.y bed head made from a plank of wood wrapped in blankets and nothing to stop him crawling out at the bottom.
this enables our child to get up on his own accord whenever he feels like it. Like I said I watch and his behaviour very carefully often from a camera/ monitor system outside of the room.
every day is different and it has taken slightly extra effort keeping him in bed however I feel the pro's much weigh out con's.
rather than relying on us for his every need in a cot he has more freedom and mobility to either play with some toys, have a snack or drink from his bottle. After about 2 weeks of this experiment quite often we find that little extra sleep in or during the day he often will play by himself for upwards of an hour on his own before crawling out to the lounge where he is welcomed and greeted with love. He becomes extatic and proud that he can work his way out of bed through the door left ajar and find his parents.
he also has the comfort of sleeping with us as we can easily lay beside and comfort him to sleep aswell as allow him up in our bed when need be.
setting and environment is crucial to early and ongoing development I feel.
what are some other tools and techniques you've come across that have worked for you?
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