Project: Get Rand To Sleep In His Crib, Days 1-3

 

I'm a big boy!

The wife had become increasingly worried that 8-month-old Rand might never sleep in his crib.  His bassinent was only rated to 25 pounds or when he could sit up, and at 20 pounds and nearly sitting up, he was right on the verge of getting himself a ticket out of there. 

Complicating matters was that Rand had, for the longest time, suffered from reflux.  The mattress was already raised to a 30 degree angle, and Zantac was tried and dismissed.  Prilosec had seemed to work, but in 3 weeks he had slept through the night only once, with a few times of sleeping until 3 a.m. or so.



So we decided that come hell or high water or baby crying, we were going to get him in his crib.  We braced ourself for the worst.  All three of our triplets sleep in the same nursery and the thought of Rand's crying waking them all at some point is not a fun thought.  Still we settled on the Ferber method.  Put him down awake, and if he cries, come back to him after 5 minutes to quickly soothe him, and then leave.  Give him 10 minutes the second time, etc. etc.

Night #1:  It does not go well.  Rand lasts all of an hour before he starts.  His cries last 30 minutes, but his cries start up again shortly after that and continue on and off.  Finally, at 2 a.m. I head to the spare bedroom next to the nursery to set up shop for the night, giving Renee some rest.  For the next 20 minutes Rand is silent, and I think that maybe we have turned a corner.  But the crying returns and continues unabated.  This  lasts until 4 or so, when I, and I assume he, finally catch some shut eye.  The most amazing part of all this is that he doesn't wake the other two.  The only exception is two short outbursts by Liam, who hates to have his sleep interrupted, and is more along the lines of drowsy complaing about Rand's screaming than him actually waking up.  Rand is back at it at 5 a.m. and keeps going until 6:30 or so when I assume he falls asleep, or I become so sleepy I fail to notice his crying.  Renee wakes me at 7:30 to a peaceful house.

Night #2:  We put Rand down and I settle into a nervous not-sleep state.  I'm actually sick to my stomach at the thought of what the night will bring.  I'm braced for crying.  So sure am I that he will cry that I lay in bed and hear cries in my head, even though there are none.  An hour passes and all is quiet.  I head to sleep at 9:30 p.m.  I awake at 7.  He has done it. 

Rand's new nightime retreat.

Night #3: Again to the gauntlet, and again that stomach churning worry.  Was last night a fluke; the result of his exhaustion?  Will tonight be more like night 1, or night 2?  His afternoon nap was an hour or so of cries and this shouting thing he does and it does not hold promise. 

He goes to his crib at 8:30, seemingly wide awake but fading ever so slightly and ... not a peep.  Were night 2 and night 3 aberrations?  Has it really taken 1 long night of crying to get Rand to sleep in his crib?

Stay tuned and find out.