Keke and Leo
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My daughter turned one-year-old a few months ago and just like that I think we've turned a corner. My mom called and I mentioned we were sleep training. She laughed and said, "Is that what they call it today?"

She's a comedian 😂That's what it's being called and I thought to share this with some new parents. If it helps great, but more importantly just another opinion. I also hesitate to post this because everyone has an opinion of how you're doing it wrong. This worked for us and didn't necessarily work for our first child Lennox (different circumstances there).

My wife was exhausted and Leo was draining too much from her. Little Leo wouldn't break away from breastfeeding as long as she was sleeping with mom. it wasn't even so much as the milk but more about the comfort. She gave me some direction on sleep training Leo and it worked almost overnight but you have to commit.

Here's are some tips and maybe they'll work for you.

  1. Dads - If you can take a few days off or measure this over a weekend the better. You have to take over and put them to sleep at night and for naps during the day. Mom can't be a part of this if she's breastfeeding.
  2. Moms - This will be painful but you'll need to be strong because I have a feeling it will break your heart.
  3. The Cry it out Method - Don't freak out. I'll share the system I used and it worked in less than 48 hours but nobody is sleeping. Crying wasn't too bad.
    1. Put your baby down at night and talk them to sleep. If that doesn't work you'll have to lay them down and walk away. Period. Leave the room. I kept an eye on her with a bedroom monitor. It wasn't easy because she was PISSED!
    2. Go back in every 15 minutes and let her know that she's not alone. Talk with them and walk out again. Some parents might disagree and decide to just leave them in the crib until they fall asleep. I couldn't do that so I just kept coming in. Every 15 minutes.
    3. Sooner than later hopefully she just stops crying...nothing. Leo just stood in the crib looking sad and exhausted. She slowly went into a squat, a sitting position and fell asleep. I remember looking at my wife in shock, "It's working!"
    4. It only took a day before she starting sleeping on her own. That doesn't mean it worked but she started that habit of sleeping on her own without us beside her.
    5. I extended those times to 20 minutes to 30 minutes to watch her sleep in 48 hours. Now I take her in for naps, nights and she just lays down instantly. I was shocked it worked so fast but you have to really stick it out.
Leo
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While this might seem dramatic from my end you have to first understand why this is a milestone for us. Our first child, Lennox is about to turn five years old but at 10 months we suffered a serious setback. Ada Paramedics rushed to our house and took Lennox to the emergency room due to internal bleed. This was followed by three years of other issues and is still a mystery. Needless to say, getting him to sleep alone now is a challenge. I mean we love our little snuggler but we're hoping this is a smooth transition for both.

If you don't trust this way you can find a million resources online to assist you. I think we all have different families, diverse little ones and they all grow different right?

Don't think you can just snap your fingers and it's done. If you have someone who can be the buffer in bedtime than great. I can only speak on what worked for us 😇

Good luck and remember to always consult with your pediatrician for further assistant.

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