Seeking honest feedback on current sleep routines & how we should approach some form of sleep training?
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Our preemie is 6 months, 4 corrected. We want to try sleep training because our current routines are draining and my gut instinct tells me she’s ready for us to experiment/go for it. Our bedtime routine is to feed then rock to sleep for up to 20 mins (because she cries without fail after her feed when it’s time to place her in bassinet) – it’s really like she’s fighting sleep when she knows it close. It will often take us two rounds of rocking/transfers to get her actually sleeping in her bassinet. We also often have to keep our hands on her to support her falling asleep. Once she’s asleep in her bassinet she typically sleeps well, 5-6 hr stretches, sometimes longer/sometimes shorter. At night she sleeps in a bassinet next to our bed. Our naptime routine is to rock to sleep then most often contact nap while I rest in our nursing chair reading or scrolling my phone. I am striving to transfer her to her crib in her own room as much as possible for naps so she learns her crib is a good place for sleep, but she often wakes up within 10-15 mins and won’t go back down unless I start the routine over again (which I find extremely draining/frustrating, so I’ve been opting for contact naps until we can have a more coordinated approach to sleep training). A few notes: – I tried the huckleberry app and I don’t think it’s my thing, it added a lot to my mental load and my daughter didn’t respond well to the guidance. – I’ve ordered precious little sleep from the library and plan on reading it this week. – We want to keep her in our room until 6 months corrected at least So. Where the heck do we start? Do we just go ahead and start by putting her in her bassinet drowsy but awake and let her cry for the recommended minutes? Is starting with bedtime rather than naps a good idea? Any and all advice welcome. Thank you for coming to my TED talk 😉 via /r/NICUParents https://ift.tt/Gv062Cg
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