Circadian Rhythm Explained and How It Impacts Sleep

Circadian Rhythm Explained and How It Impacts Sleep. How light impacts sleep.

When it comes to helping our children and ourselves get healthy sleep, there are several factors to consider and be mindful of. One such factor you will see me talk about often is the circadian rhythm.

The circadian rhythm is a sleep regulatory system. The circadian rhythm is an internal body clock. This is something within your body that helps impact your sleep patterns. Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child describes it as being something that switches on and off genes in response to light (see page 15). It is a molecular clock that is set by sunlight. The purpose of it is to ensure the body sleeps when it should and is awake when it should (along with other body factors. For the purpose of this post, we will focus on the impact it has on sleep). This sleep system is impacted genetically, so it is different from person to person (just like eye color). While it is genetic, it can be impacted by light, temperature, melatonin, and chemical reactions.

When Sleep Props Are Okay (And When to Avoid Them)

One of the cardinal rules for teaching your child to be a good sleeper is to avoid sleep props. Sleep props can create dependence that makes it hard for the child to sleep soundly, and if you ever get caught without the sleep prop, sleep will likely be impossible to attain.

Sleep props can cause such problems that you might think you should never, ever, ever go near one. That line of thinking is not correct. There are times a sleep prop is necessary given the circumstances. There are times what you might think of as a sleep prop should really be looked at as a sleep aid. There are times that a sleep prop is really a necessary tool to help your baby sleep. 

Sleep Prop Examples

Here is a list of common sleep props. Not all people would view all of these as sleep props, but they are all a prop in some way:

• Swaddle
• Sound machine
• Sleep positioner
• Sleep location other than crib (swing, rock and play, wrap...)
• Pacifier
• Rocking baby to sleep
• Nursing baby to sleep

Sleep Props That Definitely Help

All of the sleep props have a time and place they are needed. Some even have an extended period of time that they are useful. Let's discuss. This post contains affiliate links.

• Swaddle: I didn't swaddle my first born, and boy, after doing it with my girls, I would absolutely swaddle Brayden if I did it all over again. Swaddling helps prevent a baby from waking herself up by sudden, jerky movement. This isn't to say every person swaddles. It is okay if you don't. If you do, there is no need to stress over the swaddle being a "prop." When your child is ready to drop the swaddle, it is a smooth process. If you have to drop before your baby is ready for dropping, you might have a few rough days. Using a swaddle will not create a child who can't sleep independently. It is a prop that most babies naturally and easily transition from. The rest require minimal crying. See Dropping the Swaddle for more.
• Sound Machine: I was definitely a parent who worried about the detrimental effects of sleep props when I had my first baby. We lived in a studio apartment essentially (long story--remodeling a house, only the main level was done--no rooms, just open concept. So we all slept and lived in the same big room). So Brayden napped in the room with me. If I wanted to do anything, it was with him right there. And yet I was so afraid of props that I never considered white noise. It wasn't until I had more children that I accidentally realized the benefit of white noise. We used a humidifier because we live in a dry climate. I noticed that when the humidifier was on, it helped block out other noise. Well, when you have a baby and a toddler, there is a lot of noise for that baby! So we did humidifiers. And when the humidifier wasn't needed, we went to official sound machines. Today, each of my children has a sound machine in his/her room. When we travel and don't have a sound machine, it isn't a problem. They can all sleep without the sound machine. The sound is a comfort to them, but it isn't addictive. We use Graco Sound Machine and Dohm. They both have their benefits and merits, and both are great machines.
• Sleep Positioner: A sleep positioner can be very handy for a baby with reflux or a baby who needs more comfort. We used a crib wedge to help prop Kaitlyn up since she had reflux. We also used a SnuggleU with each of our girls (this is something we created, again, to help with Kaitlyn's reflux. The had something similar in the NICU and we wanted her to have one at home). Just like the sound machine, sleep positioners are not adictive. They just help a difficult sleep situation. 

Sleep Props that Can Help But Can Also Hurt

• Sleep location other than crib (swing, rock and play, wrap...): At times, a sleep location other than your baby's bed might be necessary. I found it necessary during witching hour. I found it necessary at times when Kaitlyn woke early from naps because of reflux pain. I found it necessary at times because I had older children to take care of and needed baby to sleep, no matter where, for the moment. I also found it helpful when the baby was over-stimulated and needed to just sleep. There are many situations when sleeping in a swing or in a wrap is needed and the best option. What you want to avoid is it becoming the norm. You don't want your baby unable to sleep without one of these props. In Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, Weissbluth talks about sleep in motion being less restorative than stationary sleep. Aim for sleeping in the crib, but do not fear sleep at times happening in an alternate location.
• Pacifier: The pacifier can realy cause a lot of sleep problems. It can also help babies sleep
  
  much better. Some people like the pacifier just for the sake of avoiding finger or thumb sucking. The pacifier is one sleep prop I avoided. I would use one in public if the baby was fussy and wouldn't sleep, but at home, I did not turn to it. Many people manage to use the pacifier without it leading to long-term sleep problems. Many others try it and find their baby just won't sleep soundly and through transitions (in other words, chronic short naps happening) until the pacifier is gone from their lives. I have found that people who successfully use pacifiers seem to have in common that they have set rules. They don't reinsert the pacifier over and over (and over again). It is more of a sleep aid for their baby than a sleep necessity. 
• Rocking baby to sleep: You do not want to be rocking your baby to sleep every time sleep happens. If you are, that is a sleep prop that is addictive. If your baby is having a rough time falling asleep but usually falls asleep pretty well, rocking is warranted. If you have a baby with witching hour, rocking is a great way to get through it. If you have a baby who is just overly tired and needs some help falling asleep, rocking can be great. If you just want to rock your baby to sleep every once in a while, go for it. If you want your baby to be able to fall asleep and stay asleep independently, do not rock every time it is sleep time. 
• Nursing baby to sleep: Pretty much everything I said with rocking applies to nursing. I found nursing Brinley to sleep during the witching hour to be very helpful. That is the one time a day I did it, and it meant she went to sleep instead of cried and cried. Once she outgrew witching hour, she outgrew the need to nurse to sleep. 

Conclusion

Do not be afraid of sleep props for those special circumstances and every once in a while that they are needed. Do be wary of them becoming a habit or a long-term need. Some props might be a habit and you might just decide you are willing to have that habit now and you will deal with the weaning of it at a later date. That is fine--just be aware of the need for a weaning process down the road. Some might require some cry it out, while others can simply be outgrown. Always remember my Sleep Hierarchy for Newborns. Sometimes a prop is just what your baby needs. 

Poll Results: Sleep Props

There are times when a sleep prop is a necessary tool to help your baby sleep. Some things one person views as a sleep prop another person does not. Sometimes we hear so much warning about the usage of sleep props we are afraid to use them when the situation might warrant it. While I avoid many sleep props, there are many on the sleep prop list I used with my children and highly recommend to everyone. Some examples of sleep props are (NOTE--not all people would view all of these as sleep props, but considering a sleep prop to be something that you give baby or do for baby to help baby fall sleep, let's call them all sleep props for this poll):

• Pacifier
• Sleep positioner
• Sound machine
• Swaddle
• Rocking baby to sleep
• Nursing baby to sleep
• Sleep location other than crib (swing, rock and play, wrap...)

Questions were answered here and on the Chronicles Facebook page. You will notice some questions have more answers than seem to add up. That is because people answered for different children and mostly because people used more than one sleep prop per child. 

1. What sleep props did/does your child use?

Sound Machine/Fan: 19

Blanket: 3

Sucking on Fingers/Thumb: 3

Pacifier: 13

Swaddle: 18

Rocking to Sleep: 2

Sleep Location other than Crib: 8

Crib Soother (lights/Music): 1

Lovey: 3

Music: 1

Blackout Curtains: 1

2. What age did your child start with each prop?

Birth: 23

1 Month: 2

2 Months: 3

3 Months: 1

4 Months: 2

5 Months: 1

6 Months: 1

12 Months: 1
Older than 1 year: 2

3. What age did your child end with each prop?

N/A (still using): 25

3-4 Months: 15

5-6 Months: 11

7-8 Months: 3
9-10 Months: 1

12 Months: 1

14 Months: 1

2 Years: 1

4. When you ended each prop, was it difficult for your child?

Yes: 9

Yes, a little: 10

No: 10

5. If yes to number 4, what kind of reaction was it and how long did the reaction last?

Crying before falling asleep: 14

Wake Early from Sleep: 5

Stopped Sleeping: 1

6. In retrospect, would you use that prop again?

Yes: 24

No: 4

7. Any advice on sleep props?

Anne said: The sooner you take it out easier it is. Try to help the child to be ok and flexible  sleeping with or without the prop. But I think the prop soothe them, and having a calm routine everyday makes up for one disrupted one when you are somewhere without the prop.

Jenna said:  Sound machine and swaddle are great ways to help little ones learn to sleep on their own and don't create a bad habit in my opinion. For other things, I would suggest only introducing as needed to avoid having to wean them off later if possible. Sound machine continues to be really helpful for making a different location feel more "at home".

Erin said: I've found that the earlier I weaned the props, the easier of a process it was. But I think props have a bad reputation amongst BWers. I wouldn't be afraid to use them for a time, so long as you have a plan in place for moving past them.

Rochelle said: I learned, for myself, that allowing one hand out for my daughter allowed for her to use her hand to help her transition in her sleep.

Stephanie said:  I wholeheartedly recommend a crib soother that you can travel with. The reason is because I can recreate my baby's sleep environment anywhere as long as I have the soother with me. It signals to my baby that it's time to sleep and it has made a world of difference in getting him to fall asleep.

Heather said: I wish I would have taken away the pacifier at 6 months. I've heard it is easier, and now she is so attached to it. She looks forward to sleeping because she gets her paci...

Sarah said: Have a time period in mind for how long you want to use them, and try to stick to it.  Just make sure they [pacifiers] are ALL gone! 

Brittany said: Only use if necessary and if you've exhausted all other efforts. I wish we didn't need the sound machine, but we rent a downstairs apartment and his bedroom is right off of the living room so we didn't have a choice. A lot of the sleep props listed I refused to use Bc I knew they'd be hard to break. My son can sleep other places without the sound, so I don't feel it's a real sleep prop.

Christina said: If your child doesn't take to them, don't worry about it. Sleep props can be helpful but not necessary, and children should be able to outgrow them in time. We also tried the pacifier with our daughter, but she really didn't care for it, so we didn't worry about it.

Nikole said: Use them for their purpose but don't be afraid to drop it once it's done. IMO parents hold on to soothers for far too long and create over attachment to them (more so when they're used NOT for sleep props, just all day long.)

Trish said: Use Baby Whisperer method for getting rid of them!

Carrie said: don't start it if you don't have the guts or patience to break it. if using one, try to stop it early on.

Christine said: I think as long as you are willing to put in the work to wean them from it, then there's nothing wrong with using them. Also, sometimes putting an 'age limit' on when you're going to wean can help.

Erin said: I've had great success with the ones I've used, but I would not ever rock to sleep again. That was born of desperation and it really messed up my back. I did and will try to think long term with any sleep props in the future- am I willing to continue to use this prop, or help my kiddo use this prop, for another month? Three months? 6 months? A year?

Jolene said: "Begin as you mean to go on." So true!

Jessie said: Mom's sanity comes first :) Use a prop so you can take care of yourself, but keep in mind how much you are relying on it so baby doesn't become to reliant on it. However, if you can keep up the prop (like a sound machine) without hassle on your part, why not? I like to think about if I can keep it up and also travel with it as our family lives far away and I want to enjoy our visits away from home.

Yooli said: I think much like the sleep hierarchy idea, reliable restful sleep is the ultimate goal for your kids. You do have to balance the utility of a prop against longterm problems (i.e. dental issues with pacis, for example), but if it isn't a huge harm or hassle, I think is fine. For instance, I don't really see blackout curtains and white noise as a big deal. We live in a single story house, so there isn't a lot of noise separation like you'd have in a 2-story home, so the white noise really helps DS get restful sleep. We started using blackout curtains for DS because both DH and I are sensitive to light when we sleep too (we sleep with eye masks) and we feel it just gives us all better rest. Does it mean we travel with blackout curtains and thumbtacks and our white noise machine? Yes. But we also carry our ear plugs and eye masks too and we don't bat at eye at that either. With DS' lovey, we wanted to make sure he didn't imprint on just ONE object, because we knew it could be a hassle. So from the beginning, we started with 2 loveys in different colors and alternated them for washing and in case one got lost. When he started to attach and chew on them, we quicky bought 2 more that were different and added them into the rotation. Then my mother started making them herself, all in different colors, and we added those into the mix as well. Now he's not fussy about which lovey he gets, since we've always mixed them up and they are all the same texture and size.

Christine said: Any advice on sleep props? We tried our best to only do certain types of sleep props... and tried to not do certain things at all that we weren't willing to do long term (rock to sleep, nurse to sleep, sleeping anywhere other than the crib). I don't regret using a pacifier or swaddle, and actually miss being able to give him his pacifier and he would just lay right down and go to sleep (now he cries for 10 seconds or so), but I do like that he doesn't "need" that to sleep now. Beyond thankful for BabyWise and this community - my son is a reliable 12 hour sleeper at night and fast asleep by 6:45 every night, wouldn't have been able to do it without these resources!

Poll Discussion: Sleep Props

There are times when a sleep prop is a necessary tool to help your baby sleep. Some things one person views as a sleep prop another person does not. Sometimes we hear so much warning about the usage of sleep props we are afraid to use them when the situation might warrant it. While I avoid many sleep props, there are many on the sleep prop list I used with my children and highly recommend to everyone. Some examples of sleep props are (NOTE--not all people would view all of these as sleep props, but considering a sleep prop to be something that you give baby or do for baby to help baby fall sleep, let's call them all sleep props for this poll):

• Pacifier
• Sleep positioner
• Sound machine
• Swaddle
• Rocking baby to sleep
• Nursing baby to sleep
• Sleep location other than crib (swing, rock and play, wrap...)

It is very helpful for me when compiling answers if you at least number the answers you give. You can also copy the questions and answer them. If the question does not apply to you, simply put "N/A."

1. What sleep props did/does your child use?

2. What age did your child start with each prop?

3. What age did your child end with each prop?

4. When you ended each prop, was it difficult for your child?

5. If yes to number 4, what kind of reaction was it and how long did the reaction last?

6. In retrospect, would you use that prop again?

7. Any advice on sleep props?

Toys in Bed

Every so often, I get a question about the appropriateness of toys in bed. As in most things with parenting, this depends on your child. Not only does it depend on your child in general, but it depends on your child at the moment. At some stages, toys are a distraction from naptime. At other stages, they are something that seem to help naptime happen.

Young Babies
As a newborn, your child does not need any sort of toy in bed. You might have a mobile. If so, be mindful of the possibility that the mobile could distract from sleep. Some babies might look at it and get overstimulated or be so interested in it that they miss the sleep window. Others might look at it and peacefully slip into slumber.

Both of my children had a mobile as a young baby. It wasn't a problem for either child. Our mobile has very mild colors. It also is just a mobile; it doesn't move or make music at all. If your mobile does move and/or play music, I would caution you against turning it on for naptime or bedtime. You don't want your child to become dependent on it for sleep. You want to avoid sleep props .

You want to be sure you take the mobile down once your child can reach it. Brayden only had it for a couple of months, but Kaitlyn had it for quite a while (though I can't remember exactly how long).

Older Babies
You might put a stuffed animal in the bed with your baby. I did this with Brayden around 6 months. I actually started it with Kaitlyn from birth, but it was at the opposite end of the crib from her so it wasn't anywhere near her. If you do this, be sure it is a safe stuffed animal with no parts that can come off and be choked on (like buttons or eyes that could be pulled off). These stuffed animals are "friends" for my kids. They have never been a problem for sleep. Both of my kids would go to sleep without a problem. When they woke up, they would "talk" to the "friends."

12-24 Months
This is an age when any sort of toy can really start to become a distraction. Both of my kids still had stuffed animals in this age range. Kaitlyn (21 Months) likes to hug one sometimes as she falls asleep. She doesn't ever play with them before sleep. We have to set them up so they are all sitting along one crib rail. Then she goes to sleep. When she wakes up, she will play with them and talk to them. If I go in to get her right away, she is disappointed because she wanted to play with her babies.

When we moved Brayden from the crib to his twin bed, I was really glad he had his "friends" that he was familiar with. When we moved him, he moved beds and bedrooms. I was glad for him to have something familiar to sleep with. We plan to move Kaitlyn this month sometime, also, and I am sure her babies will help with a smooth transition. See crib to bed transition for mroe on this.

Also, Brayden has a love for one of his "friends" in particular. When he had his surgery last month, he was able to take that friend in the operating room with him. They bandaged him up just like Brayden. His bond with this stuffed animal helped him through this scary process.

2-3 Years
You can continue with the special friends. You might also start to think about something like a toy car for your child to play with. If you do give him a car, pay close attention to what happens. He might play with it for a few minutes then drift to sleep. But he also might play with it so long it takes him past his second wind and prevents sleep from happening.

3 Years and Up
During the third year, your child will likely start to drop the nap some days. Throughout Brayden's fourth year (ages 3-4), we have had to vary what does and doesn't go in his bed. At the beginning of his fourth year, he had nothing in bed with him for naps except for a blanket and pillow. That helped him to sleep better. As the year went on, he started to not sleep well for naps. So we gave him one to two cars and a couple of "friends" for a nap. That again got him sleeping well.

Over the last 2-3 months (he is currently 3.5 months shy of 4 years old), he has moved more and more toward rest time rather than nap time. He now has one or two cars, his friends, and a few books. Some days he sleeps, others he doesn't, but during his nap or rest time, he is quiet and stays in bed without a problem.

Summary
No matter the age of your child, whether or not toys are in bed with him is up to you to decide. There is no "rule" that says it is always okay or always not okay. If you see toys are a problem, remove them. If you see toys help naptime go more smoothly and happen, use them. Here are a few guidelines I would use:

• Delay Introduction of Toys in Bed: I would wait until you see a need for a toy in bed before you ever introduce it. Putting it in earlier than the child is able to handle it is akin to giving a freedom too soon. If it turns out the toy is a hindrance to naptime, your child might be really upset when you take it.
• Analyze All Angles: Before trying the toy in bed, be sure you analyze all other possible reasons for poor naps. You don't want to offer a toy when what your child really needs is more waketime. See sleep problems and optimal waketime for help in this.
• Keep the Quantity Low: Your child doesn't need every beloved toy in bed with him. A couple will suffice.
• Take Note of Effect: This might be a good time to keep a log (see log ). Before you give the toy, keep a log of how long it takes him to fall asleep and how the nap goes. After you give the toy, do the same. Then you can concretely see if it is helping or hurting.
• Pay Attention: If the toy helps, pay attention to watch for it to become a problem. It can. If the toy becomes a distraction, remove it.
• Avoid Props: I would avoid letting this become a prop. I would rotate toys if needed to ensure that your child will not be particular about which toy, book, or stuffed animal he has. I like to have my children able to sleep so that wherever they are, they can go to sleep. I don't want to have to remember to pack certain toys or items to help them sleep. If we are at Grandma's, I grab a stuffed animal she has there. Even though my kids have had the same stuffed animals for basically their entire lives, they are fine with having different ones. Monitor your child so you don't create a prop.

Related Blog Labels:

• toys
• log
• optimal waketime
• sleep problems
• sleep props
• crib to bed transition

Baby Whisperer: Sensible Sleep

image source

In the book Secrets of the Baby Whisperer, Tracy Hogg talks about steps to creating sensible sleep. This starts on page 172.

• Start as you mean to go on. For more on this idea, see Baby Whisperer: Start as You Mean to Go On : http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/08/baby-whisperer-start-as-you-mean-to-go.html. In terms of sleep, just think through how you want your child to sleep in the long run. Everything you do teaches your baby. If you teach him that he needs to be rocked for 30 minutes before a nap, that is what he is going to need in order to fall asleep. I remember when Kaitlyn was 5 days old. For the first time, she wasn't just falling asleep. I sat down and started to rock her. Before she was born, I had decided we wouldn't start CIO until she was 3 weeks old. As I rocked her and she didn't fall asleep, I realized that was silly. Why would I teach her to need to be rocked only to take that away a few weeks later? That didn't seem fair to her. So I put her in her bed and braced myself. She actually went to sleep without a peep.
• Independence is not neglect. I know we often feel guilty about teaching our kids independence, especially with our first child. But do know it is not neglect. You are doing what is best for your child.
• Observe without intervention. Understand your baby's sleep cycle and observe and don't interfere with that cycle. Let baby fall asleep on own.
• Don't make your baby dependent on props. This is anything from a pacifier, to nursing to sleep, to being held or rocked. Know that when you use these things, you are teaching your child to be dependent on them. Also, Hogg points out that a prop is different from a transitional object. A transitional object is something your child adopts; your child chooses and controls rather than mom or dad choosing and controlling. But this doesn't usually happen until 7-8 months old according to Hogg. Let baby discover how to calm herself.
• Develop bedtime and naptime rituals. Do it the same way each time. See this post for more: Sleep Routine: http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/01/sleep-routine.html
• Know how your baby goes to sleep. Nothing works for everyone. You must get to know your baby, and that will take some time. This is a good time to use your log: BW Tips and Tricks: Keep a Log: http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2007/12/tips-and-tricks-keep-log.html and Problem Solving Tip: Detailed Log : http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/03/problem-solving-tip-detailed-log.html. I know some moms like to distract themselves during sleep training with earplugs or an iPod or something. Hogg recommends this (though she isn't really a CIO advocate, see below). My husband would try to get me to do the same. The problem I see with such a practice is that it doesn't allow you to get to know your baby. I have to know and monitor my babies cries. By listening each time, I get to know the pattern. I can also judge if something is wrong. So I personally like to listen and listen well (even though it is sad for me).

Hogg does not advocate CIO, though she does advocate baby learning to sleep on own. I am honestly a bit confused as to her exact CIO policy because her method for baby learning to sleep does involve crying, though she says it doesn't. I am not really sure. If you are interested in trying her method, you will have to read her book and interpret it.

Related Posts:

• baby whisperer
• CIO
• pacifiers

Reader Comments/Advice:

• Jasmine said...
  If you read her third book "The Babywhisperer Solves All Your Problems" you'll find a lot more detail and ways to troubleshoot. In fact she provides techniques to use besides CIO that help you with getting the baby to sleep without props. She does differentiate between what she calls a mantra cry (the noises/cry a baby sometimes makes when settling) which you don't rush into and a serious cry which you attend. The techniques used are the wind down routine, the shush/pat, and the pick up put down when appropriate. Anyway that other book helped me tremendously, and so has your blog. Thanks!
  September 15, 2008 1:25 PM
  Plowmanators said...
  Jasmine, that is good information. Thanks!
  
  September 22, 2008 3:29 PM
• Jessica said...
  I echo Jasmine. From what I remember of Hogg's book her method including picking the baby up and when they stopped crying immediately putting them down. Didn't she say she had to do that over 100 times with one baby?I must admit that I am a rocker (a BW no-no) and I do not regret it. That is what is best for our family. To me, that is part of me being a mother, a very enjoyable part. I do understand why others do not rock. Each family, and child, are so very different.
  September 15, 2008 4:40 PM
  Plowmanators said...
  Thanks Jessica! You are right, you have to do what works for each baby.
  September 22, 2008 3:30 PM
• Lorri said...
  Yeah her method is that they don't CIO ALONE. She says she is an advocate for your baby and that changing a routine for a baby- ie not rocking them any more etc- and then letting them try to figure it out on their own is not the way to do things.I have to admit, I tried her PU/PD method last week. My little one didn't have any problems falling asleep for naps or for night time-but once he woke up-he had a hard time getting himself back to sleep. So I thought that maybe him falling asleep on his own to go to bed might be a fluke.
  
  After doing that routine for a week I haven't seen a single bit of improvement like I did following Babywise. At this point he actually doesn't even fall asleep initially like he use to. I have learned that when I'm in the room with my baby when he is trying to sleep-he wants to be picked up. Hogg says that after they start crying, you pick them up until they stop and then immediately put them down-continuing the shush and patting until they've fallen into a deep sleep. I'm not sure how the babies don't then use that as a sleep prop-she doesn't explain that.
  
  Some kids though-like my scooter are social butterflies and if there is someone in the room with them-but that person isn't playing with them or picking them up-it makes them more mad and they won't ever go to sleep. My husband and I evaluated the past week. We decided that being in the room with little Scoots does more damage than having him fall asleep on his own without us in there.
  September 16, 2008 11:36 AM
  Plowmanators said...
  Lorri, thanks for more clarification--I think her initial idea of CIO and my initial idea of CIO. My son was the same as your son :)
  September 22, 2008 3:33 PM
• bradysmom said...
  Jessica - I am a rocker too. However, I don't rock to sleep. I work, so I don't see my LO all day. I put him to bed and after he eats I put him on my chest and we sit and rock in teh rocking chair, while patting his back, for maybe a minute. I do this 1 - to see if there are any more burps in there; and 2 - that's my time to cuddle with him. I also feel like it helps him to just wind down and cuddle with mommy. I know BW says it's a no-no, but it's a very special time for me! And most of the time when I put him in his crib he's awake. Just my 2 cents! :-)
  September 16, 2008 12:29 PM
  Plowmanators said...
  Bradysmom, I don't think rocking while awake would be considered a no-no for BW at all.
  September 22, 2008 3:35 PM
• Jessica said...
  Lorri - I have never understood how that particular method isn't considered a sleep prop either. I read another book (Lull A Baby Sleep Plan, I believe) where the author encouraged you to sit by your baby's bed and sing, read, talk, etc. them to sleep. She said that as long as your baby went to sleep in their own bed that it was not a sleep prop.Bradysmom - I have just recently gone back to work (this week) for 3 days and I know what you mean about wanting to cuddle with your little one. About the rocking, BW thinks it is fine as long as you are not using it to get your baby to sleep. That is where I part with BW. Frequently, I do rock my little girl to sleep and at times she doesn't want it, she will wiggle and want you to just lay her in her crib. I would say it is a sleep prop for her because when I go to sit in the rocker she starts crying but all I have to do is insert the pacifier and those little peepers close. Hopefully, I don't get razzed to bad for that, ha!
  September 16, 2008 6:06 PM