Operation Sleep: The Third Night

Last night was the final night of the first phase -- it went ok. Molly didn't do great, but she didn't do horribly either. She woke up about three times during the night, protested half heartedly about the short nursing sessions, and then was up at 5 a.m. for good (blasted time change! ;). She took two good naps today and was her normal, jolly little self.

Tonight is the first night of phase two, and I'm predicting that there's a stormy night ahead of us. Here are the rules for the next three nights:

Again, the nursing to sleep stops at 11 p.m. When she wakes up, hug her and cuddle her for a few minutes, but do not feed her, put her down awake. Putting her down awake is a crucial part of this whole endeavor because it really does teach her to fall asleep with a little less contact and then a little less. Not feeding is the big change during these three nights. One-year-old babies can easily go for those seven hours (or more) with no calories. They like to get fed a little through the night, but physiologically and nutritionally, this is not a long time to go without food.

Try telling that to Molly! I have a feeling she'll be really disappointed when she doesn't get the "Mmmmbies" on demand. There's a good chance that Juan Valdez might be my new best buddy come morning.