Can you talk about what "not being allowed to sleep naturally" means? This is something I've been thinking a lot about, with the strict guidelines about not putting anything in the crib with the baby, etc. Little Bear sleeps very well in the arms of a moving adult, and also sleeps quite well lying flat on her back on our bed or in a portable basket with a light blanket over her lower half -- we only do this when we're awake and in the room with her. But when we but her to bed in her bassinet (the only place she can safely be while we're both asleep), she rarely sleeps soundly and then only for an hour or two. This is normal, I understand, but I can't help wondering whether there's some correlation between increased restriction of safe sleeping environments for babies and increased autoimmune issues in children. Does Maté say anything about that?
I would like to encourage you to consider cosleeping... I did so and felt it was a fantastic way to stay very responsive to my children. The baby does not have to fully wake to screaming before getting help, and mom doesn't have to fully wake to just nurse a bit or give a reassuring touch. There's lots of info over here if you have questions: http://www.cosleeping.org/... )
Our bassinet is designed for just that sidecar arrangement -- though the bassinet mattress is a few inches lower than the bed so she can't roll out of it, which also means I have to sit up to bring her into our bed to nurse. For a few nights Kyle and I switched sides, on the theory that Little Bear wasn't sleeping soundly because she could smell my milk... but it didn't make any difference. As for a reassuring touch, that makes sense to me, but it only seems to wake her up more. We'll just keep trying putting her to bed in the bassinet every night until it takes
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I'm not at the really tricky ages yet, but my 5&3 year olds have really reasonable sleep schedules that allow them to wake up without our interference. Actually, my 1 year old is doing alright, as well. We try to keep them on a pretty consistent schedule (with a bed time, but not a 'stop reading' time). We have mentioned to our five year old on a few tired mornings that she can put her book down earlier. I don't know how old Little Bear is (Ursula?), but so far it has seemed to work out eventually, putting down on a schedule and being as patient as possible to let the rest of the night naturally develop. We might have particularly good night sleepers, though (to make up for being non-existent nappers). Sorry to ramble at you, and to take up K's journal. It is the the Little Bear that catches my eye. -- Megan Ursula
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I don't know how old Little Bear is (Ursula?), but so far it has seemed to work out eventually, putting down on a schedule and being as patient as possible to let the rest of the night naturally develop. We might have particularly good night sleepers, though (to make up for being non-existent nappers).
Sorry to ramble at you, and to take up K's journal. It is the the Little Bear that catches my eye.
-- Megan Ursula
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