Disciplining the Kid

Wow, tonight is when we start to train Julian to fall asleep on his own and to not always demand to be carried. It breaks my heart but we are implementing the Controlled Crying technique where we let him fret/cry for certain periods of time before going to reassure him that we are there but that he has to go to sleep. Then we leave - without picking him up. Oh my Heart! :(

Tonight we put him to bed following his bedtime routine at 10pm. He fretted by himself for approximately 10 mins then it escalated into crying full force by 10.15pm. We let him cry for 10 minutes then checked on him. We told him gently and firmly while patting him that it was bedtime and we love him. Then we left him again. He almost immediately stopped crying after that! But then it started up again for a little while before winding down and he fell asleep!

Then later in the night it started again and we waited 10 minutes again however, since it was about 2 hours since his last feed, we thought it best to feed him - after all, we are not trying to be cruel to the little tyke! Just some discipline but he needs to know we love him and will be there for him when it's necessary, not cos he demands it!

After the feed, we told him again it was bedtime, kissed him goodnight and put him down to bed. So far, so good.....he hasn't fallen asleep yet but my keyboard is rather loud......though we need to ensure he can sleep with some noise cos no situation/environment can be perfectly silent.

It's most definitely not easy - I had to leave the room the first round cos I can't bear to hear him cry and most assuredly, mothers!, steel yourself when you go in for reassurance - the little tiny face is almost too much to bear with little red swollen eyes and wet cheeks - lordy!

If your kid doesn't stop crying after the first ten minute check, you've gotta wait a little while longer like 12 or 15 minutes before the next check and keep lengthening the duration of letting him cry. Although like Ju Han stresses, we have to be aware that after some long crying periods, legitimate reasons for him to cry such as he is hungry or dirty or uncomfortable could arise, so to be aware of that and to check for that too.....

So, I pray that Julian learns this lesson quickly so we both don't have to cry so much! :)