Maybe its the fact that Dani Jo was conceived after being told to forget about it. Maybe its because shes my 3rd and I’m just more aware of each stage. But the 3rd time around, I have been able to handle the sleep regressions much easier, so I thought I would share what helps me handle them when they hit, and how I’m able to keep my sanity (for the most part).
Get a Baby Carrier
When my daughter was in her regressions, she needed to be held most of the time. She also didn’t want to sleep either, so with the baby carrier, she gets the feeling of being close to me and held, and typically, she would always fall asleep. Once I was sure that she was in a good sleep I would carefully transfer her to the couch in the living room, and while she was asleep I’d do any chores in the living room that’d be difficult to accomplish with her on my back.
Get stuff Done ASAP
In the mornings even during her regressions, my daughter had a good few hours in the morning when she was in a good mood and would play independently. So I knew I had a good few hours to get stuff done, so I had to think about what I wanted done the most. For me, it was getting the house clean because when the house is clean, I have a clear mind and it just makes me, and everyone else feel better.
Utilize the Car
Now, I know what your thinking. “With gas prices the way they are?!” But here me out on this. My daughter always falls asleep in the car. But at the same time, I do try to conserve gas due to the high prices of everything. So, during her regressions, I will still do my errands, however, I might take a longer route, since it will give her a bit longer time to get into a deeper sleep, and at least in our case, less likely to wake up if she has to be transitioned out of the car.
Sensory Distractions
This may not work for all babies, in fact all of these may or may not work for you. But another thing my daughter just could not resist, even when she was in a regression was sensory distractions. This might be a calming youtube video, or it could even be something as simple as some frozen peas and water in a zip-lock back that they can feel. Too much sensory though is also a thing, so make sure not to expose them to too much sensory stimulation.
Go easy on yourself
Don’t expect to get a lot of accomplishments done when your baby is in their sleep regression. If you plan to get a bunch of stuff done, but then notice that your baby isnt’ sleeping very long, and are more needy than they typically are, just expect to get the bare minimum done. This way, your just not setting yourself up for failure, and if you get more done then the minimum, then that’s fantastic for you! Personally, I get hard on myself if I don’t’ get the things done that I wanted to, so whenever I start noticing regression behaviors happening, I just expect things to go into ‘maintain’ mode.
And Finally….Try to keep the routine!
I can’t stress this enough. And I get it, cause I made this mistake with my son. He’d get in these regressions and I’d totally change up his schedule and not do certain things we had made routine. This time,I have maintained the schedule and her routine, making the regressions easier to get through, epically when I implement everything I’ve listed here. These may not all work for everyone, but it works on my homestead.