Mumsnet/GF in the Times

[pooka]

\link{http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2171122.html\here}
You need to scroll down a bit.

who's David Tennant?

highlander!

DS is now sleeping through - mostly. Generally wakes only once for a pat on the back. Was waking at 5:30 am until my lovely neighbour recommended a black-out blind underneath the curtains !!!!!!!!!!!! I feel almost drunk on the sleep I'm getting

Were you feeding him to sleep? Feeding in the night? Or have I misrembered that bit. My lovely neighbour shouts "Shut up".

I was doing the full Monty - feeding to sleep and feeding back to sleep - every 2 hours. Oh God, how did I cope?

I remember your thread with the neighbour - can't you call the police to stop him hassling you? I could send DS round to him and subject him to a 'no, you're not having a chocolate biscuit' tantrum

Need to sell the house so have to keep cool and . How did you stop the feeding? Cold turkey with lots of crying for a few nights? Any tips gratefully received.

Highlander, I had blackout lined curtains from day 1 as I read GF's CLB book together with many others which did not mention this tip. So malign her all you like, you have to admit she knows some good stuff.

GF was first off the mark with blackout curtains????????? WHY DID NO-ONE TELL ME THAT?!!!!!!!!!

Tinker - we were co-sleeping with DS from 12 months as his sleep was awful and I was knackered. I just went cold turkey with the booby one night, but still co-slept (he was about 16 months I think). So, bathed etc as normal, but instead of feeding him to sleep, cuddled him instead. He absolutely howled the house down for 30 mins, but then conked out. Wailed for a further hour in the middle of the night, but that was it. I don't think we ever had to suffer that again. For a couple of weeks, he would wake frequently (3-4 times) in the night, but would settle quickly with a cuddle. About every 3rd night he would sleep right through.

When the warmer weather arrived (18-19 months) his sleep deteriorated as our room was too warm with 3 sweaty bodies! So we simply transferred the whole routine to his room. He has a toddler bed that he can get in and out of. Full overhead light on for getting into PJs, selct 3 books, switch on bedisde lamp, books outside, nightlight only on - usually a whinge for 5 mins. I (or DH) sits at the end of his bed, upright so it's uncomfortable for him to sleep on us, but we're there for cuddles. He always crawls off us and settles himself to sleep.

This week I'm going to try sitting in the chair and insisting that he lies on the bed by himself. Not entirely sure how easy this will be!

Could you go and stay with a sympathetic friend for a few days to do sleep training and thus avoid the nast neighbour?

I bought blackout fabric in 1984 for dd1

highlander - thanks for that.

Have thought about going away to my mum's for sleep training. Or wait until next door venture beyond their usual 1 mile radius of their home and go away for a week.

Think they had balckout curtains in the war so if GF first off the mark with those she looking really well for such an old woman!!!

The point is not that she "discovered" the benefit of blackout curtains (and in WW2 I believe the purpose was to keep light in rather than out), the point is that she felt it a worthwhile tip to pass on to parents of babies/small children. None of my friends who already had babies/children mentioned the potential benefit of blackout curtains nor did the ante-natal classes or midwives/health visitors.

Over the past 3 years I have passed the tip on to other parents with children older than ds, one couple found such a marked improvement in the sleep patterns of their dd that they bought dh and I a bottle of very nice wine as a thankyou present.

Before ds came along I was a career woman with little idea of successfully laundering non dry- clean only clothes to get pureed carrott (orange)stains out and thought a nice light/bright nursery was the best idea. Reading the CLB book made me pause and think a bit more practically but I did read lots of other books too. (Those were the days, plenty of time to read in a leisurely fashion)

Hey light in/light out they were black out curtains!!!

actually I think black out curtains are a pants idea
Gina Ford's books talk a lot about the "wrong" sleep associations - I think that taeching newborn babies to sleep only in their cots in dark, silent rooms is pure madness and will restrict your freedoms and your flexibility
what about if you want to go out for the day
what about if you want to go away for the aweekend
what about if you want to go on holiday - do you have to take black out blinds?
what about if you have more than one child and you have to do the school run or collect the other child during nap time and you want the other child to sleep in the pram or the car?

Here Here - would hate my life if I couldn't just nip out and see friends - think it would be a recipe for PND to be honest!!!

by the way, not saying that I can't see their limited usefulness to encourage older babies to sleep for longer or establish a good sleep pattern in an older baby. but that is not what Gina Ford is recommending in her books.

Ds does the majority of his sleeping at home at that's therefore the only place where I bother with blackout lined curtains. In our case it has not led to a dependancy situation, however, we personally use our imagination elsewhere if the curtains are very thin and unlined (blankets/towels take seconds to be draped over a curtain rail).

Ds slept/sleeps when he's tired when we're away from home but his body clock did seem to be conditioned by good earlier sleep patterns being established. He happily slept/sleeps in pram/buggy/car seat if tired enough and I could not have borne being tied to the house to stick to "Matron"'s rigid patterns, I'd have ended up with PND for sure as we had a very small hoouse at the time. Ds slept in a pram in the garden for one of his daytime naps as he was a spring/summer baby.

Mmmm Harpsi I have wondered exactly that - how come 'sleep associations' don't apply to blackout curtains in her book?
We got some last month because dd kept waking up early so I bet now when we try to go camping she'll wake up the moment it gets light and refuse to go down for an afternoon nap at all.

Kathy1972, camping involves lots of fresh air, we find that practically drugs ds into 12 hour sleeps anyway.

We find that holidays/weekends away are just so exciting for ds that he only naps when he crashes out as he desperately doesn't want to miss anything.

I wouldn't worry.

Thanks Normsnockers

disagree about blackout curtains
DD had them as a baby, she still has them now at 3.5 as morning sun shines right in her window and she has poor eyesight but it is extremely light sensitive.
However she sleeps anywhere when we are away so long as she has the things she needs, her blanket and dolls etc.

Aaah Piffle, the soporific effect of teddy (or whatever), the portable sleep association item.

Fantastic and that's all I'm going to say given my new name and all.

yes but it needs a centre page spread in the Daily Mail

spent a fortune on blackout blind for DS room .. then moved house when he was 4 months old and never got round to buying one for new house

the result ... DS and DD sleep anywhere with any amount of light