Just a few days ago I was complaining that Lily was hard to put down and that she didn’t want anything to do with me at bed time. Fast forward a week or so and things are much better. I’m now able to put her to sleep, and it’s taking considerably less time.
So how did we do it?
First, we cut down her nap time. She was sleeping twice a day a daycare and sleeping 1.5 hours each time. We cut that down to 1 hour at a time and it helped quite a bit.
Second, we fed her more. She’s a growing girl and an empty stomach makes her unhappy. A few extra ounces of milk, or spoonfuls of food, for dinner or before bed has helped.
Third, we take her into her room, close the door and rock her. There are less distractions, no other people or pets and it helps her focus on sleeping.
Lily has been doing much better at going to sleep and I’ve put her to bed a few times in the past week. Maybe it’s all a coincidence, but I like to think I figured something out.