Ferberization 2.0

The video yesterday of Miles half-clothed and roaming around his crib was only a taste of what we were in for last night. Now that he is able to strong-arm his way out of even our tightest swaddling job, it's harder to settle him down. And now, when he can't get out right away, he just arches his back and flips over with his arms still at his sides. It became crystal clear this morning that swaddling is no longer an option, because it's not really working and it's now become unsafe. The problem is that Miles is totally dependent on his pacifier to fall asleep, especially when he's worked up and over-tired. We've tried to ease him out of using it, but today, we had to go cold turkey, with swaddling and pacifier elimination. 

The first nap today was hard. We played the crying game (me checking in every 5 minutes to rescue him from his crawling and wailing) for 45 minutes before he finally relented and stayed on his back long enough to pass out. I did a silent cheer when I peeked in to see him finally relaxed. He only slept for about 30 minutes, but woke up happy. After his nap, he watched me in the kitchen for a good hour and a half as I prepared his next few tastes of food -- kale, butternut squash, and more pears. He loves the sound of the stick blender as his food swishes and gurgles in the jar. Seeing him so happy made me feel a little better about the baby torture chamber that his crib has become.

Just a few minutes ago he finally, he relented to nap #2. This time it only took 30 minutes and involved hardly any crying. Although he seems to be getting the hang of it, I am not looking forward to bedtime!