When in Doubt, Stroll it Out

You tried everything; rocking, swaddling, music and singing. Your baby is still wide eyed and bushy tail. The time reads 4:00 am. You try feeding her but she spits it out immediately. A fire begins to burn in the pit of your stomach from frustration and sleepiness. To make matters worst, your baby starts to cry. Every ounce of you wants to run into the bathroom and scream living your infant to fend for themselves.

I have been in this situation plenty of times as a new mom times two (I have twins). I have gotten so frustrated that I woke my fiance up an hour before he had to go to work to take over. One of my daughters would stay up from 12 am to 7 am every night when she turned two months. I tried everything but nothing seemed to sooth her. I started to feel like a failure. I just assumed that because I was her mother, she would automatically calm down in my arms. I learned that was just a myth.

I began to get creative.

When in Doubt, Stroll it Out

Stroller Frame 

For those who have one infant, this tip maybe easier than those, like myself, who have multiples. I decided that I was going to stroll my daughter in the middle of the living room and around the apartment. This was a challenge because my apartment was very small and I have double stroller frame, which is a car seat attachment stroller. I call it the "Hummer" because it is big, wide and long. Although exhausted, I knew this had to work. I retrieved the stroller frame the nursery, trying hard not to wake the other twin. I placed the car seat in the frame, wrapped Mya and placed her in the car seat. I moved the living room set out the way for more room and we went up and down the living room, in the hall way, in the kitchen and back into the living room. At first, it didn't seem to work because she noticed that we weren't going outside and every scenery were looking the same and repeating. After 10 minutes, Mya's eyes began to roll in the back of her head. My heart began to beat faster in anticipation that this was the end. Slowly her head nodded back and forth. I stopped strolling and watched her for 15 minutes (15 minutes in the maximum time I wait to make sure that they are fully asleep). After the time frame, I picked her up and put her in her swing (she does not sleep in the crib, which I mentioned in a previous blog). Needless to say, she did not wake up until 12pm.

This method does not always work and every child is different. If you live in a safe neighborhood, you could try going around your block. This depends on the time of night as well. If you are up to it, you can take your infant for a ride in the car.

This is where routines come in, which I will do a blog on. I learned the hard way. Routines are even more important when you have multiples.

What are some other creative ways you have tried to get your fussy baby to go to sleep? Leave comments and thank you for reading!