twinutero

There wasn’t supposed to be a Part 4.

Alex, bless his soul, has defied every parenting book written by still waking up several times a night.

We reduced his milk supply gradually (see Part 3) until he got only two ounces when he woke. Then we cut him off completely. That was an unpopular and painful move, but it seemed to work – briefly. There were a few nights where he slept straight through until 5 am, his usual waking time.

Unfortunately, our triumph was brief. He started waking again when we went on holiday (ha – holiday) out east. I gave him water when he woke because I couldn’t handle the shrieking. He accepted water, and went back to sleep.

When we returned home, we again cut him off from his night time drinking. It has been at least six weeks now that he not been “rewarded” for waking: no bottles; no cuddles. My husband only opens his door slightly and says “It’s night time. Time to sleep.” This, unbelievably, settles him. We have gone from several bottles a night to a brief comment from the doorway.

But he still wakes up! Night after night. I can only conclude that it is his temperament. Alex is easily unsettled. He doesn’t like new places or loud noises, and is quickly perturbed by Jon (who of course revels in provoking his twin brother). Alex is also high, high energy. He’s built like a miniature marathon runner and carries on like one too. I think “sleep training” has a role and is often necessary but I also think some kids just won’t bend to (or maybe just insist on breaking) the sleep training rules.