We've been having problems putting Sam on his back pretty much since he was born. He cries when we put him flat on his back whether it's to play, nap, or change his diaper. This means that he's been sleeping with us since he was born because we couldn't get him to sleep in his crib. He doesn't have any symptoms of reflux, so it pretty much comes from being held since he was born (he's just too cute to put down). Mommy and Daddy's arms are getting tired, and sleeping in the swing and bouncer isn't good quality sleep, so it's time to get him used to being on his back, especially before we have to take him to day care.
The first thing that we bought is an alphabet and numbers puzzle play mat. We wanted him to get used to laying on his back doing something fun before we moved on to naptime. We got the mat because we really didn't have any where in the house to sit on the floor and play with Sam since our whole house has wood floors. We put all of his toys out on the mat and started playing there still holding him. Then we started putting him on his back for a little while at a time. He cried at first, but that didn't last very long. Now he'll even lay on the mat for a little bit of tummy time every now and then. You can tell that he gets frustrated because he can't make his little body do what he wants. He really wants to be able to sit up and play with all of his toys.
I've also been trying to read books to him since he was born. He hasn't been interested though. One of the ladies in the Mommy's class suggested that I lay on my back next to him, hold the book over him, and read to him that way. I was skeptical, but it worked! When his is crying on his mat, the books actually calm him down. He looks from page to page and smiles and laughs. We love it!
I visited the day care where Sam will be going, Twin Oaks, this week. It's time to start putting Sam on a nap schedule and I figured that we should put him on the schedule that they use. I was also feeling a little nervous about putting him in day care. I feel a lot better now. The ladies spent an hour with me walking me through their daily routine and answering my questions. While I was there, they showed me the Bumbo chair. It helps babies sit up when they aren't strong enough to do it on their own. I had to get one for Sam. He loves it. He can look around, see all of the action, and see all of his toys.
You might wonder how I've had time to write such a long post .... Well, Sam has been asleep in his crib for the last hour and a half. I'm not risking taking a picture of that yet though. We decided that we were moving Sam out of the bed this weekend. The plan for nighttime is to start with the bassinet by the bed, then move to the pack 'n play still in our room, and then finally to his crib. We are also going to try to get at least two naps during the day in the crib. Chris is taking off on Monday because we expect it to be a long weekend. I slept with my hand on him, but he still cried a lot. It breaks our hearts, but it's the best thing for all of us.
We're also throwing in some cute pictures of Sam's bathtime. He'd love it if it wasn't for the soap.
-- Emily
