Easy as 1, 2, 3...

Well, at 7 months and 20 days, Reid finally SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! Honestly, it was so easy that I feel really silly for not figuring this out sooner. Last week I reached the point when I knew that we needed to make some changes. He was still waking up 5-6 times a night. I was feeding him almost every time because it was the only thing that would calm him down. We were both worn out. Chris and I came up with a game plan and on Friday night we were geared up and ready to go! From Friday night to Monday night he decreased the number of times he got up by about one time each night and then finally last night he slept from 8 - 7! I am doing a dream feed at 10:30, but he pretty much sleeps right through that. Here is what worked for us...
1. Adjusted the Environment - We put a night light in his room (actually a Scentsy plug in) which created the perfect amount of light. I would really recommend Scentsy plug ins for nursery night lights! It also smells great which is a bonus. I used to keep the room pitch black thinking that was what babies needed to sleep. It occurred to me that maybe he was scared when he woke up. Hello! Why didn't I think of this sooner? Such a rookie... :) We also got a different sound machine. We had been using the sleep sheep, but it turns off after about 45 minutes. We decided that maybe he needed something that would stay on all night. We turned the volume up really high too! We put about 6 pacifiers in his crib in addition to the one that he falls asleep with in his mouth.

2. Ferber Method (kind of) - I used to go into his room the second he made a peep. Chris and I decided together that we would let him fuss for about 3 minutes each time before we would go in.

3. DADDY WENT IN! - I am convinced that this is what really made the difference. For the last 4 nights, I sent Chris in instead of me. Normally, when I would go in, his crying would escalate and escalate until I fed him. Well, wouldn't you know, Chris went in, rubbed his tummy, put his pacifier back in if it had fallen out, and walked out of the room. He went right to sleep every single time.

It is amazing what a full night of sleep can do! It was SO much easier than I ever thought it would be. I got myself so worked up over this and now I can't believe we didn't try these things sooner. Reid is such an easy baby, so I should have known that this wouldn't have been very hard. I realize that it may not happen every night, but I will take a few nights here and there! :)

He was a little grumpy when I started taking his picture this morning to document the occasion! I don't blame him. I wouldn't want a camera in my face right when I woke up either! :)