Lulled

There's an easy way to get Lyla down for a nap and a hard way. The easy way is to rock her or feed her until her brain and body surrender, and then lay her limply in her crib or chair. The hard way is to put her down when she's awake and let her fall asleep on her own.

You can imagine which way is better for Lyla's development. If you have an easy time getting to sleep now as an adult, it's probably because your parents taught you how to fall asleep when you were little. And I bet it wasn't easy.

The experts say you shouldn't go from feeding directly to bed; instead, do some kind of physical activity in between, even if it's just changing the diaper. That way, she puts herself to sleep. At least theoretically she does.

I must admit that there are instances when I just have to lull the kid into oblivion. I need a shower, or I need a sandwich, and so on. But I'm getting to the point where by paying attention to routine and Lyla's signals, I can anticipate her need for sleep and take her maybe 80% of the way there and leave the other 20 to her. It doesn't always work, but more often lately, it does.

I suppose it helps that she has become a full-fledged thumb sucker, which pacifies her when the actual pacifier falls out. And if it's not the thumb, then it's a finger or two or the entire hand or both hands. I'm waiting for her to discover her toes to see if she's calmed by stuffing all ten digits in her mouth at once. Hopefully she won't be a sleep-roller.