To sleep, perchance to dream...

At Yerba Buena Gardens

So the insomnia fairy has landed in our home and tapped her wand on our dear Ronan's head. We're not sure if it was his shots on Thursday.... or his teething.... or his general dislike for having his eyes closed.... but sleep has become a HUGE issue for us lately. We used to be able to rock him to sleep with only minimal crying and straining. We would swaddle him (super tightly, like a straightjacket) and either prop him up on our chests or lay him sideways in our arms. Then it would just take about 15-20 minutes of jiggling to get him to dreamland. Up until about 3 weeks ago, he'd sleep through the night.

NOW that he's a BIG boy, sleep has gotten so much harder! He has figured out that his parents are fun (perhaps?) and that sleep is a very yucky thing. So he fights it -- with all his might. He strains, he cries, he coughs, he sweats. He arches his back. He cries real tears! The jiggling and rocking no longer soothe him, so we've tried big swings and jogging him around the house, and he still won't go to sleep! The bedtime process went from half an hour to over 2 hours --- leaving us all completely exhausted and braindead. My last resort has been nursing him to sleep, which used to work like a charm until last week when he figured that if he talked and babbled and smiled at me, then he wouldn't have to go to sleep. And it worked for awhile. How could I force a bright-eyed, happy baby to sleep when he's saying "AAAHMAAAAA" to me??!

We were concerned that he was truly in pain (all that screaming) and that's why he couldn't fall asleep in our arms. But once we put put him on the bed and started playing with him he was all smiles and giggles. Pick him up again and he cried. Put him down and he smiled. Go figure.

There are many sleep approaches out there. We've always been in the "soothe to sleep" camp, but we're nearing the end of our rope and our boy is getting much more savvy! Ultimately, we want him to have control over his sleep and not have to depend on us every single time he's tired. Plus, it can be disorienting and scary to fall asleep in one place (rocked in our arms) and wake up in another (all alone in the dark). Is "cry it out" the answer? And how old should he be? Most sleep experts say 6 months... but is it harmful at 4 months? Is it the best approach for super-energetic little bunnies like Ronan? Will he ever forgive us for not going to him when he cries? Will WE be able to handle it??