Thursday, December 23, 2004

Babies in a Strange Bed

Anyone who has ever traveled knows that one of the most difficult things about the traveling is sleeping in someone else's bed.

People often have very specific desires and specifications about their beds, the temperature they prefer while sleeping, etc.

I really don't have that problem, which is nice for me. I am always hot-natured, so I don't like a lot of covers, but that is easily fixed.

The real challenge is when you have children traveling with you. They often get very spooked by the different sleeping conditions, the change in the nightly getting to sleep routine that you establish at home. No one more so than babies, who really don't know a lot about what is going on.

Ruth has cried herself to sleep for the past two nights. The first night, it began around 1:30 (when we arrived, remember) and didn't really end until about 3ish. Last night we let her cry from around 7:30 to approximately 8:30.

Now, I know how that sounds--heartless, right? Wrong. Tegan and I could (and sometimes do) go in, comfort her, etc. but its not going to help much. It's just not her room! So, the best thing to do is let her cry until she is too tired to stay awake. If you can put up with the noise that is.

This is especially hard when you are visiting others, because you worry about upsetting them by bringing a crying baby into the house. But they're related, right?

Once Ruth gives up and sleeps, then get Ariel to bed, but you can't do put her is the same room . . . at least not at first, or you'll wake Ruth up. So, get her to sleep in another room and hope that you can later transfer her sleeping form into the room she shares with Ruth.

Failing that, do what we've done the past two nights. Have one parent sneak into Ruth's room to keep her quiet if she wakes up in the night and let the other one sleep with the already unconscious Ariel.

Tegan and I sleeping in separate rooms while visiting parents. . . . It's like we're dating again!

Step count (since last mention): 9511

No comments: