Shortly after I brought my first baby home from the hospital, I was advised to not get into the habit of rocking her to sleep. The advice went something along the lines of, "if you start the habit of rocking her to sleep, then you will always have to rock her to sleep." It was spoken as if rocking a baby to sleep was a bad thing.
Thankfully, my natural desire to hold and cuddle my daughter was much stronger than that advice. We found rocking to sleep to be a very warm, loving, peaceful way to fall asleep. I enjoyed that quiet, relaxing time of sitting and rocking with my baby in my arms. Logically, I knew that there was no way it was going to happen forever, because how many teenagers do you know who sit on their Mama's lap and rock to sleep every night?
In our time of nurturing babies and toddlers, we've rocked in a wooden rocking chair, a glider, and 2 different recliners. Some couples trade up for better vehicles....we trade up for better rocking furniture! We rock at naptime. We rock at bedtime. We rock during breastfeeding. We rock away colds and congestion. We rock away teething pains. Sometimes we just sit and rock for fun while watching a movie.
Bedtime routines are not disrupted during travel because Granny & PawPaw have rocking recliners too. PawPaw is more than happy to watch a movie with the grandkids, while rocking the youngest grandbaby to sleep.
Thankfully, my natural desire to hold and cuddle my daughter was much stronger than that advice. We found rocking to sleep to be a very warm, loving, peaceful way to fall asleep. I enjoyed that quiet, relaxing time of sitting and rocking with my baby in my arms. Logically, I knew that there was no way it was going to happen forever, because how many teenagers do you know who sit on their Mama's lap and rock to sleep every night?
In our time of nurturing babies and toddlers, we've rocked in a wooden rocking chair, a glider, and 2 different recliners. Some couples trade up for better vehicles....we trade up for better rocking furniture! We rock at naptime. We rock at bedtime. We rock during breastfeeding. We rock away colds and congestion. We rock away teething pains. Sometimes we just sit and rock for fun while watching a movie.
Bedtime routines are not disrupted during travel because Granny & PawPaw have rocking recliners too. PawPaw is more than happy to watch a movie with the grandkids, while rocking the youngest grandbaby to sleep.
Daddy is happy to pitch in during the bedtime routine, and be the one to sit in the recliner and rock the baby while watching a movie. As some of our children got older, my husband and I would practically arm wrestle each other to see who won the privilege of rocking the baby to sleep, while the other corralled the older children to their beds. The competition grew stronger the more we realized that rocking a baby to sleep is a very brief phase in parenting.
It passes too quickly. It is so fun. It is so relaxing. It is a great way to enjoy a baby.
Jersey #1 beamed with pride the first time she was able to rock Jersey #4 to sleep when she was a baby. It was a moment of great honor to realize that her baby sister felt so secure in her arms. She smiles big when Jersey #5 puts his arms up for her to lift him into her lap because she is sitting in the recliner. She will occasionally ask to rock Jersey #5 to sleep for his nap, especially on a cold day when she wants to cuddle under blankets and watch cartoons. It is so precious to see an older sibling taking such tender loving care of a younger sibling.
The other day, Jersey #1 approached me with a puzzled look on her face, asking if Jersey #5 was napping already. When I said he was already asleep in his bed, she asked me who rocked him. I did. She replied, "That's not fair! I wanted to rock him to sleep!" I thought her reaction was amusing.......until today.
This afternoon, Jersey #5 climbed up into the rocking chair, with his blanket, pacifier, and sippy cup, and fell asleep on his own.
It passes too quickly. It is so fun. It is so relaxing. It is a great way to enjoy a baby.
Jersey #1 beamed with pride the first time she was able to rock Jersey #4 to sleep when she was a baby. It was a moment of great honor to realize that her baby sister felt so secure in her arms. She smiles big when Jersey #5 puts his arms up for her to lift him into her lap because she is sitting in the recliner. She will occasionally ask to rock Jersey #5 to sleep for his nap, especially on a cold day when she wants to cuddle under blankets and watch cartoons. It is so precious to see an older sibling taking such tender loving care of a younger sibling.
The other day, Jersey #1 approached me with a puzzled look on her face, asking if Jersey #5 was napping already. When I said he was already asleep in his bed, she asked me who rocked him. I did. She replied, "That's not fair! I wanted to rock him to sleep!" I thought her reaction was amusing.......until today.
This afternoon, Jersey #5 climbed up into the rocking chair, with his blanket, pacifier, and sippy cup, and fell asleep on his own.
Of course he was so adorable that I had to get my camera and take his picture. I was also a bit sad to see this growth in him. I wanted to complain just like Jersey #1, "That's not fair! I wanted to rock him to sleep!"
The truth is that children do not want to rock to sleep forever. In my experience, there is a surge of toddler independence around 15 months of age, where they no longer enjoy rocking to sleep. In our home, the rocking season passed in perfect timing, as the toddlers grew and younger siblings were on the way. Our toddlers moved on to reading books until they fell asleep in their beds, in plenty of time before the next newborn was ready to be rocked to sleep.
I know its time for Jersey #5 to be making this change. He is following the same course his siblings paved. At the same time, I am a little saddened that this rock-a-bye baby season is coming to an end. He is learning to fall asleep on his own.
It won't be long before he will be going to his own bed at bedtime, reading books until he falls asleep....
The truth is that children do not want to rock to sleep forever. In my experience, there is a surge of toddler independence around 15 months of age, where they no longer enjoy rocking to sleep. In our home, the rocking season passed in perfect timing, as the toddlers grew and younger siblings were on the way. Our toddlers moved on to reading books until they fell asleep in their beds, in plenty of time before the next newborn was ready to be rocked to sleep.
I know its time for Jersey #5 to be making this change. He is following the same course his siblings paved. At the same time, I am a little saddened that this rock-a-bye baby season is coming to an end. He is learning to fall asleep on his own.
It won't be long before he will be going to his own bed at bedtime, reading books until he falls asleep....
My kids don't seem to like the rocking chair that much. The prefer us to stand and hold them until the crash or to have back pats. In some ways it is nice that they learn to go to bed quickly on their own, but you are right that the snuggle time is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI too think it must be so nice to have kids that like to rock and snuggle. Kyle is definitely not like that. He's much too independent. I realized that about 6 weeks old when he would scream for 2 hours when I would try and rock him to sleep...he did much better when I just moved him to his crib and he learned to fall asleep on his own. Sometimes if he falls asleep while nursing before bed I will just hold him and rock him because I never get to!
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