Sleep training

Up until a week ago we've been lovingly swaddling Anna and bouncing her to sleep while sitting on an exercise ball. This is something we did at bedtime and several times a day for her naps. As cute as it was to see her fall asleep in our arms, at nearly six months old we decided it was time for her to learn to put herself to sleep. A week ago we began the process known as sleep training. After lots of research I decided the best approach for Anna was the Ferber method. This is a process that involves putting Anna down while she is awake and returning to her after specified periods of time to let her know that we're still here and still love her. The first night we braced ourselves for the worst. She cried for three minutes! Bryan and I had two reactions two this- first, hurray for Anna! Second, why on earth have we been bouncing her for this long? She doesn't always fall asleep in three minutes, but Anna nearly always falls asleep within ten these days and often does not cry at all. We're so proud of our little girl!

On a side note, we've upgraded from a swaddling blanket to a Halo Sleep Sack.