Sleeping Beauty in Training

This past week, I've been determined to teach Mia to fall asleep at bedtime without needing to nurse. As we're rapidly approaching the first year mark, I think it's pretty important that she learn to fall asleep on her own, despite the ease of nursing her to sleep & then laying her down in the crib. Last night was the fifth night that I've successfully put her to sleep with the following method, which starts about 5:30pm:

1. Come home from work & change
2. Feed Mia dinner
3. Bath, lotion, pjs
4. Playtime (quietly in the living room)
5. Read three books (which she hates, by the way--I think she's smart enough to realize books mean bedtime is around the corner)
6. Turn off the light, turn on ceiling night-light & the Baby Mozart CD
7. Stand & hold Mia belly to belly with me, on her side
8. Jiggle, Sway, Rock, Squat, Lunge, Walk, Dance, Spin, etc. (you get the idea--horribly awkward mental picture I'm sure!)
9. Lay Mia in the crib almost asleep
10. Pat Mia's butt until she falls asleep (usually on her side, and normally by song number five)
11. Wash, rinse, repeat as necessary (hopefully NOT though!)

Starting with step five, the process (unrepeated) takes about a half-hour to 40 minutes. And though it's much easier to watch TV, nurse, and then put her in her crib already zonked (especially after a long day at work), I know this will benefit Mia in the future.

PS: Now that Mia's successfully napping too, I TOTALLY understand what I was missing out on when she was a newborn! What a luxury to be able to have an hour or two to catch up on housework, or read a magazine uninterrupted. Things will be different for number two....

PPS: If only she would sleep past 3am, when it takes me an hour and a half to get her back to sleep--we'll be working on that next!