Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Violence

Here's one for you parental types and non-parental types with good ideas. Last night I had to google "baby violent when falling asleep." I got nowhere.

My nephew falls asleep by stroking your eyelashes. It's really cute. Mac falls asleep by gouging skin. It's really not cute. Both Trevor and I have emerged from his bedroom bleeding. We look like we have chronic acne. I have pinch-shaped bruises up my arms, bite marks on my boobs, and a long scrape up my stomach. We've cut his nails but it doesn't stop the pinching or biting. It really freakin' hurts, too - enough to want to screech, except he's so close to sleep, which is far too valuable.

See why I'm so hesitant to leave him with a sitter?

So come on smartypanteses, what do we do? Do I say to hell with it and just screech and just deal with the inevitable tears? Can 8 month-old babies distinguish between cause and effect?

* * *
Trevor to Mac, who was in the process of simultaneously kicking him in the balls and trying to scratch his nose off of his face: "You're like a drunken abuser. A sadistic killer who we have to take care of because you might grow up to be a nice guy."

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6 comments:

Blogger Eden ~ 1:40 PM

No advice, but apparently my almost-four year old can't distinguish between cause and effect, according to the repeated times he hits his sister despite knowing it will result in a time-out.  


Blogger Risa ~ 1:56 PM

Okay so G is violent too... but not usually while falling asleep (although she goes down on her own now so who knows?). Since she started I've been saying "OUCH" quite firmly and following that with "That hurts Mama"... for awhile she clearly didn't understand but now if she hears "OUCH" she pauses to figure out what she's done (which is kind of sad when I've just walked into a door again or something). I guess that wasn't that helpful. I'm sorry. Would he loose his mind if you tried to hold his hands?? Like "restrain" him gently??  


Anonymous Anonymous ~ 4:48 PM

I have the answer: Advance Thereapeutic Massage on Gordon Road offeres infant massage lessons. On their website, they describe the massage as a way to "assist parents to better understand and enjoy the individuality of their infant while enhancing the bonding process. This positive parenting practice ripples out to all of baby's future relationships."
Ah... never mind, the first time you go to massage him, he might just look at you like you are crazy and flip you the bird.
God, I can't wait to see what this one is like.  


Anonymous Anonymous ~ 7:34 PM

ok, you are at the exact point where I decided enough was enough with mine. He would only sleep in our arms and wake up immediately when we put him down which meant no sleep for someone and that wasn't going to work - he was going to learn to sleep like a normal human being no matter what it took. And it was definetely a fight. Our doctor noticed how tired I was and suggested something to try. So each night we made sure he was fed and changed and warm and put him in his crib with some nice light and music. And he cried, we would come in every 10-15 minutes to tuck him back in and assure him we were still here, explaining that it was bed time and he needed to go to sleep - and sometimes, we would lie on the floor in his room, holding his hand through the bars as it quieted him a little. but we would not, under any circumstances, pick him up. It was bed time and that meant we lie in bed until we sleep. It was 18 days of screaming for 3-5 hours each night and it sucked. But on the 19th day, he slept, and we slept and now, WE SLEEP.  


Anonymous James ~ 8:36 PM

We had that problem too, but not as severe and only with her mom. It passed, praise to be to God in the highest.

She's got a lovey (stuffed animal head on a face cloth for all intents and purposes.) She fiddles with that or our nursing beaded necklace, which were fantastic (13th ave. baby store, not sure which one.)  


Anonymous Tracey ~ 11:18 AM

Upto about 10 months, my son enjoyed falling asleep while gouging the skin on my chest. I would bleed. It would hurt. Yet I always let him do it. Tyler said I was insane to let him do it. I said it calmed him and put him to sleep.

Nowadays at 2 yrs, he falls alseep cuddling the boobie or "cuddo da boobie" as he requests it. Not ideal, but better than the gouging and bleeding. Although Tyler often gets jealous.  


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