Now that Isabel can roll over in her sleep and we can't use the swaddle, we've been experimenting with other ways of soothing her and signaling that it's sleep time.
I received some advice to use a toy or her "lovey" for this purpose. Our friends Rob and Sloan bought us a dog lovey, and I had no idea what it was. I was told to keep it close to me so that Isabel could smell me when I'm not there. So, for the first couple of months, I pretty much kept it in my shirt when I fed Isabel, but never really used it to soothe her.
Today, Amada (our wonderful nanny) gave her the lovey to take a nap, and like I've done a few times before bedtime, tucked it under her arm. A few minutes later Isabel pulled the lovey over her face so she could smell it. This picture tells it all. I've been told this is safe, but I don't plan on leaving her alone with her face covered like this. For her later nap, she also did the same thing - pulled the lovey over her nose so she could smell it.
Who knew that those hours of my walking around with a little dog blanket under my shirt would pay off?!
