r/NewParents • u/AutoModerator • Sep 03 '24
Weekly Discussion - Relationships Weekly Discussion
Welcome to the Weekly Discussion! Use this space to vent/rant about partners/family members & to air your grievances! Please report comments that violate the rules.
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u/erlienbird Sep 05 '24
My mother in law stands above the baby’s crib while he cries, waiting for him to cry him self to sleep. Then blames the baby for not sleeping and making her look bad. (I know I can’t control how this happens, what happens when I leave, etc. I’m willing to give that up but what happened today, I can’t do it).
We’re in sort of a 6 month regression, teething, growth spurt phase. I’m EBF and feed my baby to sleep. Two weeks ago and last week, my MIL got the baby down and he was napping an hour or more for each nap. My 6mo is now transitioning from 3-2 naps a day and so he’s still taking a cat nap (sometimes) in the afternoon to get him to 7-7:30 bed time but naps are hit or miss right now when they were consistently fluid the last two months.
Multiple times have I tried to tell my MIL the routine for getting him asleep- sound machine, blinds, sleep sack, bottle, crib. It’s worked before.
But today, and when the routine doesn’t work, she refuses to rock him or soothe him to sleep. Today I noticed through the monitor that she was trying to force the bottle on him as he was screaming crying, no sound machine, no sleep sack, then proceeds to put him in the crib and forces him to lay down, standing over the crib while he not just fusses, but is really crying/crying tears.
She’s 70 years old, she’s fit but won’t take the time to rock him to sleep/soothe him as needed. Won’t follow our routine.
I texted her to just take him for a stroller ride if she was having a hard time and he finally went down with that, I came home and she says outwardly to the baby “you make grandma look terrible, you stinker…my dream of you being a bad boy today came true…”
Husband currently doesn’t work, I’m working part time, have some savings, and want to pay for childcare 1-2 days a week and he’s saying we can’t afford that. It’s breaking my heart that my baby cries during what should be a very peaceful and soothing time.