Just a couple hours of sleep please
Welcome back to our baby journey
In a recent post I discussed some of my favorite little things on a gift registry that included the co- sleep bed. That little contraption saved me when it came to my baby sleeping. Let’s be real though, sleep is not an easy thing to come by and surely not an easy thing for babies to accomplish. Being totally transparent as I write this my “baby” has just turned 3 and NO she rarely sleeps through the night at least what constitutes ‘my night’. According to a pediatrician she sleeps through the night, as it is just a 5 hour stint- and she does that and then some. Now, I have not tried sleep training or any variation of that and I don’t plan on it. If you do, because that works for you, then more power to you - I firmly believe everyone has to find their own path with that subject. My little one sleeps enough not to be tired and irritated. So why do we think babies should sleep soundly for hours on end - no idea. Let’s be honest, I sleep like crap when my husband is out of town, all alone in my bed. I have too many nights where sheer exhaustion is not overcoming my inability to get comfortable or quiet my mind - the idea a baby could overcome all that seems like a misplaced expectation more than anything. Anyway, it will pass and one day I will be stressed with her inability to wake up for school…
So what to do today?
The key now is to set up a good bedtime routine as early as possible for the little tot, stay flexible to fine tune it and be patient!!
I love lists so here I will provide a list of things to try for a better nights sleep with your little bundle of joy. Not all will work for your baby or you but the more tools to test the better. Below is our pick from the list that worked for us.
Calming bath - I used lavender scented soap from honest. This has been a sustain all her life.
Baby massage - I tried the storybook app on my phone to guide me through how to do this and she LOVED it… Most days. There were days I would put her on her belly to begin and she would protest and we skipped this step.
Keys to a good massage I found are a nekid baby, some lightweight lotion or oil, a soft surface (I used the baby changing mat). I set the lights down low and the App played music - she had a particular song she enjoyed so sometimes I would override the given song suggestion for the particular massage but experiment as needed.
Once the lights are low for the massage leave them low it helps stimulate melatonin build up!
3. Jammies & Story Time - Get dressed and settle into our rocker to read a story. She still loves story time before bed and frankly I believe this bit of her routine has a lot to do with her language skills now.
4. Feed & Snuggles - She was a breastfed baby so after a story we had a feed and some snuggles. Technically I think she still is - but that will be a discussion for later.
5. Swaddle - This step is key, so invest in something the baby likes. We swaddled her up and laid her into her bassinet or crib (I was blessed that I could move her fairly easily without waking, so we moved where she was depending on our bedtime). I had a few different swaddles that grew with her by this company zipadeezip. Check them out, we used them from 6mo to 2 years. Before that we used a standard lightweight blanket.
6. Sleep Music - We have an Alexa in her room and play music. Calm sleep sounds that lure her off to dreamland, that she now calls her “sleepy music” I kid you not, the same album now for 3 years! It puts me to sleep too - there is one song that I have to skip, reminds me of aliens but… that’s just me. If you check it out it’s “50 newborn sleep music on Apple Music” and I cannot stand track 15 called healing music.
The whole routine took about 30 minutes when she was an infant. Then the feeding took longer than the bath, now the bath is the longest part and stories can get extended when she pushes for just one more. But try to keep it short and simple. They love the routine and simplicity allows them to manage expectations.
The list has a few more ideas that we tried in variation and some I knew of and didn’t. Now that she is older we haven’t really adjusted it that much, except there is a “play time” before story and a teeth brushing with her bath.
I hope this gives you a few ideas to ease into the stressful time that can be bedtime.
NIGHT NIGHT
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