Is there really such thing as sleep as a parent? I constantly would ask myself this question, and still do sometimes. Everybody warns you about the beloved sleep when you are parents-to-be. “Sleep when baby sleeps.” If I had a dollar for every time someone would say this to me, dear Lord I wouldn’t have to work. Yeah, sometimes we would take naps when Cole did, but hello, I have shi!t to get done around the house to maintain my sanity, and sometimes I just want to watch my child sleep. I swear I mean that in a non-creepy way. If you’re a mom, you get this.
The first couple months after Cole was born was easier than expected. (Still counting my blessings and will forever be humble that he was an easy newborn) The first couple weeks we were up every few hours as we all were adjusting to this new life. But once we got the hang of it, Cole slept through the night from 2 months-4 months old. I kid you not. So when the dreaded sleep regression hit, and then teething, I became a walking zombie with imbedded dark circles under my eyes. Since then, those circles have found this “new home” to be a place of comfort and will never leave. Que in concealer here. You will find that having a baby has all its quirks, and at one point or another “sleep” will become a thing of the past. I wanted to share some tips that helped all of us here in the Sanford household. Mind you, what works for one baby, may not work for another. But my fingers are crossed for you.
#1: Try to start a routine: This seriously made a huge difference. Once everybody starts to see a pattern, things tend to get easier. We always make sure Cole has a full belly before we put him to bed. He is now 15 months old, so he eats whatever Brett + I have (and boy can he consume some food). After dinner, we spend time playing together, then its bath time, followed by reading a few books. He understands that when the books come out, its quiet time in preparation for bed.
#2: KEY word: “Nuh nights”. We say this EVERY TIME we place Cole in his crib. That means nap time too. He now repeats it, and understands that its time for bed. And seriously, hearing him say “nut nights’ is the cutest damn thing.
#3: Naps could be a factor: Nap time is crucial. Cole is still taking 2 naps a day, and we keep them consistent. 2 hours after he wakes up for the day, and the last nap is around 2:00 PM. Try to avoid letting baby sleep past 4 PM.
#4: Set a reasonable bed time: Once again, routine is key. We put our little person down for bed no later than 7:30 PM.
#5: White noise machine: Before kids, Brett and I have always slept with one. So when we found out we were expecting, we had to put one on our registry. You have to think about all the little noises the baby hears in the womb, so I wanted something calming for him when he sleeps. I’m so thankful for the noise machine, ours plays a few different sounds, our favorite being mix of white noise and a heart beat. I seriously swear by these + a fan.
#6: QuickZip: if you have never heard of this before, I’ll just go ahead and say it, you’re welcome. This really is for your leave of mind. This is a zip-on crib fitted sheet. So basically there is a base sheet that you put on, and the top layer is easily zipped on. So when small child pees through their diaper in the middle of the night, you can quickly unzip the sheet, and zip on a new one in a matter of seconds. And because they’re fitted sheets, you know baby is safe! Win-win! See for yourself here QuickZip Fitted Sheets #GetYourSheetTogether
#7: Don’t give up + be easy on yourself. Every baby/parent is different, and eventually the two of you will figure it out together. We still have our nights where he is up every hour, and days where he won’t take a nap. So when those few consecutive hours of no interruptions happen- its heaven on earth.
There is a reason coffee was invented and I’m so thankful I live in a world with it.
XO
Kass
#historyinthesanford
