I love to sleep. Really I do. I don’t sleep in late, but a good 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep is what I need. Ok, that’s going a little over board, but 7 hours is a must. So when my first son was born, the lack of sleep hit me like a truck. What’s a parent to do besides read every sleep book that out there? Read more books. Did it help? I can’t say there is one magic book that truly incorporated everything you need. Instead I took a little from here and a little from there and made my own book.
Schedule: This was the most important thing for me. At one month old my boys were bathed, fed and put in the bassinet (or in my 2nd son’s case in his crib). Hey, he’s the second, things change. Now at 1 month old this schedule happened around 11:00 pm. But as they got older we gradually made it earlier so by 3 months, bath was at 8:00 and in bed by 8:30 pm. They both slept through the night for 10 hours by 3 1/2 months.
Don’t think this didn’t come without trial and error, or without me sitting by the bedroom door praying they would just fall asleep so I wouldn’t have to go back in and rub their backs for another 15 minutes. There were nights up until 3 months where it took hours until they actually fell asleep, but they did and I believe the persistence paid off.
Some people (not mentioning any name here) used to make fun of us for being so scheduled. I believe it works for some people. Knowing that I was going to be able to get 6 or 7 hours of uninterupted sleep that night made the day so much easier. Kelly wants to rent me out as a sleep expert. She tells people just let Shannon in your house for 3 nights and your child will be sleeping without a problem.
Sleep is a big issue for everyone. Finding what works for you and your family and be challenging and can put a strain on a lot of relationships. Keep persevering. Most kindergartners are sleeping through the night…just kidding. I hope for your sake way before that.
Three of my favorite sleep books:
Health Sleep habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth, M.D.
Secrets of the Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg
The Baby Sleep Book by Dr. Sears
Good Night!
-Shannon
Tags: baby sleep book, health sleep habits, Sleep
I will definitely be hitting you up for some sleep tips now that Zach is in a big boy bed!
sleep- ughhh love my sleep!!
Thanks for sharing some of your top pics in books. I still can’t handle the scheduling during the day for our family. But, it does work amazingly well in yours! PS, it is 7:04 pm and I have three sleeping children!
Different techniques will work for different people, of course, but we had the best luck with good ol’ Doctor Ferber. And, yes, for us, a strict bedtime routine was absolutely crucial. Both babies go to bed at 7:30 and sleep until 6:00 most days. Thank god.