We were in church this past Sunday when Macy started being loud. (We don't take her to the nursery yet... maybe I'll touch on that in another post!) I say she was being "loud" because she was not crying, just making all of her trying-to-talk noises. I took her to the breast-feeding room. My church is awesome--they have a room with a one-way mirror that is to be used to feed, comfort, and change your baby during service so mommies don't have to miss anything! So I was feeding Macy and began chatting with two other moms. It turns out that my four month old is a rarity because she sleeps through the night. These mothers LOOKED tired. One had a two month old and one had a nine month old. Both said that each of their children wake every 2-3 hours! They asked what my secret was and here it is: I have her on a sleeping schedule (I don't have her on a strict feeding schedule throughout the day since Macy happens to be more of a snacker). Now I know it's not exactly that simple, but that's most of it. Macy has her last feeding at 10PM every night and is then put to bed. This means that I do not feed her for a couple of hours leading up to bedtime. This way, she is hungry and then after I feed her, she is full, content, and either sleepy or sleeping. She wakes between 6AM and 8AM and before she can truly wake up, I feed her again. She then goes right back to sleep! I keep her up most of the day once she wakes up again. I make sure to play with her a lot. She plays on her back, on her tummy, in her walker, etc. I wear her out! She takes a nap around 2PM and sometimes takes 20 minute naps throughout the day. What does all of this mean? That I get HUBBY-time around 10PM (so we can watch our recordings of The Bachelor and other shows and just enjoy each other). I get ME-time around 2PM. And I get PLENTY of rest since I sleep a lot when Macy sleeps. I put her on a loose schedule early. And though it isn't foolproof with the onset of teething, immunizations, and other not-so-fun stuff, it works for the most part. And I don't look like death from lack of sleep!
Tips for getting your little one to sleep:
Make sure the crib is used for sleeping only and that it is associated with positive things (I don't put Macy in the crib and leave her there to cry (the Ferber Method)... for some reason, that's popular now and I don't like it!).
Put your child to sleep with a full belly.
Don't over-clothe your baby. Parents think babies should be loaded with blankets and clothes. I've found that my daughter's perfect temperature is in a thin body suit onesie (the ones with the feet built in so I don't have to worry about socks falling off) and a regular blanket (not super thin, not super thick). I've read that good rules are if their hands are slightly cold or just one layer more than our comfort level. Macy sleeps soundly when she isn't too hot.
Go for a walk or a drive.
Put your baby in a swing on a low setting with music.
Don't be afraid to let your baby sleep in the carrier (Macy spent MANY nights in her carrier in the first two months because it was where she was most comfortable. I think she felt like she was swaddled and safe.)
Get him/her on a schedule and don't freak out if it isn't at an exact time. You are just looking to instill consistency and a sense of time! Sometimes Macy is sleepy at 9:30 and sometimes she is too excited to fall asleep until 10:45. But she knows it is bedtime and that's the important thing. While I am a stay-at-home mom and realize that I have time luxuries that working moms do not have, getting your child on a schedule can only help a working mom! This way, Mommy, Daddy, and Baby are all happy!
No comments:
Post a Comment