ZZZ's

Credit: Kim Bajorek Photograhy

SLEEP tips for you and baby(ies):

Here are some sleep tips...  You might find some or all of them to be helpful.  :)

- Don't let baby stay awake more than 90 min the first 5 months, after that, up to the first year no longer than 3 hours, very max 4 hours.

- Babies are naturally tired after 1.5 hrs. As soon as you see any eye rubbing or yawning get them ready to sleep (usually around 1 hr 15 min after they've woken up so that they have 15 min to fall asleep). Establishing a routine as early on as possible is important.

- Follow the EASY method - Eat, Activity, Sleep, Your time. To learn more you can go to this blog.  Great tips! Noobmommy.com EASY Schedule Cheat Sheet Schedules

- Black out curtains are a must

- Sound Machine is a must too, we use this one. I LOVE it! You can get one on amazon Marpac Dohm-DS Dual Speed Sound Conditioner

- Show baby their room, get them familiar with it, even at this young age.

- Don't do any sort of CIO until 6 months+. Hold them, love them, rock them but also try getting them to sleep on their own at a young age. You might want to try out the Fisher Price rock n plays.

- I spoke with a sleep specialist and she said that if your baby (ages 1 month - 6 months) isn't getting enough sleep during the day then they will need one last 35-45 min nap before dinner and bedtime routine. So if dinner is at 5:30 PM followed by bedtime routine at 6 PM then they will need one last nap at 4 PM if they didn't sleep past 2:30 PM for their afternoon nap. You don't want your babies awake longer than 2 hours at 5 or less months of age. They get over tired and then a chemical kicks in in their brain called cortisol and it makes getting them to sleep a lot harder.  They get over tired and therefore can't sleep.

- Babies do not need to have a super full belly or a bottle in their mouth to fall asleep.  Give them the boob or a bottle and then lay them down tired, but not completely asleep.

- Don't let them sleep longer than 2 hrs. It'll backfire on you.

- Put a lovey (or 3) in their crib that has your scent on it.

- Do dream feed.  At first you will probably need to do it at 11 PMish and 2:00 AMish. Eventually, they will drop the 11 PM feed, followed by the 2:00 AM. If you are bottle feeding I recommend not picking your baby(ies) up during these feedings.  It will be easier for them to get back to sleep if you simply put the bottle in their mouths, let them drink and then sneak out of the room.  Obviously, if you are exclusively breast feeding at the breast you will need to pick him/her up.

- AND the most valuable thing I found, when your baby(ies) no longer want to be swaddled is the Merlin's Magic Sleep Suit. I swear by this thing. It is a comfy suit that keeps their arms from moving around. I HIGHLY recommend it! We used it from months 3-6 and could've used it longer.

- The witching hour is usually around 4-7 PM at night months 1-3 or 4.  It is exhausting and your baby will more than likely be super fussy during this time.  There's not usually a lot you can do other than wear your baby in a carrier and go for a walk.  Just know that it won't last forever.  ;)

- If you have twins, I highly recommend keeping them in the same room to sleep and letting them learn to sleep through each others sounds, wales and noises.  Sometimes it will be super hard to leave them in the same room, but more than likely it will pay off and they will be able to share a room for years to come.

- It is so true that every baby is different.  All three of my girls were different, at first, with their sleep needs, but ultimately, they have all become great sleepers and love their beds thanks to the tips above.

-Regarding co-sleeping, do what is best for your family. I think whatever makes you feel warm in your heart and is safe for your baby is what you should do.

Here's a wonderful sleep chart that someone created. It is right on, in my opinion and experience.
Sleep/WT chart

Our bedtime routine is:
Dinner
Bath
Bottle
Book - only 1  As your child gets older they will ask for more and more books.  If you stick to only one book, some times two, then this is what your child will expect at night and will help keep bedtime from becoming 2 hours long.
Song - only 1, see above.
Bed- usually takes our little loves 2-10 minutes to fall asleep.

If you are struggling, and want a professional to guide you, I highly recommend contacting Jen with Sugar Night Night.  She gave me some of the tips I listed above when I was struggling with the twins.  Here's her website: Sugar Night Night

One of my twins has always been a great sleeper, the other one took longer and frequently had night wakings to be fed. Soooo exhausting. By 7 months, they were sleeping through the night 10+ hrs. There are nights that they wake cause of teething, milestones or growth spurt, but they have learned to put themselves to sleep and love their cribs. Be sure that your baby gets to know her/his room early on so that she/he knows where she/he is when she/he falls asleep and wakes up. I'm not a sleep expert, but, as you know, I've had 3 babies within 18 months and learned a lot about what does and doesn't work for our family. I'm one of those people that needs my sleep and so my life has revolved around figuring out what works best for us! Good luck!!