Sleeping arrangements

Our lil guy is getting so big, he doesn't even want to sit in his carseat 🙂

We have a lovely night time routine.  Lil Z-Bear gets a bath, gets dressed in a pair of cozy pajamas, I hold him and walk around the house with the lights turned low, and if he is in a good mood we sit down and read a book.  Goodnight Moon has been our favorite for some time (there is an unspoken genius to the pages ‘Good night nobody, Good night mush’) but lately he has been favoring Guess how much I love you.  I think he likes the pictures of the hare hopping around.  Then he does the magic move – he rubs his eyes and nose and I know it is time for bed.  I lay him down in his Sleep Sack, turn on his Sleep Sheep and also his Glow Seahorse.  After a few more words of encouragement, a prayer, and a few rubs of his belly, I turn on his Turtle and walk out.  I don’t stand around to wait for him to fall asleep because if I am in the room he continues to smile at me and fights sleep. 

His crib looks so cozy that I fight the urge to climb in with him and fall asleep next to him.  But we have never been co-sleepers.  Not because as parents we didn’t want him to sleep with us, but because he prefers to sleep alone.  When our little cub was a wee little thing, he would sleep in the bassinet in our room next to our bed.  This way when he would wake up every two to three hours for his feeding, he was right there at arm’s reach.  But if I ever brought him in the bed next to us, he would fuss and not fall asleep.  He just liked his own space.  In the day time he took his naps in his room in the crib and at night we brought him into our room.  Then one night it was time for bed and he hadn’t woken up from his nap in his crib.  So we brought the baby monitor into our room and fell asleep knowing he would be waking us up soon.  We woke up 6 glorious hours later to his cries (the longest he had ever slept at night at the time) and we were surprised he had slept so long.  Then we discovered a pattern, he slept longer in his crib in his room at night than in his bassinet next to us.  So, although as a mama I sniffled a little that he was growing up, we permanently moved him to his own room.

I love reading about other mamas who enjoy the benefits of co-sleeping, but alas, it just isn’t for us.  Not because we willed it so, but because our little guy likes his independence and he doesn’t like to share a sleeping space!

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The sleepiest baby on the block

There is so much conflicting advice out there about what is worth buying for your baby, and what is a waste of money.  I am sure that every mother has a different experience because every baby is different.  I read a lot of stuff that said that the so called ‘sleeping aids’ for babies are a waste of money, but here is a list of tried and true things that worked for us in drifting Lil Z Bear into dreamland.

Disclaimer: We have been very blessed with a baby with a sweet temperament, who is a good sleeper.  If we are blessed with a second child, and the baby has a feisty temperament or is simply not a great sleeper, I know some of these methods just may not work.

Swaddle:  Swaddle your baby.  Swaddle your baby.  No, seriously, swaddle your baby.  Make sure you do it right.  Baby’s arms should be relaxed and near his sides, and his elbows should not be poking out.  If not, no matter how tight you swaddle, baby’s arms will pop out.  And speaking of tight, don’t be afraid to wrap the little one up nice and tight.  Yes, the baby may struggle to get his arms out.  But once he falls asleep, he will stay asleep much longer.  And swaddling the baby will keep him comforted and content.  The other trick: CONTINUE to swaddle your baby well after 12 weeks.  We swaddled Lil Z Bear for a little over 5 months, and it worked out great.  We used Aden+Anais muslin Cloths and SwaddleMe (Make sure you get the right size of the swaddle me, we used a small for the first 3 months and the medium for the following 2 months.)

Sleep Sheep:  Lil Z Bear’s sheep is called “Gulbi” and she is a true pal.  The gentle white noise in the background has been a lifesaver to drift him to sleep and to keep him asleep.  We used the heartbeat sound when he was a wee little thing, and now use the ocean waves and the whale sounds, both of which he loves.  Thinking of splurging?  Get the full size one for the crib, and the travel size to take with you.  Because the familiar sound will help the little one fall asleep in unfamiliar surroundings.

Fisher Price Aquarium:  There are a few on the market, but this one is the best.  It’s no longer made, so we had to do some serious internet searching before we found one brand new.  And we paid a premium for it.  But it was totally worth it, because Lil Z loves it, and we love the convenient remote it comes with.  I’d recommend using it after at least 3 months, when baby will be more interested in it.

Twilight Turtle:  When I opened this package up, I was a little disappointed that all the little turtle does is light up.  But now, after using it for nearly 5 months, it’s the perfect night light, with soothing colors, and the projected stars are quite pretty.

My Little Lamb Swing:  We LOVE this swing.  We only use it to for Lil Z’s naps when we need to get him to fall asleep quick, or when he is overtired and cranky.  It works like a charm every single time.  I am going to miss it when he outgrows it (which is coming up soon!).  Tip: Once baby has fallen into a deep slumber, you can turn the swing off.  Then, if he wakes up and you need him to sleep a little longer, just turn the swing back on and baby is often lulled back to sleep for a bit longer.

Cry-it-Out:  I know this one is controversial, and I truly believe that every parent should find their own path on what is the best method for putting your child to sleep.  For those parents who are all about No Cry, I say kudos to you since this method requires a lot of hard work and patience.  In our case, we use a mix between Cry-it-Out and Check and Console.  This method works for us:  we place Lil Z in his crib sleepy but not yet asleep, and he never whimpers for more than 10 minutes before falling into a deep slumber.  On nights when he is overtired or overexcited, or just moody, he does cry for more than 10 minutes.  When it has been more than 15 minutes, we pick him up, play with him for 10 to 15 minutes, and then put him down again.  It usually doesn’t take long for him to fall asleep after that. 

Every day we are thankful to be blessed with such a happy and healthy baby.

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