Happy Days, Sleepy Nights

One of the great challenges of teaching your baby to sleep through the night is distinguishing daytime from nighttime. I will say, that this is probably easiest to achieve if Babywise is implemented from birth (I will explain in a moment), but this can be successful at any infant or toddler stage.

As adults, we comprehend that daylight equates wake time, and darkness means sleep. To a baby, this means nothing! Some of you know this well, I'm sure. The secret to this grand lesson revolves around one word: ROUTINE. Learn this word, breathe this word, it will become your new best friend.

Babywise from birth or early infancy:
Your routine will center around 3 events- feedings, wake time, and sleep. The order and timing of these is imperative for success. Before I give a daily, routine example, I must note that there are many benefits that accompany this routine. 1. Your baby knows what's coming and thrives on predictability. 2. You can more accurately assess your baby's needs. 3. You can plan your day based on your baby's routine. (You might think this means sacrifice, but trust me, a well rested baby in public is 100 times better than a cranky, sleepy one.)

Here's an example of a typical Babywise routine for an infant:
7 am: wake up; feeding (bottle or nursing)
7:30-8:30 am: wake time (once feeding is complete); play with baby-sing, interact, use swing, whatever baby likes that keeps him/her awake.
8:30 am: Lay baby down for 1st nap; IMPORTANT-lay down awake! (We'll discuss.)

10 am: Wake up! At this stage in development, I will wake my baby if he/she is breastfeeding every 3 hrs. (Bottle fed babies tend to go longer, more like 4 hrs. In that case, you can lay down for nap at 9-9:15 am and wake at 11 am).
10:30-11:30 am: play time or bath time!
11:30 am: nap time

1 pm: Wake up! And eat!
1:30-2:30 pm: let's play and cuddle!
2:30 pm: nap time... Again!

4 pm: Wake up!
4:30-5:30 pm: maybe daddy's home and he can entertain? : )
5:30 pm: nap time (and dinner for mom & dad)

7 pm: Wake up, little baby!
7:30-8:30 pm: oh, Daddy is definitely home and you're taking a long bath and reading your Kindle!
8:30 pm: lay down for "nap"

10 pm: Wake up! Bottle (or Mommy)... and, wait for it...
SLEEP!

Does this mean your newborn will not wake up in 3-4 hrs to eat again? Probably not.. Yet. Here's the difference: if your baby does wake up to eat, then feed and lay him/her down immediately after. Key note: no wake time at night! Oh, that seems obvious, right?! Truth is, your baby probably doesn't have sufficient wake time during the day, and most likely lacks routine and structure altogether. It's no one's fault; we all do our best with the knowledge we have. Now you have a proven successful routine that works with my key word: CONSISTENCY! Back on track ( I get carried away with these motivational speeches)...

Here's the beauty: eventually, your baby will stop waking for those middle of the night feedings when he/she realizes it's nighttime. Some of you might worry that your baby will be hungry, but your baby will let you know. Of course, as baby gets older he/she will add rice cereal and food to his/her diet, extending sleep time due to fullness. This will also change routine, but add more to keep you busy.

One other thing I mentioned earlier was laying your baby down awake. This is a big topic that deserves it's own blog. Be prepared for some crying, but follow the Babywise guide of checking on your Baby every 15 minutes until sleep is achieved. I will work on this blog for the near future because I know this issue is huge. (That is, until your 2 year old puts herself to bed, shutting her door and shouting, "Goodnight!" .. Yep, that's my girl and totally worth all the WORK!)

Here are key things to look for: your baby receives a FULL feeding (no snacking!), your baby wakes up happy from nap (this will become more evident when baby is older). Following this routine will make your baby more pleasant during the day, due to full feedings and good naps, and sleepier at night, due to simple routine.


Next blog will center on older babies, both "Babywised" and newbies. Feel free to send me your Babywise schedules for all ages, and I will pass along. I will also be happy any questions related to this post!

Thanks for reading... Lindsey

Babies Don't Sleep All Night?!

THE DAYDREAMS:
I'll never forget the day I found out I was pregnant with our daughter. I was so excited thinking about cute baby clothes, crib bedding, dolling my baby up and taking her everywhere! Everything was going to be SO great and SO perfect... rainbows and butterflies! Right??

THE TRUTH:
When I was about 34 weeks pregnant, my husband said that a lady at his work recommended the book "On Becoming Babywise," a guide to help our baby sleep through the night. My first thought was, "Babies don't sleep through the night?!" Listen, I LOVE my sleep... probably to an abnormal degree. I had a panic moment because I knew I couldn't drink red bulls all day while breastfeeding, so I needed a solution --- like, NOW! I bought the book for a penny on amazon.com, and I can say with assurance (3 1/2 years later) that was the best cent I ever spent.

THE WORK:
Don't get it twisted.. This isn't a magic formula or an instant fix. Teaching and guiding your baby to sleep well takes determination, consistency, and work. The 1st step is- read the book! The bulk of my blogs will be tailored to current Babywise moms; it will not be a "read in lieu of." However, I hope that some of you will be inspired to begin this journey for your baby, yourself, and whole family. I also want to use real, everyday scenarios to help fill in the missing pieces. Let's face it: nothing about being a mom or parent is textbook easy. So, let's make this part of our lives easier on ourselves and use the principles of Babywise to lead us to nights full of sleep and days filled with happy, rested babies.

THE SUCCESS:
My daughter has been sleeping through the night since she was 2 months old. She started at 7 hours and worked her way to 12 hours a night by 6 months (in addition to naps). I now have a happy, ENERGETIC, beautiful 3 1/2 year old that sleeps from 8 pm to 8 am (give or take 30 minutes).
My son will be 1 year old this month (tear). He sleeps from 7:30 pm to 7:30 am, and takes 2 hour naps twice a day. Generally from 9:30-11:30 am and again from 2:30-4:30 pm. Recently, his afternoon nap runs short, but he wakes up happy, so I know he's ready to wake. I've had 2 different journeys with my kids as they relate to sleep, because my kids have completely different dispositions. (I will relate to this often.) The fact that I achieved the same goal with both kids proves that Babywise works. Trust me, if I can do it... You can too! So, follow me as we watch movies at night with our spouses, relax in bed (baby-free), and wake up to our happy, smiley-faced babies!


Look for my Next blog:
Happy Days, Sleepy Nights- the guide to distinguishing days vs. nights, which leads to good naps during the day and working toward wake-free nights.

Also, please leave any specific questions in the comment box, and I will work toward a FAQ blog. Thanks for reading... Lindsey