I thought sleep was something that a baby would “just figure out.” Wow, was I was wrong or what!?! Little did I know about the sleeping challenges we’d face in the first 10 months as new parents.
I could hardly remember my name, or the fact that I started a new job when my son was merely 4 months old. I recall sleeping in socks and long sleeves during a midwest summer, so that I could spend hours in my son’s air conditioned room holding him in the recliner while he dozed in and out. Within a few months, we were zombies, shells of our former selves, and due to the extreme lack of sleep finding a routine seemed impossible.
When the regular routine consists of 2-4 hours of interrupted sleep each night, you’re desperate to find a new normal. Here’s how we started the sleep training routine…the struggle continues to be real.
Finding Help
Sleep training comes in many shapes and sizes and can take on a life of its own as your child continues to develop. The tipping point for our family was when our new healthcare provider actually listened to our struggles. After thinking about her suggestions, and struggling through the next few nights, we finally landed on working with a sleep coach! Yes, sleep coaches really exist…and not only in NYC! Within a few minutes of chatting on the phone, she was able to help reassure us that the training would be the best thing for our family. With that, we dove right in and got to work.
Routines
At the beginning of the sleep training discussion, we were told that we needed to be prepared to make sacrifices in order to help our son find his routine. This meant, early bedtime (6PM in fact) with a consistent routine that both mom and dad could do. We were unable to plan routine outings during the spring and summer months. We couldn’t travel for at least two weeks, we had to install additional blackout curtains, and read the same books every night. We learned that consistency and building a routine is the foundation to setting the stage for sleep.
Sickness Setbacks
Your angel has been sleeping through the night and all of a sudden…BAM! A fever, stuffy nose, or coughing that won’t quit! It completely knocks everyone out of their routine. Nights are all of a sudden spent sleeping in the recliner, and providing comfort to the one human who trusts you to fix everything. However, after the illness subsides, you’re still sitting in the chair and you realize you haven’t slept a full night, lying horizontal, for 7-10 days! Old habits die hard, it’s crucial to get back into the bedtime routine ASAP. You’ll be glad you did.
Travel Tips
Getting up the nerve to take your baby, who’s recently “mastered” sleeping through the night was terrifying…at least to me! When traveling with a sleep “trained” baby, make his new surroundings as much like his room at home as you can. If he’s is used to sleeping in his room, in his crib, make to setup a barrier between you and the babe’s new area. Change the crib sheet a few days prior to leaving, and pack THAT sheet for the trip. Of course you won’t want to forget the things that make up his routine: sound machine, books, blackout curtain, and lovie. And if all this fails to work, which it has for us multiple times, just be prepared to snuggle or provide any sort of reassurance he may need. When you get back home, jump right back into your routine, your little guy will remember what to do.
Development of New Skills
He’s learning at a tremendous rate during the awake hours, and he also processes these new skills in his sleep. This leads to tossing and turning and in our house, multiple night wakings. Is he trying to crawl? Walk? Talk? Throw a ball? Hold a crayon? Guess what, any of the things he physically practices during the day are cognitively practiced during the night. It’s no wonder that as new skills emerge, your little one may become restless or try to push boundaries. It all comes down to how you handle those challenging nights. Stick to your routine; it’s crucial.
Is every night perfect? Absolutely not. Will it get easier? Hopefully. Am I learning along side my son? You bet! In fact, I’ve probably learned the most in this whole process…trust your child and retire your socks.
