Sleep. It sounds so simple. Yes, if you are a parent, sometimes it seems to be anything but simple.
Yes, I've written about this before: www.planningfamily.com/blog/sleeping-like-a-baby/. Seems like just when you get a few good nights of sleep in, you hit a bump in the road. Maybe it's a cold? Or teething? Or dreams? Or...or...or? Sometimes, it seems all you can do is offer up a best guess. Try something different. Try the same thing.
It's times like these, I like resources like the one I am about to share. It's an easy outline of things that should work. It's the kind of resource that makes me think this whole sleeping thing may not be rocket science. It's the kind of thing that makes me believe our house will be sleeping like a baby tonight.
Here's a few of the nuts & bolts of this article created by www.webmd.com/:
1. Spot sleepiness (i.e. eye-rubbing, yawning, etc.) and follow through when you notice your child is growing tired.
2. Don't wake a sleeping a baby. If they are asleep in their carseat, simply - okay, may be harder than it sounds at times - un-do the carseat and take your munchkin inside. Or, you can be like a good friend of mine, and simply carry a good magazine or paper with you and enjoy the few extra minutes of solitude in the car with your kiddo.
3. Try to seperate nursing from naps. Nursing can be a beautiful, peaceful thing, both for you and your baby. The trouble may arise when baby will only go to sleep when nursing. Try to seperate these two items, if even by a story or a change of a diaper. In the long run, this will make for better sleep for all.
4. Set a routine. Babies and toddlers may not tell time, but they definitely like rhythms of routine. Routines provide cues to little ones of what is coming next. A consistent routine may just be the thing that is needed to get a munchkin to bed.
5. Don't rush in. This is the one I am totally guilty of. I hear a sneeze, hiccup, or any other noise and you'll find me bolting into my munchkin's room. Unfortunately, many times as soon as she sees my face, it's "bye-bye bed" and "hello mama" - regardless if she is ready to awake or not. I'll work on this one...how about you?
Check out the full article/slideshow...there's some good stuff: www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/sleep-10/slideshow-naps.
How are you sleeping these days? What is working for you and your family?
Zzzzzzzzzz....
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