Sleep is important for everyone

I don't care how much sleep you get.....it's never enough.

I do not function properly without the right amount or type of sleep. I am cranky, my eating habits are out of whack, and in extreme cases physically sick. Now imagine a household where everyone is not sleeping. I can't. It is just too important for me.

Those first few weeks with a newborn are challenging. Many conversations end with, "..I don't care, just do what you have to do, I need to get my sleep!" or "...sorry you are just going to have to learn how to swaddle the baby, I am done." It is a rude awakening for most new parents out there and there is no way to get around it but to communicate and have patience. And will power. And the ability to sleep at your work desk.

As a new parent the last thing you ever want to hear is your child crying. You start wondering, are they sick? Hungry? Tired? Wet? Cold? You are still trying to figure out their cries and when it's serious. It is very frustrating to hear your child crying constantly at 3am and you have no clue why. At one point you have to let 'em cry a little and let them figure it out...it is OK.

It is amazing what you go through just to get them to sleep, and get some sleep for you and your spouse. At one point we had a system worked out that broke down to 3 shifts during the night, sleeping in 3 different bedrooms, a note pad and a bottle. It worked for a while, then we had to adjust. I was happy when I would get 5 hours of sleep and the child 6.

I am sure there are dozens of methods out there to get your child to sleep (and none are more right than others, another blog on another day), but what worked for us in the end and the long run was "Baby Wise". We are a success story. Sleeping through the night by 3 months and by 5 months she was sleeping 12hrs straight with no fussing...she would go easily in her crib and asleep within seconds. And naps have been easy too. A few of the many advantages of sleep are; more adult time (if you know what I mean!), a schedule, easy to identify sickness (waking up or tough to go down = ear infection for us), and most importantly more sleep for me!