Go To Sleep Ya Little Babe

Okay, I'm new to blogging but Im gonna jump right in...

This has been a topic that seems to plague most parents I know...

How To Get Your Baby To Sleep....In Their Own Room!

I'll go ahead with my disclaimer:
*I am not a doctor.  I am not a nurse.  I am not a psychologist.  I am just a parent who seems to have awesome kids who do what I say, respect people, and sleep.

I see soon many parents complain that they can't get their child to go to sleep, sleep in their own room, go to bed at a certain time, etc, etc.  I just so happen to have gotten both of my kids to sleep THROUGH THE NIGHT, IN THEIR OWN ROOMS, AT A CERTAIN TIME from 2 weeks old and 6 weeks old.  I didn't use voodoo, magic tricks, drugs, or duct tape.  The main ingredient is CONSISTENCY.  Be consistent and start early and you can have that perfect little dreamer you never thought you'd get and that glorious sleep you've been missing :)

I completely understand that when you're a new and/or first time mom you want to hover over your baby and make sure they are breathing every minute and you could never fathom locking them in a room on the other side of the house...OH THE HORROR!  Well...you are welcome to continue living your life like a zombie.  I love The Walking Dead but I don't want to be one of them.  If you want to have some alone time with your hunny, watch an adult movie (no, not porn...you shouldn't watch porn, that's gross), and then not worry about baby waking up every 3 hours then you are in the right place...I have the answers!  Well, I have my answers anyways.

For my family's schedule I have my kids go to bed at 9:30 every night.  I don't have to get up super early so that works best for us so they wake up about 7:30 every morning.  That gives me time to have coffee and get dressed before they wake up.  My daughter is 4 and I don't have to use most of these things on her so my step-by-step tips will be focused on Baby.

Step 1:  Feed Baby right before bed.  For the bedtime bottle I always make it bigger and add organic oatmeal to make him fuller.  Please don't use rice cereal!  Its all starch and leads to increased risk of obesity and diabetes....another topic...

Step 2:  Wait 5-10 minutes to see if Baby will poop/pee.

Step 3:  Change diaper.

Step 4:  Pajama Baby...I like footies with a zipper, personally.

Step 5:  Place Baby IN THEIR CRIB, IN THEIR ROOM.  Hopefully, you have figured out whether your baby likes being on their back or tummy to sleep.  Both of mine preferred tummy and recently my son has decided he likes sleeping on his back.  It seems like pediatricians will tell you one or the other based on what week it is so I keep my crib safe (tight sheets, no pillows/stuffed animals, no heavy blankets) and do what works for my baby.  Im sure you've also determined whether your baby prefers a paci or not, mine doesn't want one, mine prefers to hold his lightweight, breathable blankie.

Step 6:  Turn off the lights.  Use a sound machine if you think you have to.  I never did, it seemed to do more harm than good for my kids.  I don't like kids getting used to those things and thinking they have to rely on it to go to sleep.  I prefer my kids to be able to sleep anywhere I deem necessary.

Step 7:  This is the hardest part....WALK AWAY!  Shut the doors.  Quit worrying.  Relax.  Your baby will be fine without you standing there.

They might cry a little, but it shouldn't last long with a full belly and clean diaper.  Avoid the urge to open the door and peek in.  If you do, you just ruined all the progress you made.  Baby will see you and start all over again.  Just give it some time.  Sometimes you have to take your emotions out of parenting for Baby's sake and your own.  You have to take care of yourself to be a successful parent!

Please don't tell me this doesn't work on your toddler...you shouldn't have waited so long!  Sleep training a toddler is different than a baby.  I did that too and I can tell you how I did it successfully in another post :)

I welcome your feedback, or questions!  I don't have all the answers but I do my best.  I get compliments on how well behaved my kids are all the time and I only want to share tips and tricks Ive learned to get them and keep them that way :)