Sleep, basically my favorite thing. And since we’ve survived daylight savings time and the dreaded three month sleep regression, I basically can save the world right now ;) #jk But really, those are two big feats in my Mommy world!
I’m feeling like we’re in a pretty good place right now with THREE KIDS. Summer flew by and Faye was basically dragged around everywhere, because babies sleep and are easy (at least mine were). But since about three months, I could tell she was falling into a schedule and wanting to actually take a nap in somewhere other than her car seat for 17 minutes.
I was suuuuuper (ok maybe almost a little crazy) scheduled with Ivy and Leo. ESPECIALLY Ivy (bc #firstkid). Naps and bedtimes didn’t wager far from +/- an hour and they hardly ever skipped a nap. They’ve both been great sleepers and in my heads it’s because I was a routine Mom. With Faye, she fell into the same schedule and this past month, as much as I would love to just go with the flow and have her sleep wherever and whenever, it is nice getting into a schedule with her, especially since school started for Ivy and Leo.
Here’s what has worked for us. It’s by no means the right way, but I’ve done the same with all three kids and we’ve thankfully had good sleepers. We all need our sleep!!!
Ivy
She started sleeping through the night, 12 hours straight, at 3 months. It was amazing. 630pm-630am. Then at about 13 months, she switched to one nap, and then at about 2 years, she decided she didn’t really want to nap at all. I’ve basically forced her to nap for the last two years. I either had to lay with her (which wasn’t so bad, I don’t turn that down!) or yell at her through the monitor, which was super annoying of me and made me so mad at her! I needed to just give it up, but I so desperately wanted her to nap for my sanity. Now for about the last 6 months, she naps about every other day, at 1:00, then takes quiet time in her room the days she doesn’t nap. She has books and usually lays in bed with a barbie or two and ALWAYS has her blankie where she has to have her “favorite sides” and her “favorite corners” to rub between her fingers. If she naps, bedtime is 8pm, if she doesn’t nap, bedtime is 7pm. She dresses herself in her pjs, brushes her teeth, then two books (GOD FORBID MISSING THE BOOKS) and to bed. Nightlight on.
And the BEST INVENTION EVER is the Ok to Wake clock. We set it for 7:30am, and at that time, it lights up green (and stays green for 30 min), and that means it’s “ok to wake.” It’s pretty funny. Almost every morning, her door opens at EXACTLY 7:30am and she always says, “My clock is green!” Every. Single. Morning. It’s great that she stays in her room and wakes up a bit before coming out. Plus, I’m so not ready for her spunky-little-firecracker-self until 7:30am.
Leo
He started sleeping through the night (12 hours straight) at 7 months. Otherwise would just get up once to nurse. He’s always been the best sleeper. Leo is still in his crib and pretty sure will always be ;) He loves it, and so do I. Ha. His nap and bedtime routine is same as Ivy’s. Gets his blankie (same as Ivy’s but blue, so weird, I know, but I had such good luck with it, I got it for Leo too! And Faye, haha), usually sleeps with a car or two lined up perfectly (he’s totally OCD) along his pillow, reads two books, and to bed. Leo is the best. Just lay him in there, sucks his two fingers, usually his hand down his pants also (ugh), and to sleep. Super easy. Not clean. But easy.
Leo hardly even makes noise when he wakes too. He likes to wake up slowly and just cuddle with his blankie. It’s so nice. I don’t have to rush in to get him. His nap is at 1:00, anywhere from 2-3 hours, then bedtime at 7:30. Then wakes up for the morning around 7:30am. His problem is that he sometimes gets pee all over himself because his comfort is to have his hands down his pants! UGH! Like his blankie and his two fingers wasn’t enough! Goodness kid! Other than that, which I pray that he outgrows sooner than later, he’s a perfect sleeper.
Faye
Our little baaaaaby. She’s so sweet. She’s gotten into the same schedule that Ivy and Leo were on. Nap at 9am, 1pm, then bedtime at 630pm, nurses/wakes at 4:00amish, then back to bed till 7am. Her naps are about 2 hours, sometimes her 1:00 nap can be longer, 3 hrs if I’m lucky, but otherwise usually has good naps. She always gets her full morning nap on at least Monday and Wednesday, when both kids are in school from 9-11:30. Other days are hit and miss for a full morning nap, but all three kids nap at 1, so we’re always home at that time. Sometimes we get all 4 of us in Ivy’s twin bed to read books together! :) We all laugh at that. It’s fun!
I’ve always tried to put the kids to bed when they’re drowsy and not yet sleeping. Of course sometimes when they’re nursing they fall asleep, but I try to nurse before they are EXHAUSTED and get them to teach themselves to fall asleep on their own. Faye is also a finger sucker, like Leo! All about the self-soothing. I just lay her in her crib, insert fingers, and she goes to sleep on her own.
Faye is in a sleep sac right now (like this, this, or this), just something to keep her cozy and safe without a blanket in her bed. She’s has been a really good baby and sleeper so far. Minus her growls at 4am, they sound so weird! It’s not even a cry, it’s just a strange noise out of such a cute baby! :) Love that lil girl.
That is what has worked for us. Find a routine and schedule and try to stick to it. We haven’t had a monitor in Ivy or Leo’s room for the last year and a half, it broke, and I figured they were old enough I didn’t need to watch them like a psycho anymore. Not having one in their rooms has been one of the best things for us. Just gave us a little more freedom and relief than having to watch and see what they’re up to in there or race in there the second they were awake.
All this sounds so perfect, but it’s not always. We’re in a good routine, and of course there’s some nights where Leo is kicking all the way up the stairs for bedtime, or Ivy is singing for an hour in her bedroom not napping, or Faye woke up 3 times instead of just once in the night. But for the most part, days are good and we all get sleep!
Now ask me again in a week or two when I actually muster up the courage to get Faye into Ivy’s room! They’ll be sharing and I can’t take the plunge yet! We’re all sleeping so well lately, I don’t dare mess it up! But it’s gotta happen soon, so there goes this whole post! And my sleep! I’ll be staring in the monitor at all hours of the night again and racing in there when Faye wakes so she doesn’t wake Ivy. Ugh. Not looking forward to that transition. Tips, anyone??
Now, sweet dreams. Past my bedtime.
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