ssshhhh

Most people that I know have no trouble putting their babies to sleep. And after a certain age, most babies stay asleep when they fall asleep. But just in case your baby is a little resistant, I'm sharing with you some tips from the world renowned Sleep Lady that we keep on hand here at the office:

Putting yourself to sleep is a leaned skill and we as parents must teach it to our children. Begin by putting your child to bed drowsy but awake at bedtime. Stay with him and reassure him until he is asleep.

Make sure your child has an early enough bedtime- usually between 7-8 pm. Most children typically need 10-11 hours a night for the first 10 years of their life, much more than many parents realize.

Pay attention to your child's sleep window- the natural moment when a child is ready to fall asleep. If you miss that opportunity, your child will become overtired and wired. He will then take longer to get to sleep, wake more often during the night, and wake too early in the morning.

Install room-darkening shades if your child wakes up early or has trouble napping. Also, consider using a white noise machine or a fan if you live in a noisy home or neighborhood.

If a new baby is coming, move the older child from crib to bed at least two months before or four months after the birth of the sibling to avoid feelings of displacement. Better yet, borrow a crib for the interim if the older child isn't ready to move out of his.

Consistency counts! Whatever your plan is, be consistent at bedtime and for all night wakings. Be patient and remember that sleep is a learned skill and takes time!

For the record, Jake goes down at eight and sleeps until about seven in the mo-nin. He takes a nap during the day. Sometimes it's three hours sometimes it's twenty minutes. I put him down around 10am on Saturdays and Sundays. This is terrible, but I have no idea what time he naps at daycare. I'm the luckiest mom ever when it comes to this sleep thing. Maybe three times in Jake's toddlerhood has he woken up so fully that I needed to come in and pat his butt to get him back down. If Jake cries at bedtime it is usually only for a minute or two, and we just let him go ahead and cry until he falls asleep. So mean.

And off the record, I love that I can get the same information that we hand out to thirteen year old mothers and crack babymamas to help me out with this mommy stuff. It helps a whole lot. Moms like us rarely get resources. People just think we know everything because we went to college. I don't know about you but the only things I learned in college was my social security number and how to play Flip Cup without puking. I didn't learn nothin' 'bout birthin' no babies and certainly nothin' 'bout raisin' 'em.

How is your brat doing? Inquiring moms need to know.