***My original blog is below and I felt like I needed to write this disclaimer because of a comment that was made. I have to say that obviously I never, ever would want to make anyone feel bad if their baby is not sleeping through the night. I merely wanted to share what helps Lennox sleep in the hopes that maybe that could assist you in helping your baby sleep. I also never claimed to be a pro at this and was asking all of you parents for your advice. I want to create a forum on my website where we can support each other and share what works and what doesn’t work. I am constantly asking friends with children for advice and I want to expand my outreach as much as possible. I hope you read the following blog with love and know that it’s only coming from love***
I don’t claim to know a ton about raising a baby since I’ve only been a mommy for nine months, but I do have to say little Lennox is a happy, happy baby who SLEEPS so I think we are doing something right!! 🙉 He really wakes up happy, it’s so wonderful😊 We walk into the room after he’s been talking to himself and rolling around and giggling at something and then we turn on the light and he sees us. We usually get a huge smile from ear to ear and some sort of shriek because he’s thrilled to see mommy or daddy. One of the things I believe has helped him be a good and happy sleeper is wearing his ergo pouch to sleep in his crib. As it’s gotten colder I wanted him to be comfortable at night, but not too warm as that can be dangerous. I feel the pouch has just enough layers to keep him in that comfortable temperature. Sheets are also important and I love this guide from My Babies Planet on the 10 Best Crib Sheets. Helpful for making good choices! I also still like to rock my baby to sleep. I know that may not be the best thing to do, as he should learn to fall asleep on his own- which he also does from time to time, but everyone says how fast time flies and he loves being rocked to sleep💤💤 and to be honest I love it so much too. So does my husband. Plus Lennox is sleeping 11 to 12 hours a night so if it ain’t broke, right?! We also give him a pacifier at bedtime and a Wubbanub while supervised. I keep about four to six pacifiers in his crib as well so he can reach for one throughout the night if he wants to suck for extra comfort. When he wakes up in the morning I give it about 10 minutes, sometimes 15 to 20 depending on what he’s doing in the crib before I go in to get him. He’s playing and talking to himself and keeping himself busy so I’m not going to run in there and disturb that. I think it’s really important for him to be able to occupy himself and be happy while in his crib or play area for that matter.
I would love, love, love to hear tips on how you keep your baby happy. What do you do to help your baby sleep at night? I really want this to be a forum where we can share our concerns, ask questions and share tips and tricks 😉 so please direct friends and family to my site as well. The more the merrier!
Have a happy day everyone!
Xoxo
Amy
Ergo Pouch Unisex
Evolur Crib Cheyenne
Wubbanub Giraffe
Mam Pacifier Mini 0-6 months
Mam Pacifier Unisex 6+ months
We bedshare with our 9 month old and love it!!
Sleeping 11-12 hours straight is not the norm and to parents out there that have a baby that does not sleep that many hours, it’s ok!! You are not doing anything wrong!! Your baby is normal!! Waking up actually prevents SIDS. It’s a survival tactic that babies have been practicing since they were living in caves. I’m not saying what you, Amy, is doing is wrong. Nope. I just talk to a lot of moms and sleeping through the night is a hot button topic. Often moms can feel bad about themselves as moms or think there is something wrong with their baby after reading posts like yours. I just want to give a different perspective and reassure new (and veteran) moms, babies sleeping 11-12 hours in a crib, without waking up is not typical.
Oh! And rock that baby if you want to! I nurse my little one to sleep. I have friends that have nursed or rocked or put their baby in the swing to nap or sleep and they all have happy, sleeping kids.
Babies are so unpredictable and finding out what works for you and your baby is a personal journey. Or 8 month old was doing amazing from about 3 months until he got a cold at 7 months. For 5 weeks following it was hellish for all of us. He’s finally ::knock on wood:: starting to get back into a good sleep pattern again. We put him in his footie jams and give him his bed time bottle. Then when he’s ready we put him in a sleep sack and rock him to bed. We find that the sleep sack is comforting for him and keeps him warm at night. Without it he can even nap. We’ve also recently started using a sound machine with rain fall on low and he seems to respond well to that. It’s not easy and I’m sure we’ll continue to have our ups and downs but as long as he has a smile on his face everyday that’s all that matters to me.
Love the blog ❤️ I posted a comment on IG but wanted to share the love here too. You’re doing an amazing job and thank you for sharing your journey. To any mommas who get offended remember this is a mom sharing her journey and experience not tearing you down. Your little boy looks so sweet and cuddly.
My son also was a great sleeper… he started sleeping through the night at 8 weeks but he is now going through a sleep regression at 22 months old. He won’t fall asleep without someone sitting in the room with him or rocking him to sleep. We got pretty lucky up until now! Lol motherhood is definitely not easy and things change daily. Amy I think you are an incredible mom and I appreciate how much of your life you share with everyone. Motherhood is so much easier when you know there are other mothers out there going through similar situations.
I love this. I rocked my baby until he was around a year then we gradually had to have still cuddles by the bed, onto one arm in the bed, to sitting beside. Fast forward, we have a happy 3 year old who goes to bed and we go straight downstairs after stories. This from the kid who never napped, and could never be put down drowsy, let alone awake. I love these tips and I used to try everything because at the end of the day, no harm no foul right? Xxxx
I have 4 kids. 13, 11, 6, & 3. They have all had different sleeping patterns. And what worked for 1 did not always work for the other. My 3 yr old still wakes up every night and comes in our bed. We have tried everything with her. I am constantly looking for input from other parents to see what they have done. Maybe it’s something we haven’t tried.
I love forums where we can ask advice, and not be ridiculed for our opinions. Let’s keep supporting each other. 💕
Thank you for sharing your tips! I learned about the magic Merlin sleep suit from your blog and it worked miracles! From waking every 3/4 hours to sleeping 11/12 hours EVERY NIGHT! Everything is better with a good night sleep (parents and especially babies). We will try the Ergo suit for the winter cold months! Thanks again.
You have nothing to apologize for. Some people misunderstand/misread things and feel the need to react negatively.
My daughter slept through the night starting around 5 weeks old. Some of my nieces and nephews didn’t sleep through the night until 10+ months old. BOTH SITUATIONS ARE OKAY! Kids go through sleeping phases and every child is different! Every night will be different in some cases too. You keep being a rockstar mommy!
Amy, my sister has a five month old who doesn’t sleep more than two hours at a time at night or for a nap. I showed her your post and she wasn’t offended in the slightest. She was grateful for any suggestions that might help make him a better sleeper. Would you mind sharing at what age Lennox started sleeping so well?
I’m so glad you shared it with her! Thank you so much. Lennox started sleeping through the night pretty much when we moved him into his nursery. That was around four months. We let him cry it out a few nights and then he was good to go!
Like I said on IG, I think it’s great that you’re using your blog platform to share your journey and what you’re learning as a first time mom- your heart, and desire to encourage is apparent so anyone who leaves negative critical comments you should just keep scrolling by Amy! 🙂 We live in a society so quick to judge, compare, criticize and tear down other Moms/parents.. I don’t think you should feel bad or even apologize.. you’re just putting your story out there- and if it gives even just one mom, especially sleep deprived, new? Exhausted? Etc etc mom encouragement or an idea they hadn’t thought of or heard yet- than that’s awesome! 🙂
I feel the same way you do about rocking to sleep. Our babies have the same birthday and I still rock her to sleep every night. Like you, I feel she should learn to fall asleep on her own (and she does at daycare), but I love rocking her to sleep! That is such a great idea to have multiple pacifiers in the crib! I’m definitely going to try that because she has woken up at times crying trying to find it. Thank you so much for sharing your tips! Being a new mommy is such a huge learning experience and I love being able to bounce ideas off one another!