Lets train: sleep

Showing posts with label sleep. Show all posts

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Who needs sleep

Hello world.

I hear you adults enjoy a thing called 'sleep' but if you ask me, sleep is for wussies. That's right. I tricked my parents into thinking I was settling into a nice little sleeping pattern at night, going for 3-4 hours without needing to wake up. I fooled them for a good week or two. But last night I showed them my real agenda and decided to wake up at 2 am, 4, 6, and 8. OH, and let's not forget that I like to nurse for at least 30 minutes if not a whole hour each time so really, I let my silly parents sleep for one hour increments most of the night.

Again, I repeat: sleep is for wussies. Where's the party? Let's party.

Sunday, June 18, 2017

sleep coupons a method to the madness of getting my kids to sleep through the night

sleep. an ongoing issue in my house for the last four years. the twins have never really slept that great.. so then Baker came along and was sleeping through the night at 6 weeks and would go down like clock work at 7PM and not wake until well past 9AM once she hit a year old. I was floored by how well she slept because I thought all kids just sucked it up in the sleep department.

as we approach year five with the twins things have progressively gotten worse and most recently its just been plain terrible. no other words to describe it and I have never been so tired IN MY LIFE. an infant waking me a couple times at night is one thing but couple that with two other kids up and down for hours every night and I'm basically running on fumes.

I've been searching for ideas and ways to work through this stage with them, and much to my surprise its not just my kids going through this. a lot of other mamas have the same issues surrounding sleep and going to bed and staying in bed.

phew.

a couple weeks ago I had mentioned to a friend about these struggles and it happened that she had recently brought it up to her pediatrician and he mentioned that with his older kids he does sleep coupons.

SLEEP COUPONS?!

collecting sleep coupons for getting in bed at night and staying all night will earn them one coupon and they can "spend" it however they please.

the method.

the biggest part about this method is offering the kids a real explanation about what to expect. allowing the girls to have control over their sleep habits with a reward has proven to be really beneficial! I roped Baker into this because she wants nothing more than to be included with the "big girls" and while I don't know if she will truly understand "saving" her coupons for something 'bigger' she has totally kept up with the concept since we started this about a week ago.

they each get a coupon before going to bed at night and they are allowed to keep the coupon as long as they go to bed without a fight and stay in bed all night. if they wake at all for something other than to use the bathroom (or they are puking.. I'll give them that. but only if they wake their dad first.) they have to hand over their coupon in the morning. I don't take the coupon away at night in the moment mainly because I don't want to cause a FREAK OUT fit. so I wait to deal with that consequence in the morning.

NIGHT #1:: on the first night Jolie woke just twice (normally its about 4+ times) and in the morning I talked her through her waking up and why I was going to be taking the coupon. since it was the first night and a brand new concept, gave them a trial pass, but explained that if she woke me up the next night I would indeed take the coupon away.

NIGHT #2:: Parker fought me quite a bit about going to bed but after a gentle reminder that she was going to lose her coupon if she didn't settle down + lay down she chilled out pretty quick. AND no one made a single peep all night!! normally it takes at least an hour or longer for bedtime, but not this time.
NIGHT #3:: no fight at bedtime! they got into bed after putting their coupon in their little box on their dresser and talked about what they were saving their coupons for.

it was SO CUTE how excited they were.

Jolie is saving her coupons for a Doc McStuffin's toy and Parker has her heart set on a tiger's blood flavored sno cone.
NIGHT #4:: HORRIBLE. it was raining off and on and we are not a fan at all about the rain and thunder over here.. but Jolie had me up about 6 times and Parker just once. the next morning I told the girls to go get their sleep coupons off their dresser and turn them in to me since they didn't sleep through the night. they handed them over and I told them that we would try again that night.

the reward.

2 coupons :: 30 minutes of iPad time

3 coupons :: ice cream or sno cone

6 coupons :: nail salon for a mani and a pedi with mama

9 coupons :: trip to target to pick out a toy of their choice

12 coupons :: movie date night + pop corn and candy

I had my girl Sarah, creative brain at CKFireboots, put together the perfect little coupon for us to use- complete with unique personalization + darling little figure on the front. I designed them with the girls' favorite colors in mind and dressed in cute little pajamas. you can find the custom listing for these sleep coupons HERE!
I downloaded the PDF and sent them over to office max or something of the like to be printed and laminated so they will hold up well with use.

AND, before I forget, Sarah so graciously offered my readers a discount!
use code MASSEY10 for 10% off your entire purchase.
(btw: everything in her shop is ridiculously affordable with or without the discount code!)

I'm really excited for the girls and for this random trial and error with the sleep coupons. we haven't spent any coupons YET, but when we do I think it is going to really drive home the point of this method with the girls.

as always, I want to hear from other mamas about their experiences with sleep! send me all the tips and tricks:)

Sunday, May 7, 2017

newborn sleep essentials tips tricks

after four babies I think I've gotten a pretty good handle on what healthy sleep looks like for an infant. that being said, all four of my kids have slept completely different from each other. I've heard a billion things in regards to what it technically means for a baby to sleep through the night. somewhere along the way someone has offered the magic "6 hour" timeframe and stated that was technically sleeping through he night. but goodness, in those early weeks I would be grateful for just a consistent 3-4 hours, am I right? cluster feeds are not fun!

as first time parents with the twins, neither Jordan or myself had any clue as to what to expect as far as sleep goes with them. Jolie was tiny- four and a half pounds of tiny. she grunted and snorted like premature baby would keeping me up all night long worrying about her and checking her with every peep she made. they both slept in a single pack and play in our room until about 4 months of age and we moved them to their separate cribs and neither slept through the night EVER. Jolie finally figured it out around 6 months of age, but Parker didn't sleep through the night at all until about 15 months old. even then she would only give me a full night's sleep randomly about once a week. at age four they are both in bed around 8pm.. often still awake until after 9pm and Parker wakes me once a night for a hug and is up every morning before the sun.

Baker is an amazing sleeper. AMAZING. she also slept in the pack and play in our room and was sleeping through the night at 6 weeks of age, flipped to her belly to combat a bit of reflux and she found her thumb really early and would self soothe through the night. way different than the two before her. around 6 months I did have to go through some sleep training with her (see my post on sleep training without CIO HERE) and worked like a charm. Baker now goes to bed around 7-7:30pm every night and will sleep about 14 hours. she prefers to stay in her crib until well after 9am in the morning.

so, now there is Brady. I will say that he sleeps pretty well so far! one thing I did do before with the other three, and have been doing with Brady now, is maintained a consistent sleep routine. with the twins we were totally winging it. we didn't know what we were doing at all, and I think I can speak to most first time parents in that those first couple months are a total blur. I tried my best to follow routine and keep up with what all the books and apps were telling me to do for them regarding sleep but every day looked different for us and with two babes it was a little bit more difficult to manage. when Baker came along, I was more seasoned and went straight to work on getting her into that sleep routine I had attempted before. I have found that there are a handful of items and processes that have worked with all four of my kids and I hope that you guys can benefit from my sharing what we do!

routine

I mentioned in Brady's 2 month update (HERE) that we recently started working with him on getting into a consistent sleep routine. before now I was really focusing on getting to know him and his natural habits.. feeding him on demand, which included through the night. reflux played a part against us in the sleep department, but once we got that under control I started him on a trail routine. it definitely takes some tweaks and changes depending on your little one, but so far this is working for us!

bedtime routine @ 10 weeks

9pm: bath soak- usually about 20 minutes, bathed in lavender soap (we love Tubby Todd!)

9:30pm: out of the bath, rub down with lavender lotion and into our jammies!

9:45-10pm: nurse + bed

bathtime really is a huge component to our bedtime routine. I've learned that giving Brady a bath, no matter if its outside of that nine o'clock time frame, helps him sleep more soundly and also gives him the sense that okay this is what we do around bedtime. he has come to really love the bath and it offers time to let him relax and chill out before he goes to sleep for the night.

you can find Brady's bath seat HERE

location

Brady sleeps in the dockatot- which we have been absolutely LOVING. I get asked about the dockatot all the time! I won't say that it is magical and can 100% guarantee that it will make your baby sleep through the night, because so many other things factor into healthy sleep for you and baby, but it is really something both Jordan and myself have come to love using for Brady. we have used it for travel and will eventually use it in transitioning to the crib and upgrade to the larger dockatot grand as he continues to grow. consistency is HUGE when it comes to healthy sleep habits, which is why the dock is so awesome.. we just move it around as we wish! Brady sleeps in the dock in our bed, and for now this is the only place he sleeps at night. when I make the transition to his crib here in another couple months there will be a whole new process, especially when he starts napping in his crib, but at this age Brady knows that when he is in the dockatot that it is bedtime.

full belly

AND burped!

personally I think the very best way to ensure a great sleep is to make sure they are fully fed and burped! with Brady's reflux issues I have had to make sure he is burped really well before I lay him down or he will be awake about a half hour later with gas troubles. holding him upright just about 10 minutes or so after he's eaten for the last time before bed is extra helpful in keeping him comfortable to get into a deep sleep and to hopefully sleep through the night. I also have learned that the more the baby eats during the day the longer and more satisfied he will be through the night. be really consistent with feeding your infant every 3 hours while you are trying to establish a sleep routine. if he's sleeping randomly for a 4 or 5 hour stint through the day then he will make up for what he's missing out on during the night.

the swaddle

when it comes to swaddling, all of my kids have been different. the twins were in the swaddle until almost 6 months.. no joke. they loved it. they were swaddles at night and during the day for nap time. they were smaller than your average, so size wise they might have been the equivalent to a four month old, maybe? after we got them out of the swaddle, Parker and Jolie transitioned to sleep sacs and slept in sleep sacs until they were over a year old.

the swaddle had its 15 minutes of fame with Baker and then she was done. we stopped swaddling her all together by 6 weeks of age and after we moved her out of our room at four months she used a sleep sac until about 6 months. she didn't care for it the same as the twins- maybe because she's a summer babe and its so hot she didn't need/want the extra coverage?

so, now with Brady, we are back at it with the swaddle. nighttime is the only time we swaddle him and we have discovered the most AMAZING swaddle (they have sleep sacs, too!) nested bean has created the Zen Swaddle, which offers a breathable lightweight option for swaddling Brady. the swaddle features a weighted egg on the chest and sides of the swaddle that simulated the weight of my hand so he falls asleep with the comfort of mom or dad close by. not to mention that the fabric has the perfect amount of stretch to get him in a good solid swaddle- the tighter the better as it helps him feel the most secure. once Brady is swaddled he knows its time for bed! when we transition out of the swaddle (the Zen Swaddle is useable for babies 0-6 months of age) I'm totally getting my hands on the Zen Sac to keep up with comforted sleep habits.

wanna try one out for yourself?? I'm so excited to share that the great folks at the nested bean are offering a special discount for my readers! use code MASSEY15 for 15% off your entire purchase!

if you have any tips and tricks for sleep that you have done with your babies I would love to hear them! I'm always learning as I go and getting encouraging feedback from you guys is just the best!!

Sleep Better How To Make Your Bedroom a Better Place To Re Charge

We spend a third of our lives in bed, but no one teaches us how to orchestrate our bedrooms to help us sleep well! *smile* Here is a photo of our master bedroom. Studies show that good quality sleep (not just quantity) benefits parents of families of any size...

There is usually a huge drain on Mom (and dad as he supports the family) over the course of a day especially - physically, emotionally, and spiritually - and she needs not just quantity but the highest quality of sleep at night that she can get. In a larger family, there may be older children helpers - but there's still a lot of children. *smile*. Now I don't say this in a negative or victimization type of mindset at all. I'm just addressing a fact that needs our attention if we are to to function at our best. From my experience, sleep can truly make or break a person's ability to be successful on a daily basis. Let's look at how our bedrooms can effect that.

Having a bedroom that is too messy or too mentally stimulating can actually rob you of good quality sleep. I've known this to be true for myself, but a while ago I came across an article in The Costco Connection magazine, July 2011 issue, that had good documented proof of this concept. The article is called, "Better Bedroom, Better Sleep", by Malia Jacobson. The information from this article goes hand-in-hand with what I emphasize so much in my own life and writing, and encourage in the lives of thousands of other women - order, cleanliness, and simplicity to improve life.

The author, Malia Jacobson, points out four easy-to-address contributors to the quality of our sleep in our bedrooms, the last two being of particular connection to organization and de-cluttering one's home. They are,

The amount of light in the room
The temperature of the room
The amount of stimulation
The messiness of the room

1. The amount of light in the room

Light in a bedroom actually regulates our biological clock which tells us when it's time to sleep; too much light messes us up. This article mentions that it's good to minimize our exposure to natural light, and artificial light including TV, computers, iPhones and the like a few hours before going to bed.

Bob and I have actually practiced this for years. Here in Washington, we really only face the issue of light at bed time in the summer months, so during those months we clothes the blinds in our home a couple of hours before it's time to go to bed. This has greatly helped our children and ourselves mentally prepare for, and begin winding down to be ready for going to bed soon.

Also, the type of light in a bedroom apparently makes a difference. The blue lights often emitting from cell phones, computer screens, TV's, and alarm clocks, have an especially strong impact on our sleep quality, negatively effecting our sleep patterns and depth of sleep.

2. The temperature of the room

Sleeping too warm can prevent us from sleeping well. It's better to have a cooler room. A drop in body temperature is actually a physiological cue, triggering sleep. The ideal temperature for the bedroom is between 60-68 degrees, so if we open a window a little while before we go to bed, or turn on the air conditioning if you have it, or use a fan to push heat out of the room this will help us slip in to peaceful and easier sleep. Also, again, having a darker room helps it stay cooler.

3. The amount of stimulation

Here is great evidence of the value of de-cluttering and organizing our bedrooms! Unfinished projects, "to-do" piles, too much reading material on the night stand, these types of things can send our mind whirring, instead of moving us to relax. Also, our bodies crave routine and repetition (read more on how to do this in one of my post on scheduling and routines), so when we do daytime, mind-stimulating activities such as working, watching the news, or surfing the internet, this causes our minds to kick in to action instead of settle down. So what should we do? We can make our bedrooms a place of rest by banning laptops, cell phones, video games, TV, and work. If you love to read in bed, like I do, this article suggests choosing light reading material such as a magazine instead of a suspenseful novel. Here is more information on my personal bedtime reading choices if you would like to read more.

4. The messiness of the room

I have to directly quote this part of the article as the statistics are so amazing to me.

"According to the National Sleep Foundation, people who make their beds daily are 19 percent more likely to sleep well every night. And 71 percent of Americans say they sleep better in a fresh-smelling bedroom... Climbing in to a clean, fresh bed will help you relax and set aside your cares, while a messy, unkempt room may provoke stress by reminding you of unfinished chores."

As a side note: I agree with the author's suggestions to close bedroom and closet doors at night, to create a sense of calm and order, although her suggestion at the end of the article that we follow these habits out of feng shui inspiration (Chinese mysticism) are NOT what I would encourage of course. *laugh* There is only one, true source of peace - the Lord Jesus Christ.

In our opinion, we should all do our best to create a peaceful, restful, stress-free environment for our bedrooms and our children's bedrooms; and we should seek refuge, comfort, and emotional and spiritual protection, from our Lord and Savior to bring peace and restful sleep at night while He lovingly keeps watch over us. This is done by looking outward to the Creator of the universe not inward to ourselves.

"He will not allow your foot to be moved: he that keeps you will not slumber. Indeed, the Guardian of Israel never rests or sleeps." ~ Psalm 121: 3, 4

Blessings on your efforts for better sleep,

You may also be interested in reading my related post,

Marriage - Our High Priority: How I make our bedroom our sanctuary