The Gift of Sleep

Sunday is Mother's Day and I can't wait! Obviously it's my very first Mother's Day and I feel like I've entered the super exclusive and incredible group of motherhood finally! They just don't tell you that the entrance fee is 9 months of heart burn, swollen feet, hip pain and nausea. But the rewards are you get to be the proud mother a beautiful healthy baby who you will love unconditionally for the rest of your life.

While Nolan is too young to go out and purchase or make me a Mother's Day gift, this year he has gifted me with the most wonderful gift of all....a full night of sleep. That's right. Nolan has been sleeping 6-8 hours every night for the past week-and-a-half, and it's been incredible! The little guy goes to bed at 8:30-9pm and then doesn't wake up until anywhere from 3-5am. Praise the Lord!

 

The first night he did this I cried I was so happy. Then I was terrified because I thought something was wrong or he was sick. Nope! Nolan just likes to get his beauty sleep! 

 

The gift of sleep I owe to one single thing.....creating a bedtime routine. I've spent the last 4 weeks doing the exact same thing every night with Nolan and when Nolan turned 2 months old, it finally clicked with him. {Hallelujah Chorus!}

 

 

Here is what we do....

 

6-7pm

Sometime during this hour, Nolan eats, gets burped and then hangs out in his swing or cuddles with me or Dusty. 

 

 

7-7:30pm

Bath time!

I know all the books and online resources say to only bathe your baby 2-3 times a week. Well, I don't care! Nolan only gets washed with soap and shampoo every other night and on the other nights he just takes a quick soak in the warm water. This relaxes him and is key to him falling asleep at a decent time. No bath = late night bedtime!

 

 

7:30-8pm

Nolan then gets out of the bath and gets slathered and massaged with Johnson & Johnson Baby Bedtime Lotion. Then I put him in his warm footy pajamas and read to him Llama Llama Nighty Night. The lotion has magical powers I swear! Or probably just lavender. But either way, I noticed a huge difference in how well he slept when I started using this lotion. Now I even use the baby bedtime wash when I bathe him.

 

 

8-9pm

Nolan gets swaddled from the armpits down (I'll explain) and then has his last meal of the day. He loves to be swaddled but has always fought having his arms contained in the blanket since day 1. Plus it makes me feel better having his arms out because if he were to roll over, he can still use his arms and hopefully prevent SIDS. Then I burp and cuddle him until he is in a deep-deep slumber and gently place him in his bassinet for the night!

 

Nighty Night Nolan!