Sleeping Like a Baby

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Abstract

s room set up before he was born. But after he finally made his way home, he just ended up co-sleeping with us for the first few months. While it can be a somewhat controversial topic, it seems to be a much more accepted practice in this day and age. As long as your baby is safe, do what works best for you and your family.</p><p id="2298">Because of the fact that I can sleep through our security alarm going off in the middle of the night, I was fortunate to be able to sleep in the same bed with a crying baby. That can come with some side effects, however. In my case, I got crippling back spasms because of my son’s co-sleeper next to me. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!</p><h2 id="0a47">Skip Sleep Training</h2><p id="d845">My wife and I did everything in our power to avoid sleep training. Every infant is different, so your mileage will definitely vary.</p><p id="8c77">To help ease the transition from swaddles to pajamas, we decided to buy the <a href="https://www.magicsleepsuit.com/">Baby Merlin’s Magic Sleepsuit</a>. When our son could no longer be safely swaddled, the sleepsuit offered our son the same comfort and security.</p><p id="3178">Eventually, he outgrew the sleepsuit. At that point, we transitioned him to a firm full-size mattress on the floor when he was around 11 months old. To ensure that he didn’t roll off the bed, we got him <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Toddler-Special-Elderly-Resistant-Washable/dp/B07QNZV8KW/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=B07QNZV8KW&psc=1">bed rails</a>.</p><p id="f32f">At bedtime, one of us would sit on the bed with him until he fell asleep. At two years old, he’s now capable of falling asleep on his

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own. He still wants his daddy cuddles though, so I continue to sit with him until he falls asleep.</p><h2 id="cae6">Takeaways</h2><p id="e0ab">In some ways, my wife and I took some unconventional routes to get our son to sleep soundly throughout the night. Our son was most comfortable with co-sleeping, so we did what made him feel the safest. We also transitioned him to a full-size mattress with bed rails much sooner than most parents do.</p><p id="19e7">At the end of the day, the lesson is to not blindly follow my advice, nor most other advice you hear (but do heed the advice from <a href="https://www.aap.org/">reputable sources</a> and your child’s pediatrician). Forge your own path. Get to know your child and do what works best for you and your family as long as your infant or toddler is safe while doing it.</p><p id="209a">And if you still find that you need a little extra pep in your step, here’s how I kept my wife and me well-caffeinated during the first few months of our son coming home.</p><div id="4d70" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/cold-brew-coffee-9883ecd755df"> <div> <div> <h2>Cold Brew Coffee</h2> <div><h3>It was two years ago, and I just started my paternity leave. Not wanting to drive to Starbucks every day, bleary-eyed…</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*WP72EYGZB81fKz3G)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

Do what works best for you and your family

Not my son, but just as adorable. Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash

My wife and I became first-time parents two years ago. Leading up to the moment our son was born, we were inundated with advice from everyone. Everyone with kids. Everyone without kids. Everyone.

The best advice we received was to stop listening to all of the advice! So with that, here is some advice.

Uninterrupted Sleep

I’m sure you’re all familiar with coffee-addicted zombie husbands, so eloquently described by Kristina God. You too may have faced or will face a similar situation. But don’t despair! While many couples take shifts throughout the night, we took a different approach.

My wife let me sleep for most of the night while she took the hourly shifts feeding our son. When morning rolled around, I would take him downstairs, letting my wife get some much-needed uninterrupted sleep. Since we were both able to get at least a couple of full sleep cycles, we were much more pleasant to be around.

Co-Sleeping

We spent countless hours getting my son’s room set up before he was born. But after he finally made his way home, he just ended up co-sleeping with us for the first few months. While it can be a somewhat controversial topic, it seems to be a much more accepted practice in this day and age. As long as your baby is safe, do what works best for you and your family.

Because of the fact that I can sleep through our security alarm going off in the middle of the night, I was fortunate to be able to sleep in the same bed with a crying baby. That can come with some side effects, however. In my case, I got crippling back spasms because of my son’s co-sleeper next to me. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Skip Sleep Training

My wife and I did everything in our power to avoid sleep training. Every infant is different, so your mileage will definitely vary.

To help ease the transition from swaddles to pajamas, we decided to buy the Baby Merlin’s Magic Sleepsuit. When our son could no longer be safely swaddled, the sleepsuit offered our son the same comfort and security.

Eventually, he outgrew the sleepsuit. At that point, we transitioned him to a firm full-size mattress on the floor when he was around 11 months old. To ensure that he didn’t roll off the bed, we got him bed rails.

At bedtime, one of us would sit on the bed with him until he fell asleep. At two years old, he’s now capable of falling asleep on his own. He still wants his daddy cuddles though, so I continue to sit with him until he falls asleep.

Takeaways

In some ways, my wife and I took some unconventional routes to get our son to sleep soundly throughout the night. Our son was most comfortable with co-sleeping, so we did what made him feel the safest. We also transitioned him to a full-size mattress with bed rails much sooner than most parents do.

At the end of the day, the lesson is to not blindly follow my advice, nor most other advice you hear (but do heed the advice from reputable sources and your child’s pediatrician). Forge your own path. Get to know your child and do what works best for you and your family as long as your infant or toddler is safe while doing it.

And if you still find that you need a little extra pep in your step, here’s how I kept my wife and me well-caffeinated during the first few months of our son coming home.