Sleep Isn't a Big Deal

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When I had my first baby, sleep was a huge deal. My life revolved around sleep.

Try to get sleep, try to get baby to sleep, try to keep baby asleep, try to fall asleep, try to sleep for long stretches, try to sneak in a nap. I was so tired that all I ever wanted to do was sleep. And I was so concerned that I wasn't getting enough sleep that I couldn't get it off my mind.

The interesting thing is that the more I worried about trying to get sleep and my lack of it, the less sleep I ended up getting--and the more anxious and depressed I got. It was one exhausting, horrible cycle.

With my second baby, I did things differently. I told myself it wasn't a big deal if I didn't get much sleep. It wasn't a big deal if it took me a while to fall asleep. It wasn't a big deal if I was up 10 times at night. It wasn't a big deal if my baby didn't go right to sleep after waking at night. It wasn't a big deal if I never got a nap during the day. And it wasn't a big deal if I was tired all day.

Common Sleep Questions

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• Why does my baby fight/hate sleep?
• How long should baby stay awake?
• How do I know if baby needs more or less awake time?
• How can I help my baby fall asleep in a new place?
• How can I tell when my baby is tired?
• Why do other babies seem to sleep better than my baby?
• How can I help my new baby sleep more at night and less during the day?
• How do I stop my child's diaper from leaking?
• How can I keep my baby's pacifier in?
• What is a wonder week?

Should My Baby Sleep With White Noise?

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I've talked about white noise more than once, but I'm always getting questions about it (is it safe?, is it a sleep prop?) so I thought it was about time I

When is it safe for my baby to sleep on his tummy?

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I have seen more than one mom, myself included, get anxious when they find their young baby asleep on her tummy for the first time. We automatically check to make sure she's breathing and wonder how in the world she got there and what can we do to stop it!

Putting a baby under one to sleep on her back is drilled into us like crazy and many of us well, freak out, when baby is found anywhere else. The constant reminders about

How long do I let baby go without a feed at night?

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If you ask people how long to let a newborn go without a feed at night you are bound to get lots of different answers, especially if you are breastfeeding. You'll generally hear anything between 1.5 hours to 'as long as she'll give you!' Even pediatricians will give

Should I sleep train for NAPS or at NIGHT first?

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Joshua, a few weeks old

The all too familiar question. Maybe you have been wondering this exact thing. It's about time I addressed it in a post instead of in multiple comments where you have to wait days to find out my answer. Not very fun when you are trying t

Is Cry It Out (CIO) Harmful?

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I'll get more into talking about CIO and my thoughts on it later, but until then, here's a great article by the author of the book Bedtiming. I'll review it below. You'll also find a few other links to great articles regarding CIO at the bottom of the post. I suggest you read these if you are thinking about trying CIO or have already tried it.

Just because I'm talking about CIO, it doesn't mean I think all parents should be doing it. I don't, especially as a first resort. It isn't for everyone, baby or parent. Some methods work better for some people than others. Parents also prefer different sleep arrangements (and sometimes they are forced into them... but that is a different post). See Sleep Training - Choosing an Approach for more on how to choose a sleep training approach.

Here's a synopses of the above article...

Can I sucessfully breastfeed and have a routine/schedule?

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by Pablo Picasso

YES! It is very possible!

I have successfully breastfed my kids past a year (Jacob, my 15 month old, is at this time still nursing) and have done a routine since day one. My kids have thrived. And I have thrived. I know some people are fine with feeding baby every second of every night and day for months (or years) on end, but I am not. I start to

Why Won't My Toddler or Preschooler Fall Asleep?!

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Many toddlers and preschoolers go through a phase where they won't fall asleep for naps or before bed. Often it is a short phase that passes by itself or with a few changes in the daily routine, but sometimes, it is

Nap Lengths - What's Average?

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Unfortunately, a good, long nap does not come easily to all babies. So don't despair if your baby doesn't take naps as long as the ones listed below. Believe me, he is not the only one, I promise! If this is the case, you may want to check out the

Is baby sleeping too much?

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So, is baby sleeping too much?

Most likely no.

Babies and children need a lot of sleep. Except for some uncommon situations, (low iron, sleep apnea etc) children will not sleep more than

Does he just need less sleep than most babies?

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This is possible, but unlikely. While there is definitely a variability in the amount of sleep from one baby to another, if your child's is sleeping much less than the average baby (an hour or so) he probably does need more sleep. Babies and young children can be very good at tricking us into thinking they need less sleep than they

Night Sleep - What's Average?

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Listed below is the average amount of night sleep in hours for age (may not be an unbroken stretch of sleep)**. In case you're wondering, I rely upon Weissbluth's (or Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child) averages the most.

Average night sleep I've observed over the years. These are optimal amounts for a well rested child, not what is necessarily

Total Sleep - What's Average?

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Listed below is the average amount of total sleep in hours for age from various books**.  This is here just as a reference point. You're child has his own little rhythm he beats to. If things are going well but you are a bit higher in hours than expected, then, you're good. No need to change anything (it's always good to r/o medical issues though). If your child is sleeping less than the averages, then you may be

Daytime Sleep - What's Average?

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Listed below are lists of the average amount of daytime sleep in hours and number of naps for age**.  Remember, if nothing is broken, don't try to fix it!  If things are going smoothly, there is likely no need to change them! These are just here to guide you along the

How Do I Know If My Baby Is Getting Enough Sleep?

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A well rested child will generally be happy and a pleasure to be around. They will also wake up happy while a tired baby will often wake up grumpy and crying. A newborn will appear to be calm and alert. Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child believes that a difficult temperament at 4 months is the sign of a tired baby while a easy temperament is the sign of a