As I rolled over bleary eyed and looked at the clock, this had become my usual routine for the last several months, I was happy to see it say 5am! Wow I got my first 7 hours of sleep in weeks! As the mother of a toddler who has been teething since she was 5 months old and nursed until she was 8 months old I have learned the days of 8 consecutive hours of sleep are gone. We have tried everything with this child to get her to sleep thru and she has her days where she’ll sleep from 8-7 but they are few and far between. My Madalynn is such a sweet, good natured, active child I have come to the realization that everyone is happier if we just give her a bottle upon her 1 awakening and she’ll go right back down. I know this goes against every book out there but as a mother you learn to do what is best for your child and your family. I have learned many things that until it’s your child waking up it’s hard to give advice but many still offer it. I politely let them but none of the suggestions have worked for my child. I am not built in a way that would ever allow me to hear my child cry for longer than 15 min. without consoling them. On the other side I know of some who have chosen the family bed as the child’s sleep place, we preferred her in crib due to her having her own place and knowing the many benefits of a child learning to sleep without the parents right by their side. Although I know there are many books/articles supporting both each individual must make a decision that works for them and their child. Raising the Happiest Child on The Block by Harvey Karp is one I read for sleep advice also for sanity savers- Becoming a Calm Mom by Deborah Roth Ledley
Madalynn was very active in her sleep and loved her crib at 6 wks., lucky us! You really do need to have adult time because before there was 3 there were just the two of you, intimacy is so important.
It’s always nice to hear a parent who can relate that says my Abigail just started sleeping thru at 14 months or Lucas will only sleep thru if I am in his room on an air mattress next to him or my kid never slept thru without a bottle until age 2. Then I remember each kid is different and individually has different needs so I try never to compare Madalynn to others. I also stopped getting annoyed when people say she’s not sleeping thru yet? As if there is something we are doing wrong…quite the opposite we’re guilty of being too attentive if anything and wanting her to not ever feel as though we aren’t there for her. That may stem some from my childhood memories that sometimes unfortunately when you’re the 5th of 5 kids your parents sometimes aren’t there, they can’t always be and they did the best they could.
