Sleeping like a Baby.

     I've had a few momma's ask me about Connor's sleep schedule, so I'm going to go through our daily routine, including nap schedules. It's really tough when you have a baby/toddler who doesn't sleep, and I've been there. Connor was a fussy newborn/infant, and I am grateful for the friend, Sarah Fahed:), who recommended that I read a book called "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." I never wanted to listen to Connor "cry it out," and frankly, I'm not sure that he could self-soothe himself at all. When he was 8 months, I was at my wits end, so I bought that book, and it changed everything. Who knew sleep could change a baby's entire mood? I honestly did not know the importance of a schedule, and I wish that I had known sooner how well Connor thrives on one. This is what works for US. You may need to tweak things to fit your baby's habits and schedule. Connor sleeps at night from 7 am - 7 pm. (Sometimes, he even goes to bed before 7 pm.)
     Connor wakes up in the morning at 7 a.m., almost on the dot. Some days it is a little earlier, and some days it is a little later, but we still form our days around him waking up at 7 a.m. When he wakes up, we eat breakfast, he gets milk, and he plays. He is now on a 1 nap/day schedule, so he doesn't go down for a nap until 11 or 11:30. So, we run any errands or do anything that we need to do that morning. Most mornings he just plays until nap time. I feed him lunch before I lay him down, so that he doesn't wake up hungry an hour after he falls asleep. He will usually sleep from 11 - 12:30 or 1:00. Some days, he goes down for a nap around 11:30 and will sleep until 1 or 1:30. I'm not super anal about the time, whether it is 11 or 11:30, but I don't like to wait much longer than that. If I wait too long, Connor gets over-tired and then that is a nightmare. After he wakes up from his nap, he gets a snack, then we usually do something fun. We'll go to the park, pool, or anything that will help him burn off some of that energy! He gets dinner between 4:30 and 5:30, and then he gets a bath. Lately, I've been doing a bath every other night because of his skin, but he at least gets a wipe down and is changed into his pajamas. By the time, we are done with everything, it is usually close to 6. Around 6:30 he will get some milk, and then at 7 I lay him down for bedtime. Some days, he goes down at 6:30. It honestly depends on how tired he is acting. Since he is down to 1 nap a day, he is usually awake 6 hours before bedtime, so he's pretty tired. I discovered he was ready for 1 nap a day when he started protesting his 2nd nap, and when he wouldn't go to sleep at night.
    When he was on a 2 nap/day schedule, he would wake up at 7, nap from 9-10 and nap from 1-2. He woke up around 2 in the afternoon, and he was awake for 5 hours before bedtime. If Connor is acting really tired and fussy, I won't hesitate to put him to bed at 5:30. It sounds crazy, but sometimes babies just get tired. Some nights you go to bed earlier than normal, right? Same idea applies for your baby. Babies need a lot of sleep, and even if they aren't acting really tired, it's important to put them to bed anyway.
     It took a few weeks to get Connor on a great schedule, but my persistence paid off. He is much happier, he sleeps well, and I also get that time from 7 until I go to bed to myself and with my husband. You have to get used to the idea of your world revolving around theirs. If Connor's nap time is at 11, I make sure I get to the grocery store early in the morning, so we are back before his nap. (Same applied when he napped at 9, I got to the grocery store before 8am on many different occasions).

    When it comes to getting Connor to sleep, he will usually just roll over and go to sleep. Sometimes he protests, and he goes through phases from time to time where he really doesn't want to go to bed. I give him 5 minutes, go in his room and make sure he has his paci, lay him down, and walk out. I do it a few times before he just falls asleep. Before he turned 1, I rocked him. I never let him cry it out. I would let him cry for about 5 minutes, and then I would go get him and rock him until he fell asleep. I didn't let him "cry it out" and the week he turned 1, he wouldn't let me rock him anymore.