And Then There Was Light!

As just about every new parent will tell you, when your little bundle of joy comes along you bid a tearful farewell to good and proper sleep and a tired hello to long nights and stolen naps, at least for a while.  This is not news.  And so it is no surprise that when Rod and I announced that Ricky was on the way, just about every seasoned veteran looked upon us with a mixture of pity and sly glee and reminded us that for the next few years we would be little more than a pair of individuals reduced to a constant state of semi-consciousness.  I expected that my nights would be whittled down to three hour stretches of sleep - if I were to be so lucky - peppered with lengthy feeds and soothing cuddles.  I expected that the darkly shadowed eyes I had lovingly crafted every morning before art school would make a comeback, albeit in a more natural manner.  I also expected that there would be light at the end of the tunnel.  What I didn't expect was that the tunnel would be so short!

At 15 weeks old, Ricky started sleeping through.

Perhaps I should start at the beginning.  When Ricky was born, we were told time and again about the importance of routine for a baby.  To be perfectly honest though, we didn't bother with any sort of strict routine for about the first three months of Ricky's life, allowing him to dictate when he would eat, when he would sleep, and when we would sleep.  The only routine we kept was bathtime and bedtime.  We toyed around with bathing him earlier, bathing him later, bathing before feeding, bathing after feeding, until we found the perfect time and combination of events to make for a happy little man.  He is now so set in his ways that if he is not upstairs and on his way to a warm and splashy bath by 6:15pm, he doth protest, and loudly.  Once we hit on the perfect schedule we noticed a wondrous thing - Ricky began waking only once a night to feed.

Now any parent can tell you that this in itself is magical!  But even so, I found I was struggling to keep up with his appetite.  Ricky grew well and quickly, doubling his birth weight at just over 9 weeks, and by 15 weeks I was doing nothing but feeding, burping and changing him.  With the blessing of the sisters at the baby clinic we started Ricky on solids.  I was mildly concerned about starting solids early, albeit only two weeks, but he had reached all the necessary developmental milestones and clearly needed something more than just boob juice!

And then, three days later, that's when it happened.  We were woken by a gentle mutter over the baby monitor, but on sitting up I noticed that not only did I feel brilliant, but there was a warm glow peeking around the edges of our bedroom curtain.  That was four weeks ago, and we're still enjoying long nights.  Few mothers can boast a baby that sleeps so well, and thus we reach the crux of this post.  I write this not to brag (although I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me feel a bit like SuperMom!), but to share what I know.  Credit must be given to my little man, he is such an easy baby that I can't, for the life of me, understand what parents complain about!  But we must be doing something right!  If what I can tell you helps even a little, it may be just enough.  In excruciating detail, here it is.

Ricky's Schedule

I am blessed to be a stay-at-home mom, and so I get to spend the whole day with my little man.  We play, he has an afternoon nap, he eats three solid meals a day interspersed with milk feeds.  He seems to really enjoy his life. When Daddy gets home at around half three, he spends some time with Ricky too.  Then the evening schedule begins.  We've found that the key to a good night sleep is a full tummy and a dry bum, and so the focus is strongly on those elements!

17h30
Ricky has a boob feed until he takes himself off, then a double portion puree (carrot, butternut, apple, sweet potato)
(Check out some easy home-made purees here)

18h15
Ricky plays with his mobile in his cot while we prep his bath and pyjamas; Mommy and Daddy play with Ricky while we get him undressed.

18h30
Ricky's Mozart CD is put on and he goes into the bath.  Hair wash first, then body.  Ricky loves getting his hair washed, and even more so when the water is quite warm.  Out of the bath.  We rub cream head to toe and give Ricky a fresh nappy and pyjamas.

19h00
Daddy switches the night light on and the big light off, and switches the radio to between stations for white noise.  This signals to Ricky that it's time to sleep and helps to relax him.  Because it's winter, we have a fin heater on low in the room to keep it warm but not hot.  Back onto the boob for a final feed until he is good and full, then into bed once he's done.  Mommy kisses him goodnight then tucks him in and leaves until around 6am when he wakes up.

{Some experts recommend swaddling until your baby is quite a few months old, but Ricky has hated it since birth.  He would always try and poke his arms out and wrestle free of his blankie, so we just drape one over him to mid-chest and he's much happier and sleeps better!} 

Because every baby is different, the same products may not work for all little ones, but these are the products we've found work a treat for Ricky and may help him sleep soundly through the night:

Bennetts Aqueous Bath Drops - lighter that baby oil, but works just as well at keeping skin soft and supple.
Johnson's Baby Bedtime Bath - great for hair and body and smells amazing!  The pump top is also really convenient if you only have one hand free.
Elizabeth Anne's and Purity Natural Good Nights Aqueous Cream - easily absorbed and smells great!

Pampers Premium nappies - we've tried just about every nappy on the market and these are the only ones that we've found do what they promise! No leaks, keep baby's bum dry all night - amazing things!
Good old-fashioned Vaseline Baby Jelly for the cutest bum in the world - I found it pointless using expensive bum creams.  They cake and can be more uncomfortable than soothing.  We only use Vaseline on Ricky and, to date, he's never had nappy rash.

Here's hoping that this helps your little one (and their Mommy and Daddy) get a good night sleep!  As I've said before, I'm no authority on the matter, but maybe my experience can help lead you to your perfect solution!

Here's to sleeping through!

Smiles,
Mommy