Legend has it, that there are some lucky parents out there whose babies sleep through the night from just days old....
I don't know where these people are getting these miracle babies from, and I don't know what exactly I did in a previous life to incur the wrath of the Sleep Gods, but I do know that I am NOT one of those parents and my baby (now 6 months old) is not a very good sleeper..
Well actually, that's not technically true. He can be an excellent sleeper. He could win gold in the Sleep-Olympics...but ONLY during the day time.
Once the sun goes down, Tyne is gonna party like its 199...oh you get the picture.
I've come to the very sad realisation that no matter how many Gina Ford books I read, and no matter what Googled tips and tricks I try - there is little I can do about the sleep situation at this stage.
So all I can do for the time being is make sure that the few hours (if I'm lucky...) sleep that I do get is the good stuff!
I have suffered with insomnia for most of my life, but over the years I have tried various techniques for getting a decent sleep and these are the ones that have been most successful for me...
Wind Down
For an hour before bedtime every night, I make sure that the computer is turned off, I'm not reading and I am just simply sitting and relaxing with a cup of tea or hot chocolate.
I may sit with Jon and chat about the day, I make call my mum or a friend for a chat, I may watch some light hearted TV - but I make sure that I don't over-stimulate my mind for that 1 hour before bedtime.
A new tip I've discovered is that Baby TV is on all night long - and it's designed to get babies off to sleep!! Doesn't work on my particular baby of course, but it sure as heck works on me!!!!
Make The Bedroom Comfortable and Relaxing
My bedroom used to be bright pink, with lots of photos everywhere, and lots of clutter.
Looking back, I'm not surprised that I found it hard to sleep in there. It was too bright and busy.
Now my bedroom is all white, I make sure that EVERYTHING is always put away and out of sight, and the room is nicely aired before bedtime so that when I take myself off to bed the atmosphere is immediately calm and relaxing.
Making sure that the bed is comfortable, with a nice comfy mattress and fluffy pillows the perfect height for me is also very important.
Switch Off
Easier said than done of course, but I try my best to think about trivial things at bed time and don't allow myself to start doing sums about bills or stressing out about tomorrows tasks. I find closing my eyes and focusing on deep breathing and other relaxation techniques really help me with this.
With these things all done, at least the short amount I do get is proper sleep so that I wake up feeling refreshed and recharged.
Do you have any tips to share for getting a good nights sleep? As always, I'd love to hear from you!
