What Sleep Advice Do You Wish All Parents Followed?

[preschoolteacher]

Hello everyone!

I'm expecting our second baby, and I'd love to hear what sleep advice you wish all of your daycare parents would follow from day 1. I need it!

My older child didn't sleep through the night until he was 2 years old. I rocked him to sleep, nursed him to sleep, nursed him throughout the night, coslept (safely, and not when he was an infant), and so on. When he was 8-12 months old, he was commonly waking up 7-10 times per night. Our worst week was a series of nights when he woke up 12-15 times (crying each time).

No food or tummy issues, no colic, nothing but a baby who was taught he needed Mom at night and was very unhappy to wake up alone.

Coincidentally, he's a champion sleeper and napper now, falling asleep independently, sleeping all night and for three hour naps, and playing quietly in his room after he wakes up.

What should I do to have an easier time with our new baby? I've read very good advice on here that is gentle and balanced (not just "let them cry" no matter how young or for how long). I'm no longer a believer of the attachment parenting sleep methods. It may be best for the baby, but I fully believe our baby will be happiest having parents in a strong marriage, a non frazzled mother, and with a big brother who is also getting the attention he needs. Two more sleepless years cannot happen again!

Thanks for your wisdom!

[Leigh]

The best advice for me was to rock baby only part-way to sleep, then put down drowsy. I started doing that, and soon he was going down awake and getting himself to sleep. I rocked at night until 2 years old, but not in the daytime, and not always rocking to sleep (I tried to put him down drowsy then, too). I loved the bonding part of rocking at night, but during the day, I just didn't do it because I wanted him to do it for himself.

[spinnymarie]

Have you read Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child?
THere were some parts that I totally ignored, but for the most part it was super helpful, describing a three-hour routine for baby in which they are awake for about an hour and then you watch for sleep cues and put them right back down. It has worked on every baby we've had here, save 1.

[Annalee]

I never rocked my boys to sleep. I put them in the their bed from day 1. I also ran a fan/sound machine so they were used to noise. I could vacuum while they slept. When they were infants they would awake to eat every 3-4 hours but gradually worked out of that early on. I had their bed in my room until they were 6 months old but after that they went into their own room and began sleeping longer and longer each night. BTW, this was my mom's advice to me and I am thankful for it!

[daycarediva]

Don't nurse/feed to sleep. Stop when he/she starts dosing off. Put down awake, pat a few times. Repeat. I always did this with my own kids and infant daycare kids when I took them, they ended up all being great sleepers.

[Jack Sprat]

Don't nurse/feed to sleep. Stop when he/she starts dosing off. Put down awake, pat a few times. Repeat. I always did this with my own kids and infant daycare kids when I took them, they ended up all being great sleepers.

I didn't do this with my kids. IF I could do it over again I would.

[KiddieCahoots]

Don't nurse/feed to sleep. Stop when he/she starts dosing off. Put down awake, pat a few times. Repeat. I always did this with my own kids and infant daycare kids when I took them, they ended up all being great sleepers.

Try getting baby adjusted to a bink, so when baby wakes and needs to satisfy ****ing needs to get back to sleep (except for nursing time), isn't using your breast for this.

I made this mistake

[Thriftylady]

Let the provider sleep in at least once a week.

Oops sorry you meant the kids LOL.