But to get your credentials as a mother? You just need a working pudendal and a willing rooster.
Ok ok that's a bit crude... but you get my drift.
It is one of life's greatest tragedies that babies do not come with user manuals. Even a curling wand comes with a user manual, dammit! No, the moment your vernix-covered, puffy-faced, screaming piece of perfection arrives into this world you are on.your.own.
But fear not, first-time mothers-to-be! I am here to impart my most precious piece of wisdom, until this moment guarded like a crown jewel. And it's about getting your newborn to sleep!
I've talked about sleep previously. Here, for example. But that was then. Way back-when. I've learnt a lot since then about newborns and the way they tick and what I am about to share with you may well transform your world! Well, maybe not quite that dramatic.
Ok, we all know the Eat-Activity-Sleep-You (EASY) adage, right? Except, I ignored this completely the first time around and fed Fern to sleep. If that didn't work I rocked, patted, stroked, bounced, sung, played music to or went for a drive in the car. I kept her with me constantly. And the consequence was a baby completely dependant on me for sleep. Im still paying the consequence!
This time around, I'm doing things a little differently. You might call me a radical. I:
- Feed my baby and
- give him a little activity (like cuddles or tummy time) and then
- put my baby into his bed when he starts yawning.
waaaay too simple. But it turns out it works! Who knew?! ... but here's the clincher. Most of the time, the above is pretty much all I need to do to encourage my little one to get some shut-eye between feeds in the daytime. He's a keeper, is my Elliott.
But on those occasions he is not so keen and I don't want to (or physically can't because Fern is literally tugging at my ankles or screaming for attention) go through my old adage of rocking etc as listed above, I have one other slightly unorthodox but oh-so-effective method for getting Elliott to sleep WITHOUT TEARS. I ----
--- turn the Dyson on outside his bedroom.
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| ok ok, my vacuum may not have been emptied in 2 yrs... |
The only slight concern is my vision of packing Elliott off to boarding school at 16 with a suitcase... and the Dyson. But hey, I'll worry about that later!
What unorthodox methods have YOU used to great success to encourage sleep for your baby??