Baby Boot Camp

I'm not sure how I came across the blog called "Sunny Side Up", but I did, and wanted to share for any new Mom's out there or Mom's to be. I have no idea who this woman is, but I agree with her 100% on the topic of training your baby to sleep. I've said it a million times on here (okay...maybe not a million), but babies are not born with the knowledge of how to put themselves to sleep. They have to be trained, and some are harder than others. Eli=Easy, Miles=Difficult! It took me a lot longer to train Miles than it did with Eli, but it was well worth it, as Miles is an awesome sleeper. 

It's never too late to start baby boot camp!

http://www.thesunnysideupblog.com/2010/07/baby-boot-camp.html

Inside the womb!

Did you know that inside your womb the noise level reaches 90 decibels? To give a better picture of what 90 decibels sounds like:


Imagine...

• the level of background noise in an apartment next to an elevated train
• a motorcycle 25 ft away
• subway train
• heavy traffic
• back hoe

Because of this reason I have found that using a sound machine can really help a newborn feel as though they are still nice and comfy in your womb. Newborn babies are not used to a completely silent room, therefore the more you make their sleeping space like the womb, the better they are going to sleep (in my personal opinion). This is why babies also love to be swaddled in the beginning months as well!

Here is the sound machine that I use with both of my boys. Our neighborhood is still under construction so there is construction equipment going by all day long and can be pretty loud. The noise machine really blocks out all of that noise. I have loved these and have not had any issues with them. It even has a picture projector. I bought mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond with a 20% off coupon, but Target sells this exact one as well. 

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=14643125

Teaching your baby to sleep

Do you enjoy sleeping 8+ hours every night? 

Do you enjoy waking up feeling rested?

Wouldn't it be nice to wake up to a happy and rested baby?

If you answered yes to these questions, then you need to buy the book Baby Wise TODAY! I am not one who turns to books for advice. In fact, this was the first and only "advice" type book I've ever owned. I remember being at a bible study while pregnant and doting on a 4 month old little boy. I asked his mom how he was doing at night, and she said to me "he usually sleeps 10-12 hours straight!" WHAT??

She then went on to tell me I need to buy the book Baby Wise. I was a bit skeptical on how a book can make my baby sleep so well, but it sounded very good to me, so I went for it. I think I paid about $8 for it on amazon. Here is the link:

http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Baby-Wise-Giving-Nighttime/dp/1932740082

It was the BEST $8 I've ever spent!! 

People always say to me "you're so lucky" when they hear how well both of my children sleep. I always just laugh it off, but truthfully, it's not luck people. It's HARD WORK! I trained both of my boys to be excellent sleepers. It was the best thing I did! 

Now, with every book, you have to take some things with a grain of salt. I did not follow the book word by word. However, I did use the basic principle and listened to its great advice. 

The books main idea is this: eat, play, sleep. Remember that!! EAT, PLAY, SLEEP!! 

The baby should always follow that pattern. When Miles wakes up he immediately eats. Then he has play time, and then he will sleep right up to his next feeding. This is important because if I fed him when he was sleepy, he would not get a full feeding, therefore only "snacking" and he would wake up during the night due to being hungry. Your baby needs to get all of his calories during the daytime, so he won't bother you at night. 

With Eli, he was the PERFECT baby! He has been a sleeper since day 1 and truthfully, required very little training. Other than the eat, play, sleep... he pretty much put himself on a schedule. 

Miles, on the other hand, was a different story. He had to be trained. It was hard work...exhausting, but I did it and now he is an excellent sleeper just like his brother! 

I will post later on how important sleep training is and setting a schedule, but just wanted to post a short summary on this book so that if you are expecting you can buy this book now before the baby arrives! 

I PROMISE you will thank me later!!