Hellobee

What was Little Oats’ sleep like as a newborn?

Everyone always talks about how sleepy and wonderful newborns are; how they sleep 20 hours a day, and often need to be woken for feeds. This NEVER happened in our house. Little Oats had/has very low sleep needs, and even as a newborn, she maxed out at 13-15 hours sleep per night. She was a terrible napper; we were lucky if we got 40 minute stretches for naps a few times per day. She rarely slept more than 3 hours at a time at night, also.

Has Little Oats always slept in a crib? Did she cosleep or sleep in a bouncer or swing?

No way! For the first two months, she napped on my chest, and slept in a bassinet beside our bed at night. At two months, I told myself I had to start putting her down for naps, but she HATED the crib. She napped in the swing until about 4 months, when we did some ‘gentle’ crib training. She moved into her own room at night at that point as well.

Did you swaddle? When did you stop swaddling?

Little Oats loved being swaddled. The tighter the better when she was really small; she seemed to take great comfort in being held tightly. We used muslin swaddles at first, then switched to the SwaddleMe sacks around 2 months. When she started rolling over at night, we moved to the Zipadee Zip. I think we just stopped using any sort of sleep sack or swaddle around 16 months or so.

Does she sleep through the night?

Finally, at 15 months, she started sleeping through the night. Now at age 2, she is pretty consistently sleeping 7:30-7, though she has started having nightmares about bears lately.

Did she go through any sleep regressions, like the famous 4-month or 9-month sleep regression?

Yep! Four months I remember very clearly, and a few times during ‘Wonder Weeks.’ Luckily, they were all short-lived.

Did you ever sleep train or nap train?

Yes. At about 6 months we sleep-trained just so she would fall asleep on her own (she still woke up several times at night). Nap training was around the same time; we needed to break the 1/2 hour nap cycle. We sleep-trained to drop night time wakings around a year, as well.

Did you ever have to re-sleep train after illness or travel?

A few times, if we got lax about going to get her when she cried, or if her schedule was really thrown off for a few nights in a row, we would have to re-train. It took about 2-3 nights to get her back on track each time.

Did teething or physical milestones like rolling over or standing affect Little Oats’ sleep?

Honestly, it seemed to be more the mental milestones that affected her. She would have some real sleep-struggles for a few days, then break out some new words, or a new skill.

Will she nap anywhere else other than her crib, like in the stroller or carrier?

She’ll nap in the car sometimes, and in the stroller sometimes, but it’s really unpredictable, and she NEVER makes a transfer. So if she falls asleep in the car, I sit in the car (or keep driving) until she has napped long enough to wake up.

What is Little Oats’ nap routine?

I’m sure it’s different during the week when she is at daycare, but at home on the weekends, its always the same. She has her diaper changed, chooses a book to read, and climbs into bed. We read a book, sing a few songs, and then she is left to fall asleep on her own. She’s pretty good 90% of the time; obviously, there are the occasional days where she refuses to nap at all.

What is Little Oats’ bedtime routine?

Little Oats chooses three books to read, and climbs into bed with her dozens of ‘buddies.’ Books are read, prayers are said, and we sing two or three songs before tucking her in in a very specific way. She has just recently become a master at stalling bedtime, so we might have to repeat the singing and tucking several times before she finally settles down.

What is Little Oats’ current schedule?

At age two, her schedule is simple. She wakes up around 7:00am, naps from about 12:30 – 2:30 (depending on the day), and we start bedtime routine just after 7:00pm.

If you could change anything about her sleep, what would you change?

It would be nice if she were a little more flexible. She won’t sleep ANYWHERE except her own crib (miraculously, she will sleep well at my MIL’s house, but not at anyone else’s house). This makes going away for nights/weekends very difficult, and limits our plans when it comes to naptime schedule.