Okay, let’s whisper it together: My little one is finally sleeping through the night. It’s been a few months, and I’m cautiously optimistic. This morning, the realization hit me—I can’t recall the last time he woke up at night. So, here’s my journey to sleep-filled nights, and with my step-by-step guide, you can embark on this adventure too. Who knows, in just two and a half years, your child might be snoozing soundly as well!
- At five months, introduce the infamous dream-feed. Gently wake your sleepy baby at 11 PM while hearing a tiny voice say “Are you out of your mind?” Attempt to feed him, and wonder how much you can rouse him. Spoiler: You’ll probably go too far, resulting in a long hour of trying to soothe him back to sleep.
- Try that dream feed again the following night—it might have just been a fluke.
- Rinse and repeat.
- By six months, you’ll suspect that one parent’s snores are the culprit keeping your baby awake. So, you move him to his own room, expecting a night of blissful slumber.
- Come 3 AM, you’ll find yourself sleepwalking down the hall to retrieve a wailing baby, questioning your decision to move him. After multiple trips back and forth, you’ll end up bringing him into your bed, just like before, hoping to catch some sleep amidst the kicks to your face.
- The next night? You’ll convince yourself that last night was a one-off and let him sleep solo once again.
- At 3 AM, you’ll step on a Lego, mutter under your breath, and rush to pick him up, desperately trying to keep the big sisters from waking up.
- Keep this up every night, holding onto the false hope that those snores were the issue. Besides, taking apart the crib to move it back feels like admitting defeat.
- After six months of nightly adventures, you’ll have a brilliant idea: set up a travel crib right beside your bed for easy access after midnight.
- After a few attempts, you’ll realize that your baby despises the travel crib. Time to scrap that plan!
- Next, you’ll think maybe his feet are too hot. Of course! So, you’ll take scissors to his sleep-suits, making “custom” pajamas.
- You’ll go to bed that night dreaming of uninterrupted sleep.
- At 3 AM, you’ll again pick up the crying baby and bring him to bed, chuckling at his adorable cut-off sleep-suits while enduring yet another night of kicks to the face.
- Download the Wonder Weeks app. Now, you can track why he was restless last week! But, of course, this week’s mystery remains unsolved.
- You’ll start suspecting that the early morning sunlight might be waking him, leading you to rush out and buy blackout curtain lining, ignoring that nagging thought: “But the sun doesn’t rise at 3 AM?”
- You’ll carefully attach the blackout lining, only to realize you’ve done it backward (cue the cursing). After a redo, you’ll hang the curtains and marvel at the newfound darkness, waiting for the sweet sound of sleep.
- When 3 AM hits again, you’ll trip over the crib in the dark while trying to comfort him. But you’ll stubbornly persist with those blackout curtains—one day, they’ll work!
- Now at 18 months, desperation sets in. You’ll scour sleep forums, searching for answers and encountering the term “bimodal sleep.” Great! But sadly, it’s a phenomenon you can’t fix.
- A friend will mention white noise as a miracle worker. You’ll download one of the countless white noise apps, ready to give it a go.
- At 3 AM, you’ll rush into his room, phone in hand, fumble in the dark, and set it down by the crib. Amazingly, he stops crying and drifts off!
- You’ll slowly attempt to leave the chair, making zero noise.
- Just as you reach for the door handle, he’ll awaken with a cry, and you’ll resign yourself to spending the night in that chair, enjoying the ambiance of white noise.
- Fast forward to age two: you transition him from the crib to a bed. When he wakes up, you climb in beside him, realizing the face-kicking has lessened.
- Finally, you’ll bravely sit on the floor next to his bed instead of climbing in. You might even set up a cozy cushion and dream of a mini-fridge for late-night snacks. Stay patient—eventually, sleep will come.
And there you have it! Just follow these 24 steps, and by the time your child reaches two and a half, they might be sleeping through the night. Or not—no promises here!
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