Sleep. I LOVE sleep. I’m much more a morning person than a night owl…once I get up. But let’s be honest. That’s the hard part. I never want to get out of my nice, warm bed with all the covers piled on top of me. Just this morning I convinced myself that 30 more minutes of sleep was necessary. So much for getting stuff done before the boys woke up.
Are you a load the covers on top of you person or a just sleep with a sheet person? The more covers on me the better. And it’s not for the warmth, it’s for the weight. I just need heavy on me. Matt, on the other hand, just needs a layer or two. I can totally see why weighted blankets are all the rage right now.
Just the other weeks we were at hotel and I had them bring up two more blankets. I knew I’d need more weight but I also know Matt was going to freeze me out. Having no air conditioning in our home, he was ready to make it the Arctic.
I say all this to have you know that when Lake was born I had to mentally prepare myself to wake up through out the night again. And I’ve done well.
But I have also been blessed with an amazing sleeper. At four months he’s in bed around 8 and doesn’t wake until somewhere around 4:00.
It didn’t take him long to get the hang of day and night which was wonderful. So many babies have a hard time with that.
He is finally establishing a good sleeping pattern overall. But I must be honest. When Liam was little I was horrible at getting him to nap. I’d just lay him in his swing and he’d doze when he was tired. His babysitter got him to nap and then on weekends we’d be doing things so he’d just sleep in a car seat. I never really had him on a sleep schedule.
Lake is different. He’s not a fan of the swing for extended amounts of time. He’s not a fan of being anywhere for extended amounts of time. He doesn’t go to a babysitter. And more often than not, he will not just fall asleep on his own.
You Can’t Trust an App
A friend of mine had told me about an app called Huckleberry when I was nannying her son. Like many apps, you can track sleep, eating, diaper changes, etc.
She had told me that the app could predict when her son would need to take a nap. Quite honestly, I didn’t really believe an app could do that. She’d text me when the app said he should be getting tired and I’d aim for his nap to be then.
Overall, it seemed to work but I still wasn’t a believer and he was only taking two naps a day.
I Was Sold
When I had Lake, I was looking for an app to track his sleeping/eating for the first few months and I remembered Huckleberry. I downloaded it and began tracking everything.
It was so easy to use. And the data-nerd in me loved looking at the charts and graphs it created.
Huckleberry App Huckleberry App
I now use the app just for nursing and sleep. While I don’t necessarily record exact times, I get fairly close.
And I am SOLD. The main screen tells me when his next nap should be. Sometimes he doesn’t seem tired but as soon as it’s dark, the swaddle is on and his music is playing, his eyes begin to close.
It is so much easier to put a sleepy baby to bed than an exhausted one. And this app makes it possible!
When life is busy and I’m trying to get so many things done, sometimes it’s easy to miss the cues. And sometimes the cues just aren’t there. But when I get the reminder that his “Sweet Spot” is near, I become more aware.
He is getting his 4-5 naps a day and I am better able to plan what our day may look like. It’s nice to go to the park with Liam knowing Lake will nap the whole time and not need to nurse!
The best part? This life-changing app is completely FREE! There is a paid version where you can get consultation from a professional but I have not found that necessary at all.
Our next step will be falling asleep alone. And quite honestly he’s getting close at this being a possibility. And this is only because, like I said before, it’s easier to put a sleepy baby down than an exhausted one!
And now, he is napping and the oldest hasn’t even woken up yet! I just might go clean the bathrooms now. Fun fun!
**This post was not sponsored by Huckleberry and is strictly my opinion.**