The Key To Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night
Our baby boy has been sleeping through the night as early as 2 months (by sleeping through the night, I mean 8 hours straight without waking up to eat)! We read a few parenting books and Baby Wise by Gary Ezzo taught us about having set baby schedules. Although we do not practice word for word, we did follow a few tips that helped us especially as new parents. We practice a mix of attachment parenting, with baby wise parenting and it has worked like a charm! So what has been the key to help our baby sleep through the night? Have a bedtime routine! We started Caleb on his bedtime routine when he was 5 weeks old and he slept an hour more week by week. At 2 months he slept 8 hours and at 3 1/2 months he slept 11-12 hours! He currently continues to sleep 11-12 hours straight. This is our bedtime routine.
- 8.30PM Bath time
- 8.45PM Massage, PJs, daddy time (interacts with his dad)
- 9PM Set the night time mood & feeding time (see below)
- 9.30PM Baby falls asleep. Put down in crib
Feeding time
- Turn off lights. Babies need to learn to associate light with day and darkness with night. This is not innate, it must be learned.
- Have a nightlight or TV on (I like to have the TV on so that it’s not totally quiet that way he gets used to sleeping around slight noise).
- Do NOT interact with baby. Sleep time is not play time. If you talk to your baby, they may think it’s time to play.
- Make sure your baby is full. This is most likely the key for a baby to sleep entirely. A hungry baby WILL wake up every 3 hours. Newborns will be able to hold more food as weeks pass by. Usually when they are 5 weeks old, it’s believed that they will be able to sleep 5 hours, and at 6 weeks, 6 hours, and so forth.
- If you are nursing, nurse for at least 25-30 mins. The ultimate goal for newborns is 20 min. on each breast. Babies easily get comfortable in their mother’s arms while nursing, hence they may fall asleep quickly. In order to prevent your newborn from falling asleep, gently touch his or her feet until you feel suction again.
A baby that sleeps through the night is a happy baby and also has happy parents! Caleb is the happiest baby – he only cries when he is hungry, needs a clean diaper, or is overtired. Having a bedtime routine for our baby was the best thing for him and for us because we are all able to sleep through the night. And who doesn’t appreciate a good night’s rest?
There are exceptions when we have not been able to proceed with his routine for instance, the holidays. He continued to sleep through the night however not as long as usual. Also keep in mind, every baby is different. What worked for us may not work for others.
If you have any questions, feel free to leave us a comment or email us at hello@ARaadStory.com. We’d love to hear from you!
A Raad Story YouTube Channel!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel HERE for our latest videos. Enjoy!
How to Show Your Husband You Love Him
As new parents, oftentimes life revolves around our baby and we tend to devote our focus on our new addition. However, we mustn’t forget to dedicate attention and love to our spouse. Seeing your husband in a new light of being a father is enough reason to love him even more! Personally, every time I catch my husband interacting with our baby boy, it makes me fall in love all over again. It’s important to express love to one another. Here are 3 simple ways I show my husband I love him:
1. Cook
Like the old saying goes, “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach!” Honestly, I’ve never liked nor enjoyed cooking, but I knew my husband loves food (like every man), so on our wedding day, I vowed to learn to cook for him. Suddenly, I discovered that cooking for the one you love is not bad after all. There are several advantages to cooking at home:
- Control your intake. Unlike eating out, you add your own seasoning at home and are able to prepare healthy meals.
- Learn to cook whatever you or your spouse craves. Prior to our engagement, the only thing I knew how to make was eggs and rice! Now, I can probably make a 3 course meal. Besides, cooking is not as difficult as it sounds (my only exception is certain seafood like lobster and crab, but why learn when you have Joe’s Stone Crab around the corner).
- Save a buck or two. Eating out can be expensive, especially if you’re doing it daily.
2. Guy time
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Guy time in my husband’s case is soccer. There’s no denying I married a soccer lover. I love seeing how happy he gets when he comes home from a good game. Whether it’s a sport or pastime, it’s good for your husband to have guy time, meanwhile, you can have a girl’s night out with your gals or do something productive like read a book or get a hobby.
3. Simply tell him, “I LOVE You!”
I say, “I love you!” to everyone I love. My family and close friends can attest to this. My parents taught me to express my feelings and as a family, we constantly tell each other I love you i.e. before hanging up the phone, we usually say, “OK, I love you, bye!” I tell my husband I love him before he leaves the house, before we go to sleep, and a couple of times throughout the day. I realize not too many families openly express this, which can be difficult to make it a habit. Yet, it is so important to say these words to the one you love because they produce assurance, affection, and can turn any frown upside down. If you are not accustomed to telling your spouse you love him, I encourage you to start doing it daily, and before you know, it’ll be a part of your family’s culture.
Here are photos of my love and our baby boy:
How to Know When Your Baby Is Ready for a Standard Stroller
This past weekend, Caleb debuted his big boy stroller for the very first time! It was bittersweet because he went from an infant stroller that faced us, to a standard stroller that faces the world. While he was extremely delighted, it touched my heart a little because he is growing up so fast! Motherhood is all about being selfless and learning to let go little by little, and although I am partially practicing attachment parenting, every new stage still tugs my heart. Nevertheless, our baby’s joy is our joy!
Here are 2 ways we knew he was ready for his new stroller:
- Fussy in infant stroller. An infant stroller can sometimes be uncomfortable for a baby, especially if he is growing fast. We noticed our baby was fussy when he was in his infant stroller for more than 1/2 hour and this made it difficult to go to the mall, grocery store, etc. The moment we transitioned him to his new stroller, we were able to go Christmas shopping without him fussing.
- Able to sit upright. If your baby is able to sit upright, you can finally transition him/her to a standard stroller. If he/she is unable to sit upright, it may be best to wait until they are able to do so.
Once your baby is ready for a standard stroller, he or she will uncover a whole new world! – A world that does not only face mommy and daddy. Your baby will be more comfortable and will be excited and curious to explore their new surroundings.
Caleb in his infant Simple Parenting Doona stroller
Caleb in his standard Quinny Moodd stroller
