Nighty Night

It’s been months since we transitioned from co-sleeping to Wyndham sleeping in his own bed. That was no easy feat. We were all up in arms over how to do it, because nearing his 1st b-day we I, were just not getting enough/any sleep!

Sleeping Sweetness

Co-sleeping worked blissfully for us for the first year, but as time wore on and our sleeping beauty/constant nursing-through-the-night-babe made it clear that we needed to make a change. For the love of all that is good and somewhat sane. We eventually agreed upon ‘Extinction With Parental Presence‘, because I could just not bring myself to administer the hard-core tactics of ‘Ferbering’. It was waaaay more difficult than being woken up umpteenth time to nurse. At first. We had to be determined, pretty much constantly present without picking him up, no matter how exhausted. That consistency was key. That and developing a bed-time routine.

Uninterrupted Family, Nekked, & Bath-Time!

We developed a positive routine that came naturally, something we all look forward to – especially the wee lad. It’s the guaranteed one time of day where he gets undivided attention from both of us, together. To be honest, he gets that a ton already in various other forms – but this is special. It’s a peaceful, quiet time, full of naked bath-time, cuddling, kisses, stories, massage, songs and closeness. Since he weaned gradually, of his own accord (yes, it happens) around the same time we introduced this routine, this bonding time was so important to keep us tight. Breastfeeding though, is another topic, of which I am babbling about today, over here…

Story-Time

It all started with Good Night Moon, we all know that one – right? Followed by On The Day You Were Born and Time For Bed. Those are the top 3 faves of all time – even now, nearly a year later. Good Night Moon is where we came up with the idea to walk around his bedroom to say goodnight to the different objects on his shelf, pictures on the wall, the moon and the stars, the bus and the cars, outside of his window. There are others that join the rotation, like Wild Child, and Love You Forever ,(although we switch that one up a bit, because A. It’s really sad and B. The mom is a bit nutters no? Driving to her son’s house with a ladder on her car and sneaking into his house with it…?!), but we try to keep the choices bed-time focused.

Setting The Mood

Environment is important. We created a space especially for him, with bright wall art, family/friend pictures, a dreamcatcher mobile he adores, books and plush pals. A friend gave him this turtle light and it’s been a hit ever since. We can’t always be together, the 3 of us – as long as the routine is there in some shape or form, even if we are not at home, bed-time goes down without a hitch for the most part. What about you?