When my first son was born I thought what are people talking about when it came to not getting enough sleep. We would put him down at night and he would sleep through until morning. But a couple years later my second son was born and let me tell you, I certainly knew why so many new parents were walking around looking like a zombie. Lack of sleep was an understatement, me and my partner would do all we could to score an extra few hours of sleep! So thanks to my second son, today I have for you a few ways you new parents can get a little more sleep.
Take Turns
This is the most obvious one, but I am very surprised at how many parents do not do this. One night I would get up with the baby, the next might my partner would. Sometimes you would get lucky and the baby would not wake up on your shift but then other times it seems like the baby knows which one of you is on shift and only wakes up only on your days! That is just the way it goes and you have to stick with your days, no changing or moaning about it! This way you should in theory at least get a couple of nights good sleep per week.
Sleep In The Spare Room Or On The Sofa
This one ties in with the one above. Now on rare occasions when I would be just begging for some sleep or if my partner had to be up early, we would use our spare room to sleep in for the night. The door would be shut and there would be no baby monitor or anything like that. I know first-hand how even when you partner is getting up to see to the baby that chances are you will be woken up as well. If this is the case then sleep somewhere else in the house when you are not on the clock.
Sleep When They Sleep
This one works if you are at your wits end and you simply cannot get a good night’s sleep. When you baby falls asleep then you should curl up on the sofa or go lay on the bed and get an hour or two yourself. This way can lead to you having a messed up sleep pattern down the line, but I know many people are willing to take this risk in the early days of having the baby at home.
Accept Help
I was a bit stubborn with accepting help from my family and my in laws. I did not want to seem weak or a bad parent. Really now that I think about it, this was just a ridiculously state of mind to be in as my family just wanted to help. So if the grand parents want to take the baby out for a walk for a couple of hours then let them do it and grab some sleep. Or they may want to have them sleep over if they do this then once you have stopped doing backflips make sure you take advantage and get a good night’s sleep.
No Distractions
Now when you do manage to get yourself some sleep then just hit the bed or the sofa and make sure there is no TV, radio or other distractions. Now more than ever your body needs some good sleep, even if it’s just for a couple of hours.