#normalinfantsleep

Everyday I’m napping. ✌🏼😴 I love being the person he falls asleep with, and I couldn’t care less about the opinions of people who think he needs to be “taught” or “trained” to fall asleep on his own. I love being able to nurse him to sleep, after our somewhat rocky start in (breast)feeding and months of being jealous of parents who could do that. I love how once he’s ready to go to sleep, he’ll automatically roll over to his side and snuggle up against me, because that’s how he falls asleep best. I love getting to hold his hand while he’s drifting off. I think it’s wonderful how being close to me helps him sleep better. It’s a privilege I get to be this person for him. It is, to me, one of the most beautiful parts of motherhood. ❤️ _____________________ (Absolutely no shade if the “sleepy but awake”-approach works best for you and your family! But it doesn’t for us, and that’s perfectly fine. 👶🏼😴) #normalinfantsleep #notsleeptraining https://www.instagram.com/p/CK89HVkgSZf/?igshid=1avkdwm7rg0ma

Posted @withregram • @heysleepybaby Have you heard of these mystical babies that sleep 7-7 or “through the night?” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ There is no standard definition for “sleeping through the night” because truly NO ONE sleeps all night without waking. We all lightly rouse between sleep cycles, we just eventually get better at falling back to sleep unassisted. We might adjust the blankets, roll over, get up to pee or get a drink, check the clock, etc, but then we fall back asleep without needing help from our parents. Babies don’t have this option- they can’t tell us if they are too cold or hot, or in pain, or if they are thirsty or hungry, or if they just need some reassurance that we’re still close by. So they might rouse and start crying, looking for us to help them get back to sleep. This is NORMAL infant behavior, especially in the first year and especially for babies who are breastfed. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Consolidation of sleep, or the linking of more than one sleep cycle, is developmental and totally dependent on each baby’s unique time table. By 3 months, about 70% of babies are consolidating sleep (either day or night) but by 4 months (hello progression!) about half revert back at some point (Sweet Sleep). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ “Sleeping through the night” is generally defined by researchers as ANY 5+ hour stretch during the night. If you’re breastsleeping and your baby lightly rouses, feeds, and goes right back to sleep, this is also considered to be sleeping through the night. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So how many babies out there are sleeping through based on these definitions? (My own experience in the comments!) #sleepthroughthenight #babysleeptips #normalinfantsleep #breastsleeping #cosleeping #babysleephelp #sfsleepconsultant https://www.instagram.com/p/CGlAGiqHlCb/?igshid=1s7xu34d6li1h