Get up you sleepy head, spring has sprung, get out of bed. Our fifteen month-old rooster has begun cock-a-doodle-do-ing pre-sunrise, and just like that, this zombie of a mama is up and starting her highly caffeinated day.
Of course, the difference between a toddler and a standard alarm clock is that the clock has a highly convenient and reliable “snooze” button, whereas my young child has anything but…
Distraction is key, filling up our schedule as early as possible. MyGym, mommy & me, strand walks, workout kids club, pool time, playdates, park dates, coffee dates – emphasis on the coffee – aquarium visits, you name it and we’re likely up for it (if not already there).
Our mornings are centered around a countdown to naptime (hallelujah for naps!), and even then, our amount of Zzzs are not superb.
According to pediatricians, one to two year olds are supposed to sleep 2-3 hours during the day. Miss Xena? One hour. Yep. Unless I am pretending to (or actually) sleeping next to her, which has been known to get us closer to the “norm”, but is also not super practical as a daily problem solver.
I know that sleep schedules will continue to evolve, hopefully for the best. But want all of you other sleep deprived mommies to know you’re NOT alone – and if you were questioning it, you absolutely deserve the glass of wine at the end of the very long day.
One recent, and slightly brilliant idea I was given was, if you’re budgeting for a date night nanny anyways, instead of “going out”, try a “night in” filled with homemade craft cocktails, movies and popcorn and then use your allotted babysitting budget INSTEAD for a morning SLEEP IN. Say, 6am-9am. Have the sitter let herself in, and you can enjoy the leisurely wake-up, followed by breakfast in bed, maybe a bubble bath, the list can go on and on (or you could just continue to dream your happy n’ sweet sleepy dreams). With this you’ll both have your much needed “us time” as well as, and maybe even more necessary, a true old school slow weekend start.
Ok, short and sweet and would love any and all other tips and tricks!
From my sleepy brain to yours, XOXO,
ICIWID