Getting 8 Babies To Sleep: My experience
Kim Tucci, a proud mother of eight, including Australia’s famous quintet, has seen it all. She has experienced the chaos, joy and challenges of raising multiple children. Kim’s journey has been extraordinary and inspirational. In her book There’s One Lesson I’ve Learned… she shares more than one hundred nuggets. Many of them focus on sleep, one of the most crucial and often most difficult aspects of parenting.
It’s not easy to get children to sleep. Especially multiple children. It’s not just about getting the kids to sleep, as any parent with more than one child knows. You also have to maintain your sanity and relationship with your partner while making sure your children get the rest they require. I will expand on Kim’s advice in this blog and add my strategies to make it easier for parents to get their kids to bed.
Do not creep around
Kim’s book contains some surprising advice. She talks about how parents often tiptoe when their baby is sleeping or napping. It may seem insignificant, but creeping around your child can make life harder for them. Kim warns you against the temptation to creep around your baby when they are sleeping for fear that they will wake them.
This is a simple logic: If you teach a child to sleep only in silence, they will become accustomed to it. If a baby has been trained to sleep in a quiet environment, it will easily be disturbed by any noise. This could include the creaking of floorboards, ringing of the doorbell, or whispering.
Kim recommends that you let your baby get used to the normal sounds of the house from the first day they arrive home. Babies are bound to hear sounds that they cannot control during the day and night. It’s best to let your baby become used to the sounds of everyday life, whether it is the sound of playing siblings, the clinking dishes or the hum from a vacuum. This will allow them to sleep through sounds that would otherwise have woken them.
Keep your pillows in place.
Kim’s experience as a quintuplet mother was characterized by the constant but small tasks that accompany having multiple children. Consider the problem of pillows that are thrown out of bed each morning. Her quintuplets tossed their pillows on the floor every night as toddlers. By the morning, she had to pick up five pillows. It was time-consuming and frustrating to constantly adjust their pillows.
Kim found a solution that was both simple and clever: placing the pillows under the sheet. This simple trick will ensure that the pillows remain in place and prevent the toddlers from tossing them off during the night. Kim saved time and effort, and the bed was kept neat. This is a simple but brilliant hack to ensure that your toddlers are comfortable and do not wake up because of the lack of pillows.
Sleeping Bag Sorted
It is a toddler’s instinct to try and get out of his sleeping bag in the middle of the night. It can be frustrating for toddlers to wake up cold and uncomfortable in the middle of the night, unable or unwilling to go back to sleep because they have removed their sleeping bags.
Kim shares with us a clever trick that she uses to stop her kids from removing their sleeping bags during the night. Wear the sleeping bag backward. This will prevent your child from being able to open the zipper and reduce the likelihood of them taking the bag off. This simple trick will allow the child to stay warm and cozy all night long without disturbing their sleep cycle.
This technique is effective, but it’s important to make sure that your child’s surroundings are conducive to sleeping. Comfortable sleeping conditions can mean the difference between a peaceful and restless night.
Fast Sheet Changes
You’ve probably changed sheets at midnight because of a diaper leak or spit-up. Kim had to change sheets at midnight because of reflux issues in some of her quintuplets.
Kim has a strategy that will change your life: double up on sheets and mattress covers. You can quickly remove the top layer of soiled sheets by layering two sheets on top of the crib mattress. This method not only helps you save time at night, but it also allows the baby to stay in the crib.
Kim suggests placing a folded wrap or swaddle under the bed sheet on top of the mattress. This adds a layer of protection and is especially helpful for babies with reflux or who have frequent accidents. This setup will save parents time by reducing how often they have to change the crib sheet.
Stop Toddler Bedtime Tumbles
Your toddler falling out of bed is one of the biggest challenges of toddler bedtime. This is particularly true for toddlers who are transitioning from their crib to a full-sized bed and learning how to use the newfound freedom.
Kim found a simple and cheap solution to this problem. Place a pool noodle along the edge of your bed. This hack will create a temporary rail to prevent your toddler from rolling out of bed or falling during the night. It’s soft and comfortable, so it won’t disturb your child while they sleep. But it’s strong enough to keep them safe.
This simple, budget-friendly solution can prevent you from having to wake up in the middle of the night to check on your children.
Keep Nightmares at Bay…
As your child’s imagination grows, so will their fears. At this age, nighttime fears such as monsters can disrupt your child’s sleeping patterns. Kim Tucci came up with a clever solution to these fears. “monster spray”.
Kim added lavender oil to a spray bottle and filled it with water. She labelled it “Monster spray” and sprayed the liquid around her child’s bedroom, especially under the bed and in closets.
Lavender oil soothes and calms, helping your child to feel secure and relaxed. Kim’s kids began to associate her spray with calm and safety, which eased their fears. This inexpensive, simple solution helped Kim’s children to sleep better and was a great way to comfort them.
The First Year of Your Child’s Sleep
Your baby’s first year is a blur. Your baby will sleep for a long time — between 11 and 17 hours per day. Even though your baby spends a lot of time sleeping, their sleep will likely come in smaller segments and fragments during the first few weeks.
You may wonder, as a new parent,t how much sleep your baby needs. It’s important to know what is considered normal for each baby’s sleep patterns. Most babies sleep through the night by six months. However, until then, parents will need to deal with the constant feeding and waking cycles.
Consult your pediatrician immediately if you are concerned about your child’s sleeping patterns. This is especially true if the baby appears to be excessively tired or has difficulty falling asleep. Baby’s sleep requirements vary depending on age and health. It is important to be informed and adapt your approach.
Why do babies sleep so much?
You may be surprised by how much your baby sleeps. Their bodies and minds develop at an incredible rate. Sleep plays a crucial role in their mental and physical growth. It helps their brains to form new connections and process information. The body builds muscle during sleep, repairs cells and strengthens its immune system.
It is normal for your baby to seem asleep all the time. You may feel your baby is sleeping too much and not getting up to eat or interact with you. This could be an indication that something is wrong. Consult your pediatrician if you are ever concerned to ensure your baby is getting enough rest and healthy.
Newborn Sleeping Schedule
In the first few weeks, newborns are likely to sleep in short bursts during the day and at night. Their sleep patterns have not yet fully developed. It’s perfectly normal for newborns to sleep from 30 to 3 hours per time. It can be exhausting, but this is part of the natural growth process for your baby.
In the first few weeks, newborns cannot differentiate between night and day, which is why many of them wake up frequently. It is at this stage that they begin to develop a Circadian Rhythm or a 24-hour internal cycle of sleep and wakefulness.
How Often Should A Newborn Be Feed?
If you are bottle-feeding, you should feed your newborn every 2 or 3 hours. Do not be concerned if your child wakes up frequently to feed. It’s perfectly normal. Your baby’s stomach is only able to hold so much at once.
When can babies sleep through the night?
Most babies can sleep for five to six hours at a stretch by the time they reach 6 months. Around 4 months, some babies will start sleeping longer periods. Sleep can be difficult in the first few months but will improve with your baby’s maturity.
How can I make my baby sleep better?
It is important to create a regular bedtime schedule. Spending 20-30 minutes before bedtime to wind down will help your baby understand that it is time to go to sleep. You could read a book, sing lullabies to your baby, or take a warm bath.
Avoid overstimulation just before bedtime. You should not keep your baby awake for longer than you need to, thinking it will make them sleep better. Overtired babies may have difficulty falling asleep and will be difficult to settle.
Where should my baby sleep?
When it comes down to sleep safety, place your baby in a bassinet or crib, preferably in the same room as you for the first six months. This reduces the riskofr sudden infant death syndrome. It is dangerous to share a bed with a baby because it increases the chance of suffocation and strangulation.
Conclusion
It may seem impossible to get eight babies to fall asleep, but it is possible with the right strategy, creativity and consistency. Kim Tucci’s advice, combined with my personal experience, will make it easier to get your babies to fall asleep. Every child is unique, so what works for one may not work for the next. With patience, flexibility and some trial and error, you can create the perfect family sleep routine. Take care of yourself. Parents must get enough sleep to be able to take care of their babies. Enjoy your sleep!
