Sleep: It's Important

Sleep. It is something that we all require and so many of us don't get nearly enough. When you have children, sleep is an elusive creature that rarely shows its face. Sometimes you feel like you've gone months without a good night's sleep. Some people will say years.

The thing about sleep with children is that they seem to hate it. They never want to sleep when you do. They always want to sleep when it's not convenient for you. Even if you have a sleep schedule, life happens. And schedules aren't always the easiest to keep in everyday life.

Strict routines are nice. A structure is nice. But it is not always ideal. When you travel, it gets disrupted. When you have extra-curricular activities, it gets disrupted. When life throws you a curve ball, it gets disrupted.

There is a saying: man plans and God laughs. I'm not a religious person, but I have to agree with that sentiment. Life seems to laugh at the plans you make. If you are one of the lucky people for whom everything goes according to plan, always, then I envy you. Life is chaos for most of us.

When it comes to sleeping, everyone has an opinion on how and where you should put your baby to sleep. I've heard dozens, read hundreds of opinions and thoughts.

My mentality on the matter has always been simple. Sleep is important and I need sleep just as much as they do. So whatever works best is what I will stick to.

For the first six months of my son's life, he slept happily in a swing. Sometimes he would be in bed with me. But most of the time he went down just fine in his swing.

Now that he is older, we have the ongoing battle of getting him to sleep in his crib. Some nights go wonderfully. Some nights take a little work. And other nights are a complete failure.

I am not going to sacrifice an entire night's sleep just to convince a teething eight-month-old that he should sleep in his crib. If after an hour or two of trying to get him down he still isn't having it, he comes to bed with me.

I'm not an advocate for co-sleeping. I don't love having to doze most of the night, concerned about the small person in my arms. I don't love getting kicked and scratched. But I know that when it comes to sleep, I function better with it. I will be a better parent if I actually get some sleep at night.

And I also know that this phase will pass. Eventually, he will sleep fine in his crib. Eventually, he will be too old for cuddles with mommy in bed. Eventually, he will move out.

So I try not to stress too much about where he sleeps. I want him to sleep. I want him to feel safe. I want him to feel loved. If some nights that means he sleeps in his crib, awesome. If some nights that means he sleeps with me, that's fine.

Children grow up. And they do so way to quickly. You blink and they are no longer the little boys and girls you thought they were. Everything is just another stage and it too will pass. They will find their rhythm. They will figure out how life works for them.

So make the most of it. Enjoy the cuddles. Get some rest. Everyone will be better off because of it.

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