My gut

(Not the flabby one.) 

My instinct. 

Often times when I get or give advice it's, follow your instinct or go with your gut. Great advice. It is usually right. 

Except...what if your gut isn't telling you anything? What if your motherly instinct is temporarily clouded? (Not because of the wine.) Then what...?

Ask Twitter and Facebook of course! 

I've been wondering if I should still be waking Carson every 2.5 - 3 hours during the day to nurse. He's been gaining weight like he should be and is waking twice on his own at night to eat. Seems like what I am doing is working. So why mess with it? 

I'm curious.

There are two opposing viewpoints and I don't believe in either wholeheartedly. Never wake a sleeping baby vs. nurse every 2.5-3 hours. Twitter told me to never wake a sleeping baby and Facebook told me to wake to eat during the day.

I'm curious to find out which one works for us. Although it seems like what we are doing is working, could it work better? Could I have a workout, a shower, and time for my to-do list during Leila's three hour nap if I allow Carson to sleep that long too? Sounds ideal. 

I think my gut just told me something.

He's enjoying a nap and I am enjoying some me time. 

Quality and Quantity of Sleep {Sleep Tip of the Month}

Lauren Boston is back on the blog this month sharing another sleep tip just for you.  Lauren is a certified sleep coach and DONA trained postpartum doula.  Her passion for helping tired parents began when her own newborn daughter's constant crying and terrible sleep habits finally got the best of her.

Lauren's Sleep Tip of the Month:

I think it's safe to say that almost everyone knows that sleep is important for babies and children alike, but what some parents don't know is that the quality of sleep is just as important as the quantity.

I don't think this counts as quality sleep.

This means getting:

• The right kind of sleep - unfragmented, uninterrupted, and "motionless."  Don't wake your baby to eat unless they physically need to eat (most babies on a normal growth curve don't need to be fed in the night after 6/7 months of age).  Don't rock, swing or put your baby in the car for their naps, as movement keeps the brain in a lighter sleep, which is not as restorative to the brain as a deep sleep.

• The right timing for sleep - as in consistent bedtimes, wake-up times, and nap times.

• The right amount of sleep - have a look at how much sleep your child should be getting based on their age, and your child shouldn't vary from these averages by more than 1 hour in a 24 hour period.  

Visit my website or Like me on Facebook for more information, and the latest updates on children's sleep!

According to the experts Leila is getting more sleep than the average child needs. 

Did you read the last line of the second paragraph... 
The expert said it, not me.  ;)

Is your child getting enough quality sleep?

Sleep coach * Postpartum doula {Guest post}

Hello faithful readers of Leilaland!  I was so flattered when Jen asked me to guest blog this month. 

I'm Lauren, Mom to (almost) 2 year old Charlie. You may remember Charlie from such blog posts as: {Our big plan} Skipping a toddler nap.

I'd like to use this opportunity to (shamelessly) plug my budding business.  Here goes:

I recently moved to beautiful San Diego from Vancouver, Canada and have just started a sleep coaching business.  Having had major sleep issues with my Charlie, I am very passionate about helping other tired parents get their sleep back.

Please check out my website www.laurenboston.com and my Facebook page.  

Spread the word!

P.S. - anyone who books a consultation with me and mentions this blog post will get 15% off my services.

Hopefully Charlie and I will continue to be regulars on Leilaland - see you next time!

*****************************************************************************************************

I am so happy to know Lauren in real life!  Not only is she my first mommy-friend, she also happens to be an excellent resource for all things related to parenting.  

Luckily I checked out her "Favorite Things"  page on her website before I started packing for our trip.  Otherwise I would have forgotten the baby monitor! 

{Our big plan} Skipping a toddler nap

Nap time is sacred around here. Leila's nap occurs at the same time everyday. This girl loves her bed and is well-known for her over 3 hour marathon nap. I need my time, she needs hers.

Unfortunately, it takes place right smack in the middle of the day. Who wants to go out to lunch at 10:30? How about a beach day starting at 9:00? Well that's how we do it around here. All of our daytime adventures must be wrapped up by noon for Leila's 12:30 nap.

Until today's installment of the toddler summer bucket list, Leila had missed only one nap on purpose. (Like I said, nap time is sacred around here.)



Today we headed to Coronado on the ferry. This was Leila's first experience on a boat. She mostly just wanted to explore, climb, and sit on every chair.



The girls had a great time. It is adorable how Leila will mimic the little things Charlie does and vice versa. I love hearing them call out their friend's name.







After an exhausting morning the girls started to get tired. Our big plan was to push them in their stroller for a short nap and then continue our day. Their plan was to stay awake and wonder if the other was sleeping.

Their plan was more solid than ours.



Luckily they both made it all the way home without a meltdown!





I decided to put Leila in bed for a nap at 2:30 when we got home. I woke her up at 4:30 because certainly didn't want to mess with a later bedtime.

As for nap skipping...it didn't happen this time. It is great to know I can be a bit more flexible with her rigid nap schedule, if it seems necessary. (I don't want to miss out on MY time!)

Do you ever skip nap time? Any tips for special occasion nap skipping?

Toddler bedtime routine

Is it 7:30 yet?

Some days I find myself asking this as early as six o'clock, yet other days 7:30 sneaks up on us.



Leila's bedtime has been early since she was four months old. I remember rushing through dinner to be home from my parents' rental by 6:15 so Leila could be in bed by 6:30. Those days she was not sleeping through the night, so I was practically going to bed with her!

When she was seven months old Leila was taking two regular naps and also started sleeping through the night. We implemented a 7pm-7am sleep rule in our house after seeing it work successfully for other families we knew.

It's pretty simple.  Basically Leila would be in her crib from 7pm to 7am each night. Personally we have found many benefits to our sleep rule...the most valuable being Leila's ability to self-soothe herself (back) to sleep.

Now as a toddler, Leila has pretty amazing sleep habits. (I hate saying this aloud in fear of jinxing myself, but we all know that can't really happen, right?) This girl loves her crib!

Her bedtime routine begins between 7:00 and 7:30 by saying "night-night" to Mommy and her toys upstairs.

Jeff brings her down to her room and gets her ready for bed (pajamas, overnight diaper, sleep-sack, and teeth brushed). Then he carries Leila around her room to say goodnight to her things, something that we started from the beginning.  Jeff reads her a few books, puts her in her crib with her stuffed animals and pacifiers, says "I love you", and closes the door.

That's it...short, sweet, and simple.

Since we implemented the 7pm-7am sleep rule we haven't had to go check on her at all. Not once.

Until last night.

Either teething or nap skipping was the culprit. I blame them both.



At 9:00 Leila was still awake in her crib playing, whining, crying, and finally sobbing. Jeff went in to check on her and although she didn't want to see him leave, she eventually feel asleep peacefully.

And guess what? She slept in today to make up for the hours she missed last night.

I love it when life works out like that!

The 7pm- 7am sleep rule has worked for us.  Share your success story! 

What has worked for you and your family?

Our {toddler} days

After a lot of trial and error, I have found a daily routine that works for us. I also happen to LOVE it.

I realize it won't last forever, so here's a peek into what goes on around here!

Lazy wake up
Some days Leila wakes up at seven, other days it's eight. I love the mornings that I wake up before Leila does. Although it rarely happens, those few minutes with my coffee and computer really make me happy. I wonder if I will ever purposely wake up before her?! I'll never say never.

Jeff is up and out the door by 7:30, but is lucky to have a flexible work start time. His mornings are not quite as lazy as he'd like.

Milk and cuddles
Just like it sounds, most days. Other days it's straight in the highchair for breakfast so we can get out the door earlier.

Breakfast
I cook, we eat. She makes messes, I clean up. Rinse and repeat.

Get dressed
Some days I get ready before Leila wakes up, other days she hangs out and watches. We always wait to get dressed until after breakfast. You just never know.


Out the door for "adventure time"
We've expanded our short list of favorite activities. I still love lazy days at the park, and make it a priority to go every Friday. On Tuesdays we play and learn with Teacher Lee, and the local library has toddler programs on most Thursdays. That leaves Mondays and Wednesdays open for whatever we feel like doing. I try to keep this time all about Leila but some days we just have to run an errand or two.

Snack

Lunch
Some days we eat at home, other days we pack a picnic lunch. Can you guess which one I prefer? Picnic all the way. More prep, less clean up.

12:30 Nap time
Notice that this is one of the few things I mentioned the time? That's because no day is the same, or that predictable. But, the one thing that I watch the clock for is sleep! Leila is a great sleeper and I credit the sleep schedule she has been on for over a year. Don't mess with nap time!

Lazy nap wake up
Some days Leila naps for two and half hours, other days it's over three hours long. Either way...I love, need, cherish, and look forward to this break. It allows me to exercise, shower, do some daily chores, blog, email, bake, prep dinner, etc. Not ALL of these things everyday! More like three, maybe four things get done, hopefully.

Milk and cuddles

Snack

Afternoon play
Since the weather is getting warmer and the days are getting longer I'm trying to get us out more in the afternoons (yes, this time errands count!).

Leila likes playing at home too. We listen to music, play with her toys, build with blocks, read, take a bath, watch a show, dance, or even do some arts and crafts.

Eventually I have to start dinner. This is what Leila does...


Everything ends up everywhere.

Dinner
After Jeff comes home and settles in, he plays with Leila and I cook dinner. I aim to get the food on the table by 6:30. Some days we go out for dinner (Friday night pizza, anyone?). Most days I make Leila-friendly meals and she eats them, other days she gets pb & j.

7:30 Bed time routine
Jeff puts Leila to bed on most nights. They read, say good-night to things around the room, and then into the crib she goes with her pacifiers and stuffed animals. Leila loves her crib (which means I love it too)!

Once dinner is cleaned up, coffee is ready for the morning, and I've marked enough things off my list for the day...

I grab a second glass of wine (some days it's the third) and relax.

Cheers to another day!

Wondering how our days have changed over the last few months? Check out a similar post I wrote when Leila was sixteen months old.

I'm linking up again this week with Mama G over at Growing up Geeky. This weeks's topic is A Day in the Life. Link up here...

17 Months

Leila is seventeen months old. Just ONE month shy of being a year and a half.

She is changing everyday! It's amazing how many new words she has learned this month. I know this will make it easier for her to tell me what she wants. Hooray!

Everyone has an opinion, right?! Some adults mention that Leila is small for her age (not in a rude way), but other times people notice how big she is. Personally, I think Leila is the perfect size for Leila! She wears size 12-18 or 18 months clothing. The 18-24 month sizes are still a little big on her. It did kinda freak me out when I had to by a 2T swimsuit for this summer (Yes ladies, swimsuits run small for kiddos too.)

Leila's a picky eater, like most toddlers. One day she'll love something and the next day she'll be pushing it away. I need to remember to respect her way of telling me she's not into my cooking. Otherwise the food ends up on the floor. Obviously way more fun for her!


Leila's favorite things this month include...

Hiding


Playing peek-a-boo!


Swinging like the big kids


Elmo


Picnics at the park (apparently she prefers greasy sunscreen head to hat head)


Climbing


I wish what everyone told me wasn't true...It goes by so fast.

Nap transition {What's working?}

Leila has been showing signs for sometime of making the great nap transition from two naps to one. About a week I went for it. We pushed back the morning nap to 11:00 and hoped for the best. To my surprise, it worked!

Last Monday Leila napped from 11:00-2:00. I was pumped. I was sure it would work...she normally slept four hours throughout the day and now she was sleeping three. I would simply push her bedtime up a bit to make up for her lost hour of sleep. Seemed like I had beat the great nap transition!

I know, I know, you don't even need to say it. Every mom has stuck their foot in their mouth more times than they can count. We try to figure things out and solve problems before they happen. (Am I alone on this?)

But of course I forgot to consult the boss before changing her nap schedule. Leila still prefers two naps.

She's been going down in the morning between 10:30 and 11:30 but always seems to wake up around 1:30. Logic tells me to start the nap around 10:30, duh.

But she cannot make it to bedtime (7:30) without getting tired. Although Leila doesn't always fall asleep, she now gets a break from the action at 4:00 in her crib instead of taking a two hour afternoon nap.

This girl does not stop moving. Ever. We both need a break!

That is what's working today (or should I say yesterday?!) She's napping right now.

Awake between 7/7:30 am
Morning nap from 10:30-1:30
Afternoon break at 4:00
Bedtime between 7/7:30 pm

Fingers crossed.