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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Sleep and your kiddos (a poll)
Age of child:
Where does he/she sleep?
Naps (how many/how long):
Bedtime/Wake up time:
Night wakings?:
What is your bedtime routine?
Do you use any sleep aides? (nurse to sleep, rock, paci, etc)
Are you happy with your child's sleep habits?
*I am just curious about all these things because when talking to other moms it varies so much in how they feel about their child's sleep! Some act like the world is ending because their little one wakes once a night while others are perfectly content nursing several times a night so I just like to see others' perspectives 
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Re: Sleep and your kiddos (a poll)
Age of child: Ella- 2.5 years, Brody 5 months
Where does he/she sleep? Ella- toddler bed, Brody- crib
Naps (how many/how long): Ella- 1/day usually 2-3 hours, Brody-usually 3 a day ranging from 1-3 hours
Bedtime/Wake up time: Ella- bedtime: 8/8:30 PM, wake: was 7:30-8:00 AM, lately been more like 6:30-7:00 AM grrr
Brody- bedtime: 7 PM, wake: 6:30/7 AM
Night wakings?: Ella-generally none, Brody- 1 or 2 wakings usually between 3-5 AM
What is your bedtime routine? Ella- bath, potty, brush teeth, books, bed Brody- bath, bottle, bed (we read books during the day because he usually passes out during his bottle lol)
Do you use any sleep aides? (nurse to sleep, rock, paci, etc) Ella- no but she sleeps with 1.2 million stuffed animals
Brody- he is partial to butt patting 
lately I have been letting him flop around and fuss a bit and usually he falls asleep by himself but about 25% of the time I have to go back in and pat him to sleep
Are you happy with your child's sleep habits? I am SO much happier with the way Ella is sleeping now than I used to be. She used to be a nightmare. She still throws her fits at times before nap or bed but generally she does a good job. I am feeling pretty good about Brody's sleep but am hoping for more consistency in his nights soon. Some nights he does a great 10-11 hour stretch and the next he is up 2 times and only doing 3 hour stretches!
*I am just curious about all these things because when talking to other moms it varies so much in how they feel about their child's sleep! Some act like the world is ending because their little one wakes once a night while others are perfectly content nursing several times a night so I just like to see others' perspectives
Age of child: 18 months
Where does he/she sleep? In a crib in her room
Naps (how many/how long): 1 a day. ~ 1.5-2 hours
Bedtime/Wake up time: bedtime: 8:00 wake-up: 7:00
Night wakings?: 1-3, sometimes more
What is your bedtime routine? bath, book, boob, bed
Do you use any sleep aides? (nurse to sleep, rock, paci, etc) nurse to sleep, paci, and two lovies
Are you happy with your child's sleep habits? Not really. Not gonna lie, I would really enjoy sleeping through the night more consistently. But, I'm not ready to night wean and either is Neena. It could always be worse.
Neena Mae. 1/7/10
"A baby nursing at a mother's breast is an undeniable affirmation of our rootedness in nature." - David Suzuki
Age of child:
Grant - 2 years, 2 months
Where does he/she sleep?
In his bedroom (just transitioned to a bed a month ago) since week 2
Naps (how many/how long):
Down to 1 nape from 1pm-3:30pm
Bedtime/Wake up time:
We start bedtime routine at 7:30 and he is in bed by 8pm each night. Three mornings a week we wake him up at 7am (he is not happy about this) for early preschool. The other days of the week he wakes up between 8-9am
Night wakings?:
Night wakings vs. needing us? I'm sure he wakes up periodically through-out the night but we do not go into his room (because he is just babbling/singing). We have not gone into his room since he was 6 months on the dot (his first tooth came in combined with a cold - since then he has not needed us).
What is your bedtime routine? E
7:30 we start: brush teeth, wash hands/face/feet (unless it is bath night), lotion, PJs, 2 bedtime stories (no more, no less), into bed, night-night-lights out - door shut.
Do you use any sleep aides? (nurse to sleep, rock, paci, etc)
No, in general they don't align with my parenting beliefs/style. When we transitioned him to a 'big boy bed' a month ago - he had a little anxiety so I would sit on the bed for about 2 minutes quietly singing twinkle, twinkle. I did that for two days/nights (naps/bed) - on the second day I shortened it to just 1 minute at nap and then 30 seconds at bedtime. The next day I did not do it. I am a big believer in the 'three days = a habit formed'.
I agree that sleep habits and parenting styles vary as many times as there are parents. I'm pretty firm in my parenting style - I read every book on the market - I took a little from each and we formed what style WE wanted. I believe that sleep is highly important to the child (this isn't just about me and my sleep) - research shows that sleep is vital to a child's behavior, temperament and even ability to learn/retain.
Having said all of that - we each do what we each believe is right for our child and family. We each have habits or parenting aspects that are our 'pet' - sleep is mine.
Age of child:
Krew -2 months / Kade - 22 months
Where does he/she sleep?
Krew- in a swing in our room or his crib in his room / Kade -in toddler bed in his room
Naps (how many/how long):
Krew-as needed (just started daycare two weeks back so still not consistent / Kade- one 2-3 hr nap in the early afternoon
Bedtime/Wake up time:
Krew-lately it's been well after midnight
/ Kade-1030 or 11
Night wakings?:
Krew generally sleeps till around 5 or 6 when he wakes for a bottle / Kade will sleep, sometimes waking up around three and comes into our bedroom
What is your bedtime routine? E
This may be the reason why our kids aren't good at going to bed on a consistant schedule...we don't seem to have anything set in stone per say bc it seems we're not home half the time, baths are every other night etc.
Do you use any sleep aides? (nurse to sleep, rock, paci, etc)
Krew-anything that will sooth him, paci, rocking, holding / Kade-blankie
I just told DH tonight that we need to starting getting into a consistent routine now that I'm back to work so I'm hoping all these answers will give me some great insight since I just started a new job and am really needing the sleep!
Age of child: William 2 3/4, Chance 2 months
Where does he/she sleep? W on a twin mattress on the floor, C crib
Naps (how many/how long): W 1 at 1:30 for 1.5-2.25 hrs, C whenever
Bedtime/Wake up time: W 9 am ish, C whenever
Night wakings?: W no, C yes, 2-4 depending on the night
What is your bedtime routine? W gets bath, play, snack, pee, books bed. C doesn't have a set routine yet
Do you use any sleep aides? (nurse to sleep, rock, paci, etc) W has to have his flashlight and trex/crocodile set out. C whatever it takes to get some sleep!
Are you happy with your child's sleep habits? Yup. W was pretty easy, and adapts easily when we change up his room, and has never needed a paci, extensive rocking, etc. C is too little for me to expect a set anything yet.
Age of child: 20 months and a couple weeks
Where does he/she sleep? In her crib, in her bedroom
Naps (how many/how long): 1 (usually 2 hours)
Bedtime/Wake up time: B: 7-7:30 p.m. W: 7:45-8:00 a.m. (have to wake up during the week) 9:00 a.m. on the weekends
Night wakings?: None (unless sick/ear infection)
What is your bedtime routine? Pick up toys, read a book, bath, pjs, teeth brushing (not gonna lie, teeth brushing is not going well), rock for about 15 min.
Do you use any sleep aides? (nurse to sleep, rock, paci, etc) We rock her but not to sleep- about 10-15 min. before bed and then lay her in bed awake. She sucks her thumb.
Are you happy with your child's sleep habits? Yes, she's slept through the night since she was 5 weeks. I know how lucky we are. She loves her sleep but I keep telling DH she is not going to be easy to get up for high school when she's 16!
Wedding 6.18.04 Cole 11.20.06 Gavin 3.31.08 Parker 07.15.10 Logan 04.03.12
Age of child: Leo- 2 Judah- 4 months
Where does he/she sleep?
L- in a crib in his bed
J-bassinet in our room
Naps (how many/how long):
L-one 2-3 hour nap around 1pm
J-two to three a day usually an hour each.
Bedtime/Wake up time:
L-8pm-8am
J-we're working on getting him to go to bed the same time as L. It's taking longer than it should.
Night wakings?:
L-rarely does, if he does I change his dipe and he goes right back to sleep. If he gets up after 6am I bring him in bed with me and he'll sleep until 8am.
J-still two times a night.
What is your bedtime routine?
Eat supper, bath time, prayer, bed time.
Do you use any sleep aides? (nurse to sleep, rock, paci, etc)
L- has a "chew rag" that he will take to bed and chew on, like a security blanket except any of the 20 gerber prefold diapers will work.
J- still has a paci but that will be got at 6 months.
Are you happy with your child's sleep habits?
L-I am very happy with his sleep habits. I feel he gets good sleep. Right now he's getting his 2 year molars and is needing more. I am a huge on a child getting enough sleep and it was my #1 priority to get L on a schedule as soon as possible. I know BW is controversial for a lot of people, but it worked wonderfully for us.
J-DH works nights, so I got kind of lazy and went the AP route with him by letting him nurse in bed with me at night then letting him sleep in bed with me. He's 4 months old now and I'm done with this! L was STTN at this stage and J is still getting up at least twice a night. I have started nursing him and putting him back in his basinet rather than letting him co-sleep. Hopefully he'll get the hang of all of this soon, this mama is ready for her nights back.
Age of child: 2 1/2
Where does he/she sleep? still in a crib
Naps (how many/how long): 1 afternoon nap, often 2-3hrs
Bedtime/Wake up time: 10pm-9am
Night wakings?: never
What is your bedtime routine? pajamas, books, a little rocking
Do you use any sleep aides? (nurse to sleep, rock, paci, etc) sound machine, turn on a CD for him
Are you happy with your child's sleep habits? Ideally I'd like him to go to bed a little earlier/get up a little earlier, but DH and I work weird hours, DS can't tell time, and he doesn't have to be anywhere in the morning like daycare or preschool, so for now I think it's just fine.
Age of child:
13 months
Where does he/she sleep?
A crib in his room
Naps (how many/how long):
Two naps - one morning, one afternoon. They vary from 1 hour to 3 hours depending on his activity level.
Bedtime/Wake up time:
In bed by 7:30, up for the day by 7.
Night wakings?:
He usually wakes up at 5:45, which I'm pretty sure he could be up for the day. But we're selfish and usually manage to get him back down for a bit longer.
What is your bedtime routine?
That varies. We (DH or me) try to get him in the tub by 7ish. Then it's a book, some 'light' play time, and down.
Do you use any sleep aides? (nurse to sleep, rock, paci, etc)
No. But don't get me wrong, we have not broken the paci habit. We just always put him down without. I've been known to go in and give on to him at 2 in the morning sometimes... damn molars
ETA - oops, missed one!
Are you happy with your child's sleep habits?
Umm, not really? This is a new thing for us. We haven't had a true 'sleep through the night' in a long time. We had it down for a few weeks and then his poor ears were aching, or teeth were coming through, or it was a wild weekend of go-go-go. But it could be worse, I know because I've been there. I'm amazed I was even able to answer this poll as I did.
Married 10.11.08
Baby LJ 05.21.10
TheRookieChef.com
Age of child: 20 months
Where does he/she sleep? Her bed ... for most of the night
Naps (how many/how long): One nap during the week for about two hours. On the weekends or if I'm not working, she gets two naps (one hour in the AM and two hours in the afternoon)
Bedtime/Wake up time: 830p/9p for bedtime and anywhere from 545a to 7a for wake up time
Night wakings?: five nights out of the week
What is your bedtime routine? bath, book, quiet activities, then she gets put in her bed awake.
Do you use any sleep aides? (nurse to sleep, rock, paci, etc) She used the bink until last week when I took it away. She does sleep with a Pooh lovey, a baby doll, and blanket.
Are you happy with your child's sleep habits? I am happy she is bink free but would love for her to sleep through the night on a more consistant basis.
Age of child: 15mths Ella
Where does he/she sleep? Her Crib
Naps (how many/how long): One nap during the week for about two hours. On the weekends or if I'm not working, she gets two naps (one hour in the AM and two hours in the afternoon) -THIS! the weekends she'll take a power nap, then a great after lunch nap
Bedtime/Wake up time: since she's SO busy at daycare/playing, we've been putting her down at 7:30ish, and I wake her up at 6 during the week, and let her wake on her own on the weekends, usually she sleeps 12hrs
Night wakings?: none, except when her molars were coming in.
What is your bedtime routine? It changes a little nightly, usually it's jammies, small snack, hand off to daddy so they can 'walk the house' and then hand off to mommy, then we say prayers and kisses good night, I will usually hold her and we sway for a bit, then I tell her good night and mommy loves her, and lay her down. She'll fuss for a minute then she's fine!
Do you use any sleep aides? (nurse to sleep, rock, paci, etc) She has 3blankets that she likes, a billion loveys and her thumb!
Are you happy with your child's sleep habits? YES! I am SO happy with her sleep habits! Even when we were on vacation, she did SO good!
Age: 26 months
He sleeps in his toddler bed in his room
Naps: 1 nap a day for 2-2 1/2 hours
Bedtime: 8:30-9:30/ Wakeup 5:30-6:00
Night wakings? Rarely, usually only if he has a cold or is teething
Bedtime routine: change diaper, get in PJs, brush teeth, get in bed, read 2 books, sing 1-2 songs, turn the light out and wait for him to fall asleep then leave room (takes about 1/2 hour total)
Sleep Aids: not really, we do still sit by his bedside most nights until he falls asleep otherwise he cries for a long time when we leave the room, he usually will take his blanket and a lovey to bed but lately that doesn't seem to be needed as much
Happy? Yes, fairly happy. Can't wait for the day when we can walk out of the room with him awake and have him just lay there and fall asleep by himself. If anyone has any tips to make this dream happen more quickly, I would appreciate it! :-)
Age of child: 12 months
Where does he/she sleep? Crib in his room
Naps (how many/how long): Usually 2. Anywhere from 1-3 hours. Usually morning nap is around an hour and afternoon is 2ish.
Bedtime/Wake up time: 7-7:30 bedtime, wakes up at 7 for daycare, on the weekends he is usually up around 6:30-7:30
Night wakings?: Very rarely, usually only if he is cold or has a dirty diaper
What is your bedtime routine? Brush teeth, put on sleep diaper and pjs, read a book or two, rock him a little (if he lets me) say a prayer, lay him down and cover him up. DH does the brushing of teeth and diaper change. I do pjs, book, rocking and prayer.
Do you use any sleep aides? (nurse to sleep, rock, paci, etc) Derek sleeps with a white noise machine and lovie
Are you happy with your child's sleep habits? Yes, we are very lucky. Although it wasn't always this way and we still go through stages of teething or colds where he will wake up some during the night. I do wish he would stay up closer to 8, but the boy needs his sleep at night!
Age of child: Gabby (27 Months) & Drake (15 Months)
Where does he/she sleep? Both in cribs - in their rooms
Naps (how many/how long): Drake consistently takes 1 nap - usually for 2 hours. Gabby it's hit or miss on whether she sleeps, but she always has atleast 1 hour of "quiet" time in her crib.
Bedtime/Wake up time: Bedtime: 8:00 Wakeup: 6:15 (week) 8:00 (weekends)
Night wakings?: Gabby -None! The child has slept through the week since 6 weeks and has only waken up 3 times since then. Drake gets up once every 3-4 months - always due to sickness.
What is your bedtime routine? Baths with Daddy at 7:15 (mom puts away laundry), Brush Teeth, Books, Bed. We rotate every night on who puts each kid down.
Do you use any sleep aides? (nurse to sleep, rock, paci, etc) Gabby has a blanket, stuffed animals and whatever book she chose that night. Drake has 2 blankets. Both kids have CD Players and Oscillating Fans (oh, and a ceiling fan).
Are you happy with your child's sleep habits? YES!! Gabby is a gift from god (when it comes to sleeping). Drake took longer to sleep through the night but is now a champion sleeper as well. God has blessed us!