Babies Who Nap Outside…

Claire, my lovely friend and Mumtrepreneur , forwarded me this article on babies having their naps outside, from BBC Magazine . I have always let Izzy sleep in the garden for her daytime nap, even when it was -3 degrees outside and we had to wipe away the snow from her buggy cover to get her out. This wasn’t something I did with my other 2 as babies, but it’s always worked for Izzy and she always sleeps very well and for a very long time outside.

You know what it’s like, you’re out with your little one and they fall asleep in the buggy, then you get them home, walk through the front door and “Waaaahhhh”, they wake up. I think one day, instead of trying to keep the nap going inside, I just pushed the buggy into the back (very secure) garden and let her continue to sleep in the same environment she fell asleep in. Low and behold, she didn’t wake up, she slept for another 2 hours, peacefully and cosily.

When it’s cold, I put the raincover on to protect her from the wind and when it’s super-cold, just make sure she’s wearing lots of layers and has an extra blanket on top of her cosytoes. When it snowed recently we had to wipe away the snow from the buggy cover to get her. She never feels cold to the touch when I take her out (except her cheeky hands if they stray from the warmth of the cosytoes!!), but she does always seem rested and happy. In fact, when I know she’s tired, she gets quite excited when I pop her in the buggy and give her teddy to cuddle. But what’s not to like? My garden backs onto my son’s school, so at playtime she can hear the kids playing which, for my noise-loving babe is like a lullaby. She can also hear the wind, the rain and the birds – it must be lovely!

The article talks about how parents in the Nordic countries believe that it keeps babies healthier letting them take their naps outside and I have to admit, Izzy is a very healthy baby, but that could also be because I’m still breastfeeding her a zillion times a day!

I dunno, it works for Izzy and it works for me. Considering she’s such an appalling sleeper at night, I just thank God I get 2 hours to myself during the day. Maybe I should put her out in the garden to sleep at night? She might even sleep through!…. JOKE!!! Of course she wouldn’t sleep through! Ha Ha Ha! *laughs maniacally and collapses in exhaustion*

Ten things you should relish before having children

1. Having a lie-in. Once you have children you’re unlikely to have one together for about 15 years.

2. Going to the toilet alone. Children gravitate to the toilet if they sense an adult is enjoying a moment in there alone. They want to be as close to you and the toilet as possible which is not usually a great idea BECAUSE YOU’RE GOING TO THE TOILET!

3. Enjoying breakfast or lunch or dinner without someone saying “Mummy can I have some Ribena please”, just as you’ve sat down or “Mummy this is DISGUSTING, I want fish fingers.”

4. Having a shower without someone screaming in the background, or even managing to have a shower at all when you have a baby.

5. Being able to go out for an impromptu drink.

6. Sleep. Ahh my long-lost friend, how I miss you… Even when you no longer have a baby, it’s likely at least one of the kids will wake up after having a nightmare/accident/illness.

7. Wearing clothes that don’t have, sick, spit, bogies, Weetabix/unknown beige mush or tomato sauce on them.

8. Not having to watch or listen to children’s telly which seems to always be on somewhere.

9. Ironing without the fear of permanently disfiguring a small person going through a “pulling” phase, who decides that under the ironing board next to the iron cord is where they most want to sit.

10. Sunbathing/reading/relaxing on holiday for longer than 5 minutes at a time.

Day six controlled crying. Oh dear, I spoke too soon.

I had a horrid feeling this would happen. She didn’t nap at all yesterday and barely ate anything, so it wasn’t a surprise to me when she woke at 4.15am. I went in to shush her and give her back a rub for a couple of minutes, hoping she might be settled back to sleep, but when I returned she REALLY started to scream.

I mentioned “the no-cry sleep solution”, yesterday and actually started reading it anyway as I was sure she would start waking again at some point. Unfortunately I hadn’t got to the the bit that gives solutions. What was useful to know however, was that according to sleep experts, sleeping through for babies is defined as 5 hours of sleep. So technically she is actually sleeping through. Also I was challenged to go for a calmer sleep training programme if possible as I really don’t like the idea that she’s freaking out and terrified. In the end I just thought, she’s probably ravenous, I’m going to feed her. Arghhhhhh! I’m breaking the rules, I’ve gone all rogue and spontaneous, but hopefully I made the right decision. She fed for about 20 minutes and went straight back to sleep.

Today, she’s napping at the right time, and I’m going to stuff her full of as much food as possible so at least I’ll know she shouldn’t be hungry. The funny thing was, although I’m completely knackered and pretty grumpy, last night when I was feeding her, I made sure I treasured it. It won’t be long until my last ever baby stops feeding altogether, so each feed should be enjoyed.

Right, on that note of positivity, I’m going to make myself a sandwich.