The Working Mom's Quick Guide to More Sleep

By Nicole Johnson

It's midnight and you just finished your presentation for tomorrow, ironing that power suit and answering e-mail you hadn't gotten to all day. Just as you are drifting off to sleep, you hear "Waaaaaaaaaaa!!!" or "Mommeeeeeeeee!"

If you have a baby or young toddler, the last thing you need is for him to wake you up numerous times during the night. Sure, if they are very young, they may need to eat, but surely not every hour!

Not only does this make it extremely hard for you to function at your best, as a mom and a professional, it is difficult on your child. Sleep deprivation has been shown to lead to obesity, childhood depression, behavioral problems, illnesses, and more difficulty learning. Getting more sleep for both of you is a top priority!

Here are five important considerations to get more sleep for you and your family:

  1. Sleep Routines Children thrive on routine and predictability. With proper nap and bedtime routines, your child will know what to expect and begin to welcome sleep as just the next part of his day. A typical bedtime routine might include diaper and pajamas, a quiet game, breastfeeding/bottle/cup (for babies younger than 1 or 2), brushing teeth, potty (if applicable), book (or 2), singing and cuddling, and then lights out. A nap routine is usually very similar to the bedtime routine, but usually shorter (about 10 minutes). A bath is purposely excluded for a couple reasons. First, as a working mom, you simply may not have time or energy to bathe your child each and every day. Until they are older and getting very dirty, there is no need for them to get a bath every night. Second, if your child is spirited, she may actually get more energy from a bath rather than relaxed, making it harder for her to settle down at night.

  2. Early Bedtime This step will be difficult if you get home late, but an early bedtime is often crucial to a good night's sleep for your child. When babies and young children are overtired, they have more difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep and often wake up too early in the morning. It's counter-intuitive, but often, an early bedtime will lead to a more restful sleep and a later waking in the morning. If your child is in daycare and unable to nap well there, they will most likely be overtired.

  3. Naps Speaking of naps, the better your child naps during the day, the better they sleep at night. Again, this might be counter-intuitive, but the better he naps, the less likely he will be overtired and can settle down and sleep at night. A good nap is said to be at least one hour without movement. Moving sleep (such as in the car, stroller or swing) is not as restorative. Short naps are common through 6 months of age and thereafter may need to be encouraged. If your child is in daycare, you may need to work with your daycare provider in establishing routines and limits to enable your child to nap longer.

  4. Sleep Associations We all associate a certain environment with when we fall asleep. You may sleep on a pillow. If you woke up during the night and your pillow was gone, you would probably have a hard time going back to sleep. Don't become your child's "pillow" such that she needs to call out for you to "find her pillow" whether it's a pacifier, bottle, nursing, rocking, etc. If she associates going to sleep a certain way, when she wakes up periodically through sleep cycles (that we all have!), she will better be able to go back to sleep, because she won't be "looking" for anything.

  5. Night Feedings It is considered normal for many babies to eat 1-2 times at night through 9 months of age. Some stop much sooner on their own accord or with just a little nudge from mom. If your child is eating more often than that or he is older than 9 months, you may want to consider cutting back (or out) feedings. All babies are different and "experts" disagree as to when a baby does not "need" to eat at night anymore. You know your baby best and will be best able to determine whether she still needs to eat at night, but any more than 2 feedings after 3 months old and she probably has a sleep association with nursing or the bottle.
Whether you have a family bed, your baby has been in a crib since birth or whether you breastfeed or formula feed, your baby's sleep is essential to her growth and development. As a working mother, your sleep is important, too, as we are all more effective parents and professionals when we get adequate rest. It's important to find the right recipe to get more sleep for your family and not let chronic sleep deprivation hinder you. But, what works for you may not work for everyone and what works for many people may not work for you! Everyone's situation is unique, but when chronic sleep deprivation gets the best of you, it's very difficult to even think straight never mind come up with a plan you can implement. Beginning with the five items above is a great start!

Nicole Johnson is the owner of Pick Nick's Brain - www.picknicksbrain.com - specializing in sleep products and consulting services for children. Nicole is a wife, mother of two, Full-time work-at-home IT consultant and now, an entrepreneur. She attended UC Berkeley where she received her B.A. in Computer Science and received her MBA from Ohio State University after the birth of her first son. She received her Master's in Sleep Deprivation when her first son did not sleep and made it her mission to help other parents help their children learn healthy sleep habits, too.

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