How do you get sleep while caring for babies. The one whom holds the answer to this would be so rich that the thought of money would be but a mere number. The thought of sleep while caring for babies makes one wish that they were back in their pregnancy days (most for the ones who are on their first child).

Once you become parents, you might as well throw sleep out the window, unless you are one of those lucky one's who's kids are prefect, but to count on that would be to cast your life towards winning the lotto. Babies sleep a lot, but they usually have their own sleeping pattern, even before birth. Because of the position they were in, while you as a mother were walking around, to them it was like being in a hammock. While you were asleep was the time to "party" but since they were tucked away inside your womb, it hardly bothered you but now that they are born, it can be most frustrating.

Some helpful hints that have benefited me during my parenting years (that are still going on)

1) Take naps with them. This is hard to do, I know, but if you will rest when they nap, and try to get your clock going around their's then you will help tag some good zzzz's. Put aside the housework for a little bit and doze. For you who work, this tip will hardly do you any good, but you could try to talk the baby-sitter into lessening the naps so they will be tired and ready to go to bed at a decent hour.

2) Cut down on the sugar and caffeine (both you and baby(s)) Give healthy snacks a chance. Keep the natural sugars low. If all else fails, try turkey!

3) Feed your babies solids when they can handle it. Such as cutting the tip off the nipple of a bottle to mix in baby cereal. A lot of doctors will discourage this before six months of age. Just know that you know your baby, and as long as you monitor their intake of solids, you and baby should be fine. When a baby gets full they get sleepy, one of the main factors of night wakes is the fact that baby is hungry. Feed the solids (esp if it is before six months) right before bedtime.

6) If you are married, and you are blessed with a loving spouse, take turns and let him/her spare you every now and then with midnight wake ups. Usually this is the wife asking the husband. If this is the case and your husband thinks that woman's work is child care, tell him that he had his "fun" in "making the baby" now he needs to do his share on taking care of what he helped make.

7) For older children (such toddler years) cut back on the naps so your kid will fall asleep early in the evening. If you have more than one child, you can utilize nap time together.

8) My oldest daughter is an insomniac (like me) and for years my husband and I came close to exploding from lack of sleep because she would never go to sleep before midnight and was always up at the crack of dawn. Her doctor put her on clonodine and except the occasional waking up once in the night, she sleeps all night now. I wouldn't advocate placing a child on medicine to help them sleep, but my oldest daughter is autistic and her insomnia is really severe. Clonodine will not work nor needs to be tried on every child. If your child shows signs of insomnia (which is lack of falling asleep when they haven't slept all day) seek your doctor's advise.

Keep your sanity and if you have to and you are again blessed to have a network, send Jr to Grandma's every once in a while. You might have to put up with him being spoiled but you will relish in the night away. (Unless you have a worry wort of a spouse who wants to call and check in with JR every couple of hours)

Learn more about this author, Brandy Creekmore.
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