Waiting on the 12-Hour Sleeper

Before a new baby even makes their appearance into the world, one of the most anticipated questions is when will I have that glorious 12-hour sleeper? I remember lying in bed before my sweet third baby arrived and dreaming about the days I would have more than a few hours of sleep. Then in the back of my head I knew each baby is totally different and will reach their sleep goals on their own time table.

As my little one approached 6 weeks old she had finally arrived and was sleeping 10.5-11.5 hour stretches, it was as though I had been given an early Christmas gift. I knew we were right on track and those 12- hour stretches were just around the corner. All was smooth sailing until the 12-week growth spurt hit. We have now just entered 5 months old and the consistent 12 hour sleeper has not arrived. She has had several nights of 12-13 hour stretches of sleep, but of course life has happened, multiple sicknesses, off schedule days and nights that could not be avoided, moving in with family during household renovations, milestones, and growth spurts to name a few and therefore working again to get those glorious all-night sleeping routines back.  

I just knew my little Emilia was going to be a sleeper just like her brother Easten. She followed in his footsteps up until the 12-week mark except she was an even better sleeper, I did not know if that was possible. But then that is where things varied off the path, he was sleeping 12 hours straight from 12 weeks on and never looked back, Emilia decided she wants to be more challenging and keep me on my toes. They both still knock it out of the park compared to my middle child, we will save her story for another day!

Luckily Emilia follows the early to bed philosophy and implementing an on-point routine and schedule to implement into her daily life. When I say early, I mean early! If one piece of the puzzle is not on point with her it throws it all off track. She is in the bed around 5:45 pm -6 pm she falls right to sleep, but like clockwork she wakes around 3:30-4 am takes in a solid feeding and back to sleep until morning.

While she is not sleeping consistently 12-hours straight just yet, I know she has the sleep basics and foundations set in place and she will get there when her body is ready. Yes, I look forward to those nights for that solid 12 hours of sleep and I know she will get their consistently at some point, but it is important to remember 4-6 months old children can still require feedings during the night. She was a 5.5-pound petite babe when we left the hospital and has been gaining and growing fabulously, so I have to listen to her needs and know the day will arrive soon enough.

I want to hear about your little ones, when did they finally arrive at the glorious 11-12 hours of solid overnight sleep? Email me kelley@serenitysleepers.com or head over to my website to dive into other goodness all things related to your little ones.www.serenitysleepers.com