This is not something I want to think about, but as my due date approaches I am starting to get nervous. Was she born the way she is, or did I influence it?
Kenzie is a great sleeper. At 15 months she sleeps a solid 12 hours at night and takes a 1.5 hour nap every day. She has slept through the night since she was 5 months old. Even before that she only woke once a night after the first 2 months.
How could I have influenced that?
Before she was born, and immediately following, I read Baby Wise, Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child, 90 Minute Sleep Solution, and any other sleep book I could download into my Kindle. I had an arsenal of tools to use when things weren't working.
What I think probably helped the most was that I was home all day, every day. I never left the house unless it was scheduled immediately following a nap, and I was sure to be home before her next nap time. I gave up all my summer nights at the marina, to be home by 6pm so she could go to sleep on time. I never let her catnap in the stroller or car seat. If there was anything I was (and still am) psycho about, it's her sleep.
Even if I influenced her good sleep habits, what happens now? The new baby will come and Kenzie will be 18 months old. A full toddler, tantrums and all. A toddler needs to get out in nature and release all that pent up energy. How will I maintain a baby sleep schedule?
I am starting to think the type A, strict schedule, will need to take a back seat to an easy going guideline. If baby #2 sleeps for an hour in his stroller while Kenzie has a great time running around the play ground, maybe that's a win. If the car seat lulls him to sleep, while we drive to our favorite pizza place, that's ok too. The new goal will be to have the majority of his sleep at home, in the crib.
Will loosening the reins mean a worse kid? I don't know, but I might be a happier parent.
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