Oh how I love a good sleep routine!

I think most of us can agree that sleep is a very much undervalued component of health.  In general, (and according to some gov't. websites) a large proportion of people do not get enough sleep.  However, this is not the case in our family! My husband just flat out does not function on less than 8 hours of sleep.  Or at least he doesn't like to function that way.  And I personally enjoy somewhere around 9 hours a night.  Yes, we're kind of lame with bedtimes between 9 and 10PM and wake ups around 6 or 7 AM,  but we really enjoy sleep in this house.  Naps on the weekends are a common occurrence and to give a little insight into the beginning stages of our relationship, Broghan used to visit my dorm just to nap with me after class and before hockey.  We seriously started down our path by napping together.  Such dorks.

Anyways it's no surprise then, that when it comes to Keller, we've been pretty adamant to put his sleep as a top priority.  Since he's been around 9 months we've been doing sleep routines.  I am pretty sure I saw it on the SuperNanny show, but I probably  also read it in one of my many books.  But our routine has always gone like this: Bath, Book, Bottle, Bed.  OK ok...really it was Bath, Book/Nurse, Bed.  And recently (in the last three-four months) it's been Bath then Book in Bed.  So it's shortened quite a bit.

But as my title states, Oh how I love a good sleep routine!  When Keller is into his routine, not sick, not cutting teeth, and not overly tired, our system works like a charm.  Tonight was one of those nights and it feels oh so good to have the house cleaned up, dinner ready to go, and a sleeping toddler who went to sleep effortlessly and on his own (and has up until now, stayed in bed!).

I think the other thing that has really helped our little guy stay so healthy and happy has been our focus on not only routine but on the quantity of sleep he gets.  My little sleep bible, if you will, "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" has been a life saver for us.  We've used a multitude of models (cry-it-out to immediate response and a combo of the two) and feel like this book is encouraging for parents no matter what style you choose.  It also gives a good insight into the natural sleep patterns of babies and kids and how much sleep is really needed.  I think a lot of people would be surprised to know that a toddler between the ages of 1 and 3 needs 12-14 hours of sleep in a 24 hours period.  It's crazy isn't it!  But knowing this, along with some tips given in the book, Keller is one well rested child.

We still balance between one or two naps a day, depending on bed-time the night before and wake up time that morning. And we definitely have our moments, but I can't help but be proud of my little man tonight.  Routine went flawlessly and he was able to keep himself in bed and fall asleep all on his own!  Ahh how I hope this keeps up, especially through the new addition coming soon.  (I know. I know.  Wishful thinking!)

Until next time...