JOHNSON’S® Tonight We Sleep™ Challenge Results.

About two weeks ago I wrote about how we would be trying the JOHNSON’S® Tonight We Sleep™ Challenge to see whether we can improve bedtimes in our house.

For a while now Jelly Bean has not been settling to sleep that well, waking a few times before finding a content, deep sleep which has had a knock on effect on the bedtime routine and one-to-one time with Bug.

In the hope of making bedtimes blissful once again I jumped at the chance of taking part in the JOHNSON’S® Tonight We Sleep™ Challenge where we would follow the clinically proven JOHNSON’S® 3-step bedtime routine*.

Book review - The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep.

Bug has never been much of a sleeper and whilst he has improved on how long he sleeps at times we still find it difficult getting him to relax and calm down enough to get to sleep at a reasonable hour.

As I am always keen to improve his bedtime routine and sleep, we recently tried out the book - The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep.

Having read a number of enthusiastic reviews about the book, with many parents declaring that it miraculously gets their child to fall asleep I was intrigued to see whether it would work on Bug.

JOHNSON’S® Tonight We Sleep™ Challenge - 3 Step Bedtime Routine.

The preciousness of sleep was not something we truly understood until we became parents. Sleep was something we took for granted, and then we had a baby and didn’t get any. Any decent sleep we managed to get was rejoiced and treasured, and bad night’s sleep - or should I say nights without sleep - were moaned about and took their toll on our energy levels and sanity.

Those who say ‘I slept like a baby’ obviously have never had a baby!

Whilst I am a believer that babies need to wake in the night for feeds, and can handle middle of the night feeds, there is a difference between a baby waking for a feed and then settling back to sleep relatively peacefully and quickly, to a baby who screams, wakes often or does not sleep at all regardless of being well fed, burped and with a clean nappy. With Bug we had the latter type of baby.

The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep casting call for film about book plus giveaway!

Since those first early days a little over 4 and a half years ago Bug has always been a poor sleeper. When he was a baby he was the ideal candidate for being the spokesbaby for showing that the saying ‘slept like a baby’ commonly should not mean that sleep was good as he hardly ever slept, waking often during the night…..that was if he even got to sleep!

Fast forward 4 years and he still has issues with sleep. Bug often fights going to sleep, finding every excuse under the sun to delay bedtime and even once in bed he seems to find a struggle to switch off and slow down to relax to sleep.

As Bug finds it a task to calm down for bedtime we are always keen to try out tips and tricks to make bedtime an easier and calmer experience so that he drifts off to sleep earlier without any drama. With that in mind we cannot wait to try out the ground-breaking, No.1 bestselling book ‘The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep’.

Whilst we wait for our copy of the book, if you like us have problems with your child’s sleeping then I have some news for you about the book that boasts being a new way of getting children to sleep.

Ladybird Books are on the hunt of parents who have problems with their child’s sleeping. They are looking for parents to road test the book ‘The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep’.

Snoozin’ In The Animal Kingdom.

As a parent who rarely gets enough sleep I find the topic of sleep rather interesting, even if it is just to get jealous over those who get a lot more sleep than I do! To be fair Jelly Bean is a great little sleep, being much better than his big brother Bug who NEVER slept as a baby, but due to illness gripping our entire household for the last few weeks with both my baby boys wanting me and being ill myself I feel like I haven’t sleep for a long time.

As the topic of sleep is interesting to me I am always reading articles on the topic, usually ones that talk about how to get a better night’s sleep. As articles on the topic of sleep commonly talk about how to get a better night’s sleep, providing tips on how to sleep better I found it refreshing to read a fascinating infographic by Mattress Next Day on how different animals sleep.

Looking at the sleep habits of a range of animals the interesting and informative infographic talks about how animals sleep, the amount of sleep they get and how the adults and infants differ. I did not realise how little sleep adult sheep get, an average 3.8 hours of sleep in fact which with my lack of sleep of lack makes me feel like I have a lot in common with sheep! As well as the lack of sleep I feel a kinship with sheep as like Jelly Bean and I who sleep close with him snuggled next to me in his SnuzPod by my bed, infant sheep find their mothers and sleep as close to her as possible.

Christmas Eve Box.

One of the family Christmas traditions that I love doing with my family is a Christmas Eve box.

As I love the magic of Christmas and Santa I believe a Christmas Eve Box adds a touch more magic and sparkle to Christmas, making the night before Christmas extra fun, magical and memorable.

#DesignedByKids Blinds 2 Go competition.

Whilst being a parent is wonderful and rewarding, it can be very challenging and stressful. For some parents bedtime can be one of the most stressful parts of the day. This fact was highlighted during a recent survey conducted by Blinds2Go who found out that 29% of parents who completed the survey think that bedtime is the most demanding and challenging side of parenting, even beating shopping trips on the stress factor scale!

A further study examined how the environment we sleep in affects sleep. The study concluded that to help get a good night’s sleep a room decorated in cooler colours is the best option. Whilst cooler, plain colours may not be the most appealing option for some people, especially children who find plain bedroom walls boring, a benefit of keeping the wall décor simple is that you can add colour and character to the room with the features and fittings, for example the windows.

Creating the right environment for children to sleep in is very important so they get a good night’s sleep and help keep the bedtime routine stress at a minimum. Blackout roller blinds are ideal for nurseries and children’s bedrooms to help dull outside noise and block out outside light, which is useful if you live in a noisy area or somewhere that is well-lit at night. Blackout blinds can also be handy for blocking out the sun from the lighter mornings of this time of year, helping to keep your children asleep so they are not wide awake at the crack of dawn wanting to get up and play!

Following on from their research and wanting to help make bedtimes a little less stressful, Blinds 2 Go have created new digital print blinds. The new range of 24 playful designs are a fun addition to any child’s bedroom and thanks to being printed onto blackout roller blinds they provide the benefit of blackout blinds blocking out light and noise.

To celebrate the launch of their new digital print blinds they are currently running a fun competition, #DesignedByKids where children are encouraged to get creative and design their own blind for the chance of winning their very own custom designed blind. The winner’s entry will be made into a real blind to be fitted in their room along with an extra £250 to spend at Blinds 2 Go.

Get a good night's sleep with Feather & Black.

I have always had a rollercoaster of a relationship with sleep. As I mentioned before when I wrote about sleep and my issues surrounding sleep, I went through a phase of suffering from insomnia which was at its worst when I struggled through the darkest days of my depression. Thankfully when I started feeling stronger mentally and emotionally my sleeping issues subsided and I once again experienced the sweet relief of sleep.

Since the days when I struggled to sleep I am pleased to say that the long nights of lying awake for hours and hours, wishing for sleep to wash over me, are in the past.  After struggling with depression and insomnia, apart from the odd night when I let worries fill my thoughts making it hard to drift to sleep quickly and peacefully, I happily experienced full nights of blissful sleep.

Then Bug was born and peaceful nights of sleep were once again a mere fantasy and I relished every second of sleep that I could get.  Having a child, a lively one at that who has never been much of a sleeper, strengthened my belief in how precious and important sleep is and that I should never take for granted a good night’s sleep.

Sleep aid study with Silent Night.

A number of years ago, before meeting Lee and having Bug, when I was suffering from depression I suffered from insomnia.  All I wanted to do was curl up under my duvet and hibernate, the longing to get some sleep was excruciating.  My dark thoughts and mind filled with worries banished sleep from my life.

“The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep”

W.C.Fields.

Thankfully as I overcame my depression, feeling better in myself and stronger mentally and emotionally the sweet relief of sleep was once more in my life.  Getting a night’s sleep was pure joy and it felt amazing to wake up in the morning after having slept rather than have spent the night wake in desperate need of sleep.

Since that dark period of my life my sleep has improved but I do find that at times when I am worried about things in life I struggle to get to sleep, allowing the worrying thought race round my head instead of relaxing and letting my worries slip away as I fall asleep.  Thankfully my sleeping issues never get extreme anymore and even though at times I struggle to get to sleep I do not spend the night awake and always drift off to sleep without being awake for too long.

Sleeping standing up (Project 365 - 157/365).

Sleeping soundly among his teddies (Project 365 - 132/365).

Flick of hair (Project 365 - 130/365).

Spark out (Project 365 - 107/365).

Zonked out (Project 365 - 86/365).

Visiting dreamland (Project 365 - 55/365).

Zzzzz (Project 365 - 29/365).

How do you sleep?

Before becoming a parent I never thought about sleep because I actually slept and had hours of uninterrupted, quality sleep. Now I am a parent sleep is very precious to me because those nights of uninterrupted hours of sleep are distant memories and I am now often sleep deprived thanks to my little man. 

Even before little man was born and he was cocooned snugly in my womb my sleep was interrupted….waking frequently because my bladder felt full yet again and another trip to the toilet was called for, being constantly kicked by my little baby who always woke up to party in my womb when it was mummy’s bedtime and struggling to find a comfortable position thanks to my pregnant belly to get some much need zzzzz’s.

Then little man was born and I was even more sleep deprived than before. We woke often and regular through the night in particular because little man was breastfeeding on demand and as such I would not get much sleep during the night. Little man is not much of a sleeper and even as a newborn he would not sleep much in the day but when he would settle for a nap I would have a nap too because otherwise I was like the walking dead. I often wished I could be a hibernating mama bear, cosily sleeping with my little cub but as little man is just like his daddy and a little night owl who would happily party like a rock star all night and catch some zzz’s in the day this wish never came to fruition and instead I was more like a grizzly bear, grumpy thanks to no sleep.

*YAWN*...Sleepy Time

We all know sleep is important especially for babies and children who need their rest and relaxation as there are developing and growing constantly.  I am not going to pretend I have the answers or that Tristan is the most amazing baby at sleeping, I’ve had plenty of nights being awake for hours on end….breastfeeding on demand, unsettled baby, teething discomfort.  He’s also never been a baby to sleep for hours in the day either, our Health Visitor described him as an active baby…..he definitely keeps me busy!!