Thanks for all the kind words on Teddy’s arrival last week. We’re home now and settling into life as parents to a newborn again (anyone have tips for getting one to sleep between the hours of 10pm and 4am?), so we’ll definitely be on a lighter schedule, but one project that we rushed to check off the to-do list around 48 hours before Teddy was born was finally sealing our kitchen’s recently Ardexed counters.
We’ve shared a few other “how to seal” tutorials (like this one about de-hazing & sealing tile, this one about sealing grout, and this one about sealing cork) so here’s what we settled on for protecting our Ardex counters.
We read a bunch of the-sealing-step-could-make-or-break-them posts when it comes to Adrex, so we resisted the urge to rush into anything, and we used some of your input on our March 24th post to help select which sealers to research a little more and eventually track down (we had to order one from Amazon). In the end, our method of choice was two coats of 511 Impregnator Sealer which we bought from Amazon followed by three coats of Safecoat Acrylacq which we had on hand from ordering it previously (those are affiliate links).
The Impregnator’s job was to seal the concrete – against staining and moisture absorption – and it was very easy to apply. The water-like consistency made it easy to spread, so I poured a bit in a bowl and then brushed it onto the clean concrete surface liberally.
The instructions say to wipe off any excess after a few minutes, but I found most of mine absorbed into the concrete pretty quickly. But as a shameless rule follower, I wiped nonetheless. It looks darker and splotchier than it did after it dried in this picture (since it was mid application) but after it all soaked in it was pretty much back to its original color.
We applied that twice (24 hours apart) and then gave that last coat 24 hours to cure before moving on to the last step, which was top-sealing with the Acrylacq. The great thing about using Safecoat as a top-coat in a kitchen environment is that it’s non-toxic and 100% food-safe. This would also seal the counter against stains and moisture (liquid would bead up on the surface instead of absorbing and making rings) and create a nice polished look that’s protective against chipping or scratching. I went rogue with this stuff and just poured a small puddle onto the surface and spread that thinly across the counters with a brush.
We use Acrylacq a lot, so we’re familiar with it (I’m no longer alarmed by the blue-ish tint that it puts on the surface while it’s still wet).
We applied a second and then a third coat of the Acrylacq, just to be safe (letting it dry about 12 hours between each one). Then we let it cure for three full days before putting anything on it, even though it was dry to the touch much sooner than that. Although the Acrylacq was just a “satin” finish, it made the surface significantly glossier than the chalky finish the original Ardex had left. I realize that sounds like I was disappointed, but it’s great.
Not only does the glossier finish make it feel more like a shiny stone countertop (and less like a chalky DIY job) it also protects the counters much more from spills/stains. No longer do drips leave longstanding discolorations on the surface (picture water soaking into a concrete walkway outside and looking dark for hours). Now spills and splatters just bead up and can be wiped away without any trace.
We also read that some sealers show a lot of scratches, but so far we haven’t had any show up, even after cooking some big family meals and sliding some heavy dishes around to serve things. So it seems as if this mix of sealers yields a nice stone-like look that’s food-safe, scratch-resistant, and makes liquids bead up instead penetrating – at least so far.
My only complaint about our sealing results is that the glossier finish makes it slightly easier to see imperfections in the counter’s surface, namely areas where I should’ve sanded things a bit smoother during the Ardex application step (just like how glossy paint will accentuate imperfections in walls, this follows the same principle). Sherry is quicker to embrace these imperfections as par for the concrete counter course (“they’re supposed to look like that”) but the perfectionist in me just sees areas that I could have smoothed out a little more before sealing. Either way we’re both ecstatic to finally have everything back on our counters and be able to use our kitchen again like normal people. And it’s definitely a huge step up from the old yellow laminate that we had before.
Note: There have been people who’ve asked if we’d like to paint those bottom cabinets now that the counters are done, which is always a possibility, but for now we’re a lot more distracted by things like that faux brick linoleum flooring – so that’s at the top of our list.
There are still some things I’d like to improve about my Ardex-ing technique (namely sanding more smoothly) but generally I’m really happy with how it all turned out. Especially how the sealing step turned it into a much more finished feeling surface.
Aside from a few the-family-is-in-town-to-meet-a-new-baby meals, we haven’t used the kitchen like crazy yet, so we’ll definitely keep you posted on how it wears. Whether stains get through and we get scratches galore, or things stay pretty darn similar to how they look now, we’ll definitely share some updated detail shots in a few months time.
UPDATE: We shared how the counters are holding up here for ya!
Has anyone else used the same mix of sealers? Or had good (or bad) luck with another combo? Feel free to share those details here for anyone who might be tackling this soon. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a photo comparison that a bunch of you guys have requested. Here’s Teddy at four days old:
And here’s Clara’s when she was around three weeks old in the same pose. They seem to have identical (extra long) fingers and toes, the same invisible blonde eyebrows, and the same tiny little chin – but Clara had a lot less hair. This Clara picture and this Teddy picture are probably the closest comparison so far (in real life we think they look related – but not quite like twins).
Now about those tips for getting a newborn to sleep between the hours of 10pm and 4am. We’re all ears…
Alexis says
Congrats on Teddy! I cannot tell you how excited I was to see this post. We’re in the middle of applying Ardex counters in our kitchen and were just talking about sealers. I think we’ll be following your lead, but also per John’s recommendation-sanding like crazy before hand. By the way, do you have any additional recommendations as to how to get the back splash looking decent? Our concrete application on the counters looks okay, but the black splash still needs work.
I have a 9 month old and a 3 year old. With the new baby I consider the first two weeks to just be survival mode. I don’t try to do much other than just make it. But eventually I try to get in to some sort of a routine. I’m a devote follower of The Happiest Baby on the Block Techniques and The Baby Whisperer (check out “The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems”). With night wakings the bets you can do is be extremely boring. Don’t turn on lights, don’t talk, just feed and try to get back down.
YoungHouseLove says
My biggest rec. for the backsplash would be to redo and sand and redo it until you’re happy with it, because once you leave them and seal them they’ll look like that forever. It seemed to help to use a smaller spackle knife for that area to get more defined edges and to wait for it to cure well so we could do lots of sanding. Good luck!
xo
s
Annie says
Totally agree that the beginning is just about survival!! Advice from other parents is great, but I found with my son (now 11 months) that most of the advice I got was not at all age appropriate (like people who thought I was a bad parent because he didn’t sleep all night long at 6 weeks). So glean what you like out of all the comments here but most importantly be realistic….he’s only 6 days old! He’s still figuring the world out and might not sleep 10-4 for quite a while and that’s perfectly normal (even if it is crazy exhausting for you!!)
Brian says
They will work out the nocturnal thing after a couple weeks, but I think the one thing that helped most with our second boy was a bassinet that was a little elevated at the head. Seemed like a more natural sleeping position, and he took to it a lot better than our first who was in a beautiful, antique, and completely board flat cradle. If Teddy is in the crib already (I think you said he would be?) then you might slide a foam wedge under one end, or slip a few books in there.
Constance says
Tips for sleeping between 10pm – 4am? As a parent of two very different sleepers, I can sympathize by sharing that in my experience, the answer to that is that each baby + parent combo is has their own personalized recipe. What works for one baby only sometimes works for subsequent babies.
The answer in our house has always and will forever be, “whatever set-up gets everyone the most (safe) sleep”. For our oldest it was unplanned but quickly loved co-sleeping, due to her severe reflux that meant she nursed ALL THE TIME in order to get enough nourishment. At that point, the only way I could have remained functional in the world was co-sleeping. She outgrew it when she was ready and is a great solo sleeping now.
With our second, who was a very different nurser, the answer was unplanned but also quickly loved sleeping in her own room with a pacifier, due to her severe need to be left alone to sleep well.
Whatever works with your particular circumstances to get sleep is downright wonderful! May sleep (and the time that it takes Teddy to be ready) be with you! Also, awesome counter tops over there.
Constance says
Ooo – saw someone mention the Fisher Price Sleep n Play Rocker – YES to this. Best thing ever.
Sheryl says
I love this, because as a perinatal nurse, I see all kinds of babies. And I hear all kinds of advice given to parents. But really, it doesn’t seem to be so much about the advice, as the baby. A method that works for one, might not work for the next, even in the same family. So folks will swear by one method or another (“my baby slept through the night by x weeks using x”), but you might try it, and it doesn’t work. Not you, not the method, just not the right fit. Try another. And don’t stress. Just get your sleep when you can and eventually it will click.
Although, as a nurse and a mother (of 2 very different sleepers), some methods make me cringe more than others (long term sleep in car seat, yikes! babywise, ick!). But Teddy is yours, and you will decide what works for you despite my opinion or anyone else’s, and that’s how it should be!
em says
Here’s what I read in this post: blah, blah, blah, blah, insanesly cute baby asleep on one’s body is the greatest thing ever!
Obviously, I have no tips on getting Teddy to sleep at this age. In a couple months, I definitely recommmend giving him a minute before rushing in to his room every time he whimpers- but you guys probably already know that from Clara. Since this is your second time at the rodeo, you probably also know to keep things dark, quiet, and generally in night-mode when tending to Teddy’s needs at night.
When my younger son was born, my daughter was 2.5, so our situation was a little different. But, we definitely found that we “needed” things like a baby swing and exersaucer, which we never needed when my daughter was a baby because if she needed rocking, we could just rock her. Having a toddler to take care of as well as a newborn meant that the little guy sometimes had to be comforted or corralled by inanimate objects.
Good luck!
Shelly says
Congratulations! Teddy is too adorable, makes me want a forth(maybe!) I had good luck with my first taking him for a little car ride then letting him sleep in the car seat. I’d throw a blanket over the top of the whole seat kind of like you’d cover a birdcage at night and it worked wonders for him! In fact my first two slept best in their car seats for for the first couple months! Luckily my third was a dream sleeper but I think the semi-upright, semi-surrounded position in the car seat kept them pretty cozy. Every time I would try to transition from car seat sleep to the bassinet or crib they would just stretch out, wake up and get mad!! If you can’t get him to sleep I also recommend marathon netflix episode watching, at least it passes the time quickly and who doesn’t try as they might to stay up and watch “just one more”?!
Kati says
Sadly, I read in the news that a baby recently passed away from not being able to get enough air while sleeping upright in a car seat. Preventing babies from sleeping in cars is obviously unavoidable, however, I’d not recommend keeping them in car seats longer than necessary.
:-(
Katie says
I love the look of the counters! If only I could get my husband on board with a little more diy stuff. He just doesn’t have the faith that I do (nor the watching other people do it first stuff). I love how you give us step by step instructions. I think Clara and Teddy look VERY similar, but as time goes on, they’ll start to look more different, and there will be days when they look identical, and days where you wouldn’t even be able to tell they’re related. Congratulations on your new arrival. He is ADORABLE and looks so snuggly.
On sleeping? Good luck! It just seems to be a personality thing. I’ve had 5 kids and they’ve ranged in sleeping from sleeping straight through the night at 2 weeks to 9 months or so. It’ll come when it comes, but that sounds so awful when you’re in the throes of it.
Sarah says
SLEEP TIP:
Write out a schedule of feedings for the day that would get the baby fed by 9:00/9:30 and asleep by 10. Do you best to stick to it. By day 3 the baby is on that schedule.
If you are okay with not using the crib, invest in a Fisher Price Rock-n-Play!!! My little one slept through the night (well, 6 hrs) her first night in it. Just the basic model… nothing fancy. We did it for the first few weeks, just so she could get use to days and nights.
Ammie says
Congrats on Teddy!! I have a 3 weeker (baby #3) and I too am being reminded of the baby-awake-all-night phase. I’ve been giving a warm bath, swaddle, nurse and putting him to sleep in the Graco Little Lounger rocker. The rocker has made a tremendous difference for us!
Kate says
Our daughter had her days and nights switched when she first came home! The best advice we got was to make sure she was eating every 2-3 hours during the day and 3-4 hours during the night. That meant a lot of waking her up during the day at first(which was really difficult to do! She was a good sleeper, just not at the right times :)), but eventually, she settled into the pattern and really seemed to enjoy eating on a schedule (hey, who wouldn’t??). Good luck to you guys!!
Caroline says
Gorgeous counters! What a difference!
No advice here with sleeping. I call the first 2 weeks “survival”. You do whatever it takes to survive. We have tried everything with our princess and she’s 11.5 months old and we still struggle with sleep. Some nights we’re up from 11-2. So frustrating. And as soon as she starts sleeping through the night we’ll battle a cold or cut a tooth. Sigh. We’ll sleep one day. Oh and her brother slept 12-13hrs every night at 5 weeks- so we were a little spoiled. What worked for him (swaddle) didn’t with her (she busted out in the hospital- using the same blankets). This too shall pass.
Angela says
He is absolutely adorable! When you figure out the best sleep tricks, let me know. My (almost) 6 month old isn’t sleeping through the night yet. I’ve been up since 4am….YAWN! Hopefully my co-workers will wake me up if I start snoring!
Vallý says
Congratulations on baby boy Teddy.
As for the sleeping problems I would really recommend this book called sweet dreams by Arna Skula, an icelandic nurse who works as a sleep advisor for babies and small children. The books has charts for how many hours a day parents can expect their babies to sleep and stories from parents about what worked best for them.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sweet-Dreams-Skula-Arna/dp/1907952101/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398089864&sr=8-1&keywords=sweet+dreams+books+arna
Good luck from Iceland. :)
Megan C. says
Ah the newborn stage. Sometimes no matter what you do (and I tried EVERYTHING) you just may have a baby who has got other plans, and a sleep schedule is not one of them. You guys got super lucky with Clara. Both of my kids were erratic sleepers as babies and I just had to learn to deal with it. Now they’re two and six and sleep very well.
Sarah @ Sarah's Daybook says
Aww! The picture is practically the same!! Are you guys going to do/ have done a weekly photo project for him?
Good luck on the sleep… I’m only 15 so I have no idea! :)
Sarah
http://www.sarahsdaybook.wordpress.com
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, we can’t wait to do it, although we think there will be a slight twist just to make it his own.
xo
s
Tina says
Teddy is GORGEOUS! WOW! Congrats! I’ve always thought Clara looked liked you and now I think Teddy looks a lot like John! A mini of each of you :) So happy your labor experience went well, too!
Re: the sleeping. He’s just night/day confused! This will naturally work itself out in a few weeks. When my babe did this, the ped recommended letting in lots of natural light, keeping all the regular noises (TV, Clara playing, dog barking) on, going for walks, etc. And at night, low lights, whispers, soft music, etc. And you know the sage advice of, “Sleep when the baby sleeps.” I also used the Rock n’ Play which works wonders, HOWEVER, it was difficult to transition my babe out of it because she got used to feeling inclined and hugged by the bassinet. I’m not sure it’s worth it…we PAID for this later.
Jen says
I have 4 kids…my 1st two woke up every 2 hrs for months..the next 2 slept all night from the start! I have no idea why! I used a swaddle blanket with my youngest and he always fell right asleep after breastfeeding. I wonder too if I was more relaxed with my last two and they fell asleep in my arms better. Then I would move them to their crib. Good luck!!
Ammie says
Congrats on Teddy!! I have a 3 weeker (baby #3) and I too am being reminded of the baby-awake-all-night phase. I’ve been giving a warm bath, swaddle, nurse and putting him to sleep in the Graco Little Lounger rocker. The rocker has made a tremendous difference for us! If you don’t want to get a rocker, consider just slightly elevating the head of his mattress with a small towel or pillow – lots of babies don’t like to lay completely flat, especially after eating according to my pediatrician. Good luck!!
Ann says
CONGRATS on Teddy. Love the name, so sweet. Two pediatric nurses from Atlanta pretty much kept me from jumping off a cliff with my newborn. (The offer webinars, books, consults…) Check out http://momsoncall.com/0-6-month-babies/ I nursed, too, and took some of their advice with a grain of salt, BUT HOLY HEAVEN ON EARTH when that baby is on a schedule (for our family). They even have detailed advice about going at it with a toddler as well! Godspeed from our family to yours.
Ali says
I agree with others- swaddle for sure! We loved our rock n’ play but was too SIDS parinoid to put baby to sleep at night in it. Try to keep the lights on/ voices normal during the day and nice and dark/ quiet at night so he can start to straighten out days/ nights. Other than that just sleep while you can, nurse lying down, and love those newborn days for a bit until he gets bigger and you get a few hour stretch!
Sharon says
What a handsome little guy you have! When we had our babies my husband was a farmer. One of the things we did was that my husband would listen out for the baby & others until about 11 to midnight while I napped. That usually would get me through the night easily until the baby was 6 weeks old. Then things seemed easier. May your Family be continue to be Blessed.
Vanessa says
I love how your countertops turned out. I think it looks great with the dark bottom cabinets. I cannot wait to see what the plan is for the flooring. I love how natural this kitchen feels. I love the identical pictures of Clara and Teddy. They do look similar but I have a feeling you will have a little Sherry and a little John. They are both beautiful kids. Even though I don’t know you personally I could not be happier for you guys. You are blessed.
Amy says
I’m glad you found a food safe sealer – I was worried after reading some if the comments from the last post.
Sleeping tips:
My baby was sleeping sometimes up to 5 hours during the day! I discovered that I shouldn’t let her sleep more than 2.5 hours tops during regular waking hours then I should wake her up. This helped reverse her schedule so her long “nap” switched to nighttime. She was a few weeks older when I realized this and she was my first – but lesson learned for someday when I have another baby.
Another hint – when she would wake up in the night i would try to comfort her without rushing to feed her – if she would stay calm for even a couple minutes I felt like this helped stretch the time between feedings. Sometimes she would stay calm for 15-20 minutes – it was tiring because I still had to stay up longer holding her, but not so bad because it helped within a week or so stretch the sleeping time to 3-4 hours instead of 1-2 hours.
I know every baby is different but maybe this will help someone out there in blogger land.
Amy says
I should add that I agree with the others as well – make sure he is well fed during the daytime hours to make up for what would be less feeding at night. And Happiest Baby swaddling for the win!
Tara says
Definitely agree on the swaddle;) total lifesaver in our house.
Ashley says
Both of my kids used the Miracle Blanket every night from birth until 4 or 5 months! They slept all night, most nights.
Jordan says
Oh and I swear this was dead on for both our boys… Plus it’s on Oprah so it must be true, right? http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PgkZf6jVdVg
Lairssa says
Those counters look much better than I thought they were going to. Like you said, that sealer makes a huge difference!
Baby-wearing, co-sleeping, and try letting him sleep on his tummy (gasp!). I know we’re not supposed to, and I know everyone freaks out when it’s suggested, but I’m just telling you what worked for my two. Especially my second who was very colicky. Good luck!
enybe says
Rock n Play + The Happiest Baby on the Block 5 S’s= Newborn sleepping for 5 or more hours straight!
Amanda B. says
Lots of great tips here on the sleep situation, but I will add my two cents from a different angle… Absolve yourself (Mom) from all other responsibilities besides feeding Teddy and getting yourself fed, hydrated, and to sleep. (Let Dad or Nonna help get Teddy to sleep!) If you add anything back on top of that, let it be loving on Clara, but no more. He’s too young for any sleep-training or scheduling for a while yet, so your best bet is just to ride it out and get as much rest as possible! It’s hard for us do-it-ourselves American moms to give up and let someone else take care of us and our responsibilities, but we need to remember it takes a village!
Rosie S says
No baby advice here, Teddy sure is a cutie….but love the counters and I say embrace the imperfections!!!
Shaina says
What a sweet, snuggly little baby. My uterus aches for another one now…I have no advice on getting baby to sleep, but as far as getting you both to sleep my husband and I had a sleep schedule when my son was a newborn for ourselves :)
During the day I would try to pump at least 1 bottle. At 7:30pm, I would pump a second bottle and went to head to bed at 8pm in our bedroom. Hubby would be on baby duty from 8pm until 2am, allowing me 6 uninterrupted hours of sleep. He would have 2 bottles on reserve in case baby was hungry and he would get to sleep on and off himself in the guest bed.
We would switch at 2am and I would be on baby duty in the nursery sleeping on the guest bed on and off from then on. Hubby would sleep 2AM to 8AM in our room, uninterrupted. He would then shower in a hurry to get to work by 9AM and I would be with the baby the rest of the day.
You have to play by the rules though, no waking the other person up when it is their turn to sleep :)
Kim says
Try the book Babywise! I used it on my lil man and he was sleeping through the night at 7 weeks. Gets them on a schedule for naps too! If you appreciate a schedule this book is great!
http://www.amazon.com/On-Becoming-Baby-Wise-Nighttime/dp/1932740139
Lisa says
What a cutie pie!
One thing that seemed to make a difference for my son was swaddling. If he was swaddled nice and tight, he tended to sleep better.
Probably our best trick, though, was discovered by my husband. He’d put the baby in the Baby Bjorn, sit in the recliner, and they’d snooze together. It was great because he couldn’t drop the baby since he was secure in the Baby Bjorn, nor was there any danger he’d roll over on him. This got us through a really rough patch where we all were getting used to each other.
Tricia says
Cosleep. Once we started cosleeping both my kids slept through the night. They would still nurse but neither of us woke up fully. We have had no problem transitioning to their own room or bed.
Sarah @ Sarah's Daybook says
Co-sleeping is actually very dangerous. The same room is good, but never in the same bed. Suffocation is at high-risk.
Constance says
@Sarah — Co-sleeping using safe techniques is not dangerous. Suffocation is only a high-risk if unsafe sleeping techniques are used. Millions (billions?) of babies safely co-sleep worldwide (and have have been doing so for as long as there have been babies). Yes, to safety, though!
stacy says
Co-sleeping can be done safely. I’ve done it with both of my kids and both are alive and thriving.
Kim says
Co-sleeping is very safe if done correctly and is much more restful for mom and baby.
Addie says
@Sarah- I appreciate your enthusiasm, but while co-sleeping CAN be dangerous if done in unsafe conditions, as these many other mamas said, it is actually great for both mama and baby if done properly. Just wait until you have one of your own– not being able to sleep for more than an hour stretch for months on end is a very persuasive means for changing attitudes on co-sleeping! :)
Rachel says
Hi! Congrats on the new peanut, he is adorable! “12 hours sleep by 12 weeks old” worked for us with both kiddos, but that leaves you out of luck for the next few months ;)
The counter tops look great! I’ve been toying with that idea since your first post about it. Any insight as to how it wears with oil – staining, or easy to wipe away?
Congrats again!
YoungHouseLove says
Haven’t had any issues yet, but I’ll have to see how it goes and report back!
xo
s
Teresa @ wherelovemeetslife says
Teddy is adorable!! :) Love the comparison of both of them. As far as sleep? I have never had wonderful sleepers so I have always just chalked it up to personality. Lots of great ideas have been given….
Just a note – we never swaddled once home, but the hospital warned us with my youngest to swaddle with one arm out, it allows their “jump” reflex to work and can help prevent SIDS. I never did research on it but thought it might be worth mentioning :)
Emily M says
Ah yes, newborn sleep is a fickle thing! I just had my 2nd (a girl!) in February and am happy to say my baby got her nights all sorted out. It takes a few weeks. We just made sure she was in the light as much as possible during the day (even for naps!) and in lower light levels once it was dark outside. Beyond that, it was a lot of walking while rocking and shushing. But what worked best when she was still so little, was sleeping on one of our chests just like in your pic above with John. They love the comfort, warmth & familiarity with the body heat & the heartbeat and the smell of mom or dad. Whenever she didn’t want to sleep, that always worked.
Best of luck! My daughter is turning out to be a much better night sleeper than my son was – already slept through the night several times by 2 months!
robin says
miracleblanket.com. no other swaddle is necessary after you’ve used this one…and don’t unswaddle to nurse him during the night. change his diaper, sure, but reswaddle, feed him, and put him back down to sleep. the miracle blanket saved us.
Addie says
Okay, sleeping tips:
1) try to keep him away from all light from about 9-6. It helps to re-set his circadian rhythm (exposure to light triggers the “wake up” time).
2) swaddle
3) Try to keep talking/stimulation to a minimum during night wake-ups; the less interesting you are, the less reason he has to stay awake!
4) try to get him to settle down and sleep BEFORE the “purple crying” sets in (if he has any)
My son didn’t sleep well for MONTHS, but once I figured these things out he slept much better :)
Hope you’re all doing well!
Lauren says
I was confused and thought you were kidding asking about for sleep tips… since y’all have already been around this block. Then I remembered Clara was a good sleeper, so this IS new for you!
Two books that I really valued
– Healthy Sleep Habits for a healthy baby. I used this mostly for CIO with my 7 mo old, but I imagine it does have excellent info for newborns. This book is very very heavily research-based and there is nothing entertaining about it! So it’s a HARD read, ha!
– The Baby Whisperer, I found was much much easier to read! Good tips on babies’ sleep patterns at diff ages and what to do if your baby does X or Y and how to help each scenerio.
I formula fed my first and breastfed my second and it is harder to get a BF baby to sleep longer hours, especially if they are sleeping near you – they smell the source!!
Another good source for baby sleep is Happiest Baby on the Block. Don’t read the book just watch his video. I have the DVD at home and can mail it to you guys if you want it, we are done with it! (And done with babies!) the video is excellent!!
Crystal says
Congrats! Teddy is so adorable! He is a handsome little man.
I have been so excited to see the finished product for the countertops. My husband and I were thinking of doing this in our kitchen, but weren’t sure of resell value. We currently have old yellow laminate but do not have it in our budget to upgrade. We are looking to put our house on the market within the next year. I think the concrete would look much better and flow better with our cherry cabinets and light blue walls. Any thought on buyer appeal of these countertops?
YoungHouseLove says
I think there’s more buyer appeal than yellow laminate, but I’m not sure they would be a crowd pleaser for everyone (some folks would rather just have butcher block or stone I think – although those seem to be personal preference calls too – some hate the porousness of butcher block or a certain finish of stone).
xo
s
Marisa says
Natural sunlight in the morning is great to help set their “wake” time to daytime. Then make sure his sleep times are dark. He’ll come around.
Leslie @ Oh, the Fun of It says
The counters look really good and compliment those white cabinets beautifully! Nice work! I bet it feels so good to have gotten them completed before Teddy arrived :)
Erika says
Congrats on baby Teddy. He’s a dote. I’ve two kids. The first one was not a sleeper. For a very long time! But she was very unsettled from a NICU start and had severe colic and reflux. Frequent feeding, baby massage, quiet and dark at night was what helped (and a vibrating bouncey chair). With kid nr. 2, it was much easier. But she woke lots at the beginning. It’s normal and to be expected as a newborn. They need to be close to their parents, snuggled and in easy reach of their food source! Sleeping in shifts really helps (though harder when there is an older child to look after), and having a cradle or co-sleeper right beside the bed really helped as I didn’t have to get out of bed to feed (DD2 hated cosleeping). It will get better and Teddy will sort out his sleep. But right now he needs to feed and grow. Good luck and enjoy :)
jeannette says
the impregnator’s job? accompanied by a headless pic of john painting? sorry but this dirty dog snorked her coffee.
so happy all of you are at home safe, and that the burger has greeted his new crumb machine with curiousity.
YoungHouseLove says
Ha!
xo
s
Julianne says
What a cutie….I’m no expert, but comparing the 2 baby photos, Teddy looks really long in comparison, no?!? Perhaps he’s going to be quite tall, like his daddy!
Tania says
I’m a first time Mom to a 3 week old! I noticed once my milk came in he (Liam) started to sleep longer stretches at night (4-5 hours). The best thing you can do is keep Teddy to a schedule during the day. Feed him every 2-3 hours. Sometimes cluster feeding before you go to bed can help them sleep longer during the night. Swaddling also helps my baby sleep longer. If my baby fusses or has a hard time falling asleep, I rock him to sleep in our nursery glider and he’s usually out in 5 minutes. Every baby is different, you just have to figure out what works. The first two weeks are the hardest but it does get better. I also downloaded an app on my iPad called Baby Sprout. It helps us log and keep track of feedings and diaper changes. The app definitely helps at night when you’re trying to remember which side to start off with for breast feeding.
Congratulations! Teddy is a cutie! :) I hope Teddy sleeps through the night soon!
Shannon says
I wonder if I can convince my husband to do this…I love it.
Teddy is adorable. My little guy is 4 months old, and is a pretty good sleeper. Obviously he still wakes during the night to nurse because he’s. Baby and they are suppose to. But he has some pretty good stretches. We bedshare and I think that helps. He did also like taking naps in his rock and play when he was younger. Whatever you do, avoid the cry it out method. It may result in more sleep but it’s just awful for baby.
Sarah says
Teddy is adorable! Love the comparison pics of him and Clara :)
I’m going to second all the comments about swaddling and using a Rock and Play (that thing is THE best!). If you think he’s gassy or his tummy is bothering him, try some probiotic drops. We’ve used them for two of our three girls and I really think they helped settle their tummy’s. I’ve heard great things about the 4Moms MamaRoo too…it has a “car ride” setting that would have been amazing for our second who was colicy and up about the same time frame as Teddy every night! Good luck, sleep deprivation is the worrrst!
Love the counter transformation, by the way! Can’t wait to see the kitchen once you do whatever you have planned for the floors someday :)
Natalie says
Teddy is adorable! I didn’t see this anywhere in the comments so forgive me if this is repeat advice. None of the aforementioned books worked for our number 2. The only one that came close to working was “healthy sleep habits happy children” book by Dr. Weissbluth. But at under a week old, you probably don’t need a method as just straighten out days and nights, but you might want to just store the title for future reference. The only other thing I’ll say is that our second was really sensitive to everything I ate, he’s gluten sensitive still at 14 months. Our pediatrician has said it’s because some babies guts don’t mature until well after they’re born. So he recommended a probiotic supplement and I ate super bland, non gassy and gluten free foods. Those tips greatly improved his sleep, it didn’t make it 100% better but the difference was really night and day. No pun intended! I’m sure you’ll find something that works soon! Good luck!
Olivia says
The counters look great, but the baby is the real star! He looks absolutely delectable!
Tips for sleep:
-cluster feeding in the evening, nurse, nurse, nurse (or if your bottle feeding feed, feed, feed) little and
Amy says
I had to laugh when you wrote “The Impregnator’s job was to seal the concrete”, because I thought, “that’s a fun new nickname for John”. Then I realized that was the name of the sealant.
I don’t have kids or any tips, so all I can say is good luck, and enjoy yourselves!
Bethany says
Oh my gosh, I thought the same exact thing! I didn’t get it until I read your comment! Hahahaha!
Dalenna says
I totally read it the exact same way and then had to laugh at myself. I figured it was Sherry’s way of joking about why John had to do the work.
As far as sleeping- we really liked doing a cycle of sleep, eat, wake/playtime then sleep. That way they learn to put themselves to sleep and aren’t reliant on a fully tummy. And if they are fussy after eating, that is one thing you can eliminate off your list to try and fix (gassy, tired, diaper change etc). Just love the season you are in and you’ll get through and on to another season to love!