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…
IBS says
Congrats on the new baby! Our baby kryptonite for sleep was a big exercise ball- bouncing gently on it while holding the baby never failed to lull him to sleep. We’d just gradually stop bouncing once he was out, and then transfer him into the crib. They aren’t pretty, but they’re cheap and easy to deflate and take with you/put away when you don’t need it anymore. (We started needing it less around 6 months.)
Steph says
Something for readers in Australia – I couldn’t get Ardex Feather Finish locally, so I used a different product called Planiprep by Mapei. Worked really well! It is a concrete/polymer blend, which apparently will help prevent cracking as the polymer will add a little flexibility. I’m yet to seal it, very nervous!
rachael says
Gah! The only thing worse than unsolicited advice is solicited advice! The only thing I can say is that he’s a newborn. He doesn’t know that night time is for sleeping, not playing. Oh, and our daughter was the same way when she was born and during the day we made her nap near a window, not in the sun, but so her brain would register daylight, I guess? And then at night we’d make sure it was dark dark. Good luck!
Martha says
Sounds like Clara really was what they call “a sucker baby” . . . as in they’re just such great sleepers they suck you in to having another! So said the old man to my sister and nephew when he slept through mass. He is a champion sleeper – here’s hoping my baby girl follows suit come August.
Andrea says
Hi there! Congrats on the new little one. I have three kids and my littlest one is 3 months so I hear ya on the sleep! But I can tell you something that has worked for my three kids. It is a book called On Becoming Babywise -teaching your child the gift of night time sleep. It really is just about getting the baby into a routine based on eat wake then sleep cycles. My first two kids slept through the night at 9 weeks and the third at 12 weeks (just like the book says between 9-12weeks). The first 9 weeks are killer because breast fed babies can’t go longer than 5 hours between feedings. I usually was able to do a last feeding at 11pm and the next feeding at 3 or 4am. It also has a lot to do with their weight-16lbs is typically the weight that babies can handle sleeping through the night.
Sarah says
CONGRATS & so happy this birth was less eventful than Clara’s :-).
Love that little yellow radio! Where can I find one?!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s a Tivoli radio (got it at a nice discount from Joss & Main a few years back).
xo
s
Clare says
Wow, the counters look great!!! It’s still brave to use concrete as a counter!
In terms of having Teddy sleep, what have you used, and tried? A lot of good recommendations here, but I’m sure you’ve used them too?
YoungHouseLove says
He’s just a few days old so we have tried the simple things that worked for Clara (swaddling, soft white noise, cluster feeding before bedtime, etc) but he’s just completely alert and awake during the first half of the night – which is a different story from Clara (she always slept at night, waking to feed, but never being super alert then) so it’s a new deal for us.
xo
s
Stephanie says
So, I was admittedly skimming this post and I almost choked on my own tongue when I read the paragraph about the impregnator. I thought John was referring to himself as the impregnator. Which would be kind of awesome now that I think about it.
Stephanie says
And now that I have skimmed the comments, I see I was not the only one who made that mistake. :)
Harsha @ Healthy Cooking 'N' Fitness says
Teddy looks adorable and those kitchen counters looks good.
Kathleen says
Good morning! Thanks for the counter update and cute baby pitcures :)
My husband and I are interested in going this route in our kitchen, but we aren’t in our forever home, so we are curious if anyone knows how concrete counters would affect the resale value of a home. They are so much better looking than our current counters, but does the upkeep scare potential buyers?
Thanks!!
YoungHouseLove says
Anyone know? I think they definitely aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but other choices like butcher block or granite can also be polarizing (some people don’t like how porous butcher block is or hate a certain color/finish of granite).
xo
s
Stacy says
Teddy is so precious!
This is what seemed to work for our son who just turned one month old yesterday. (That first week was a doozy!) Our son kept falling asleep while eating, so he wasn’t really sleeping day or night the first few days at home. After talking to the lactation consultant, we were more focused about making him stay awake and feed for 15 min on each side (by jiggling his shoulder, tickling his feet or side, blowing in his face) when it was time to eat. After a day of focused feeding like that, he started giving us at least three hour stretches of sleep throughout the night. Now he’s up to the occasional five-hour stretch!
Hope you guys find what works for Teddy and get some more sleep soon!
Kate S says
I sometimes skim your posts when the topic is not of immediate interest to me. So, here I am happily skimming down your post because I am not planning to refinish any countertops and then . . . I see the line, “The Impregnator’s job was to…” and nearly choke. It took me a minute to backtrack and see that Impregnator is a brand name and not John’s new nickname. It didn’t help p that there was a picture of John doing the rolling right below that line!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo
s
Karin says
I just had my third a month ago and I read this blog post before he was born, if you google: The top 10 lifesavers for new parents it should come up. It’s from the blog: It’s the Gray Family. It was really helpful as a refresher, especially the first one about the different baby cries. Also, I second the rock and play and the miracle blanket. Also gas drops are super helpful if he’s gassy. Good luck! He’s adorable!
Emily @ Love, Pasta and a Tool Belt says
How cool is that. I’ve never seen this idea for countertops. We recently moved into a new house and painted our cabinets. Next up would be changing something with the countertops. I will have to show this idea to my husband!
http://lovepastatoolbelt.com/2014/02/kitchen-reveal/
Congratulations on the new arrival, he is precious!
Emily
caroline [the diy nurse] says
It looks fantastic! Sorry, no baby tips here :/ I’m just figuring out how to deal with my crazy boston terrier! So unless Teddy is like crazy hyper and you decide to spay him, I’m really of no help ;)
Valerie says
Someone already mentioned this. The Happiest Baby on the Block book is so so so helpful. Also, watch a you tube video of Dr. Harvey Karp settling a fussy baby using the 5 S’s. It is seriously like instantaneous baby magic!!! We don’t swaddle like he does, but we swaddled using the Swaddle Me or the Woombie. Swaddling helped my boy sleep so much longer and more soundly! In the first few weeks though, the only thing that helped was either middle of the night car rides or marathon length breast feeding sessions. Take turns catching up on zzz’s during the day and night, or have family come snuggle Teddy and watch Clara while y’all nap.
Sam says
No hints on the sleeping but wishing you all many congratulations on your beautiful addition and wishing Sherry a speedy recovery!
JillM says
The sleep system I followed says the first two weeks are all about survival. It is almost impossible to implement a sleep program until that third week. It was true for my babe. By 6 weeks though, she was sleeping 6-8 hours every night. By 10 weeks, she was sleeping 10 hours. It just stresses having a consistent “routine” to signal bedtime. (I nursed which I feel makes a difference in how long between feedings, she ate every 2-3 hours during the day, and evening cluster fed). I would be happy to email you the PDF if you are interested.
Vanessa says
Check out The Baby Sleep Geek on Facebook! Jessica is so helpful and will get Teddy sleeping in no time!
Tiffany P says
I have a 4.5 year old and a recently turned one year old. Both were fantastic night sleepers as a baby and I believe it was thanks to the following advice I was given when my oldest was a couple of days old.
When it’s approaching the night time hours you need to keep it as dim and quiet as possible. When you have to get up to feed or change the baby at night, do not turn on any bright lights, don’t talk to or make eye contact with the baby. Try to do what is needed as quietly as possible with as little lighting as possible and don’t interact with the baby! Then quickly put the baby back down and hopefully they will remain sleepy. When you make eye contact or talk, it’s like giving them the okay that it’s PLAYTIME!!! WOO!!.
I started that routine on day 1 with our second and she was sleeping through the night very early on and still sleeps like a champ at 1.
Good luck!
Darcy says
The counters look FAB! I was really wary about how they would look, but adding the sealants and getting that shine really makes them look great!! I am converted!
As for sleeping tips, I will just add my 2 cents and say a swing or the Rock n Play! This must be quite a shock to your systems, since you got so lucky with Clara the first go round! Hopefully he will get his days and nights straightened out soon – I will think good thoughts for you guys! And I agree on all the tips so far in the comments – keep it boring at night, and he wont’ want to be up!
With our first, I never tried co-sleeping, (like you guys, he was in the crib from day one) but with my 2nd, it was perfect and just what he needed. Looking back, I think our first would have liked it as well, but I was to scared to try it! But he did love sleeping on me on the couch!
I am hoping breastfeeding is going well this time also– With my first, it was hard at first, but after a few LC appts, we got our groove.But, with my 2nd, it just wasn’t happening — he was and is, a weird eater – he likes to play with his food, on and off and as you know, with BF-ing that is hard to take! So, after 1 week of trying, I started bottles, and I pumped for about 3 months!
Sorry, this ended up being really long — Let me end this with Enjoy that sweet newborn-ness! I know that sleep deprivation is REALLY hard to deal with, but they are only “Brand NEW” for such a small window of time!! It will get better once he gets his days and nights sorted out! Have faith! LOL!
sam b. says
Congratulations, Petersiks! He’s just perfect!
My girlfriend and I are in the middle of completely redoing every single part of our kitchen and are planning on making our own concrete countertops using some molds she found. Do you think the same sealing process would work on full concrete countertops?
Meggan says
I think every post needs to end with a baby Teddy picture! He looks so much like Daddy :) Adorable.
Tara Lenney says
Congrats guys! Little Teddy is adorable. Kudos to both of you on getting right back into things after the little one’a arrival.
Here’s how we got our second little guy to sleep through the night. Best of luck!
http://www.simplycraftedblog.com/2014/03/how-we-got-our-baby-to-sleep-through.html?m=1
Annie T says
Both the counters and the baby look amazing!
I hope you’re healing up Sherry! I looked at the pic of John and Teddy and thought “Oh man, I hope she didn’t have to lean forward to take that!”
I have no advice on baby sleeping. Difficulty nursing and giving birth to a human light bulb that always wants to be on left me with a baby who didn’t sleep through the night until 18 months. Still hurts! Teddy looks like a sleeper to me. :) Fingers crossed.
Much love to all you beautiful Petersiks
xo
Beth Ann says
Ahhh, Teddy looks sweet. You have received a lot of great advice. I say do what works for you and Teddy, he is so little and all things happen with time. Just love on him (and Clara), and rest when he rests. Remember most women (and some dads) get 4-12 weeks of maternity (paternity) leave to adjust. Line up a few guest posters and take some time with your family or go on a blog ‘vacation’. Readers will miss you, but completely understand.
LaChelle says
Adorable little baby Teddy! I can see a resemblance to both of you! :) I’m not a baby expert, but I HAVE had four babies who were all sleeping through the night by ten weeks, and I didn’t have to do any “cry it out” periods. My biggest sleeping tip is to get a copy of “On Becoming Babywise.” Then read it like your life depends on it. Seriously, people will tell you all sorts of crazy things to do and buy, and weird tricks to get your baby to sleep, but what will help you most is principles, rather than tricks or products. Babywise explains infant metabolic cycles and sleep patterns, and takes away all of the guesswork. It’s seriously the only reason I have a shred of sanity after having four kids. It’s also the only reason why I’m able to plan my day and get things done with a newborn in the house. Good luck, and enjoy that sweet little one! :)
Tania says
I just had my 4th baby 7 weeks ago..and I have perfected the sleeping thing! He is sleeping 10 hours straight at night.
I mostly follow a baby whisperer method. Have a consistent wake up time everyday. Keep baby awake for a certain amount of time (look for sleepy signs) then down for a nap…under 4 weeks, no more then 50 minutes usually. Put down awake. Feed every 2.5-3 hrs and In the evening cluster feed every 2 hours, then I do a top off 30 minutes past the last feed with pumped milk. Babies will settle to sleep much better between 7-8pm, so don’t force them to stay up…it usually backfires on you. Then let them sleep all they want, unless your pediatrician says not to (for wt. gain issues) When they wake up a night, I let my baby fuss for 10 minutes before I get him at night…because sometimes he goes right back to bed (you can pop a binky in and see what happens, and if they are hungry you want them nice and alert so they take a full feed and don’t wake you up an hour later. Then back to bed and start all over the next day! I also recommend doing a double swaddle…you can google it to see what it looks like. Since I BF and my babies sleep soooo long at night I pump every night before bed to keep milk supply up…then I feed that bottle as a top off the next night. I have done this with all 4 of my kids and had them sleeping through the night very early on! And they gain weight just fine while keeping my milk supply up.
CarrieE says
Congrats, guys! Teddy is so handsome. Welcome to the world, little guy.
The counters look great. Way to go!
I spent 10 pm – 4 am nursing/sitting up and holding baby for the first couple of months. It wasn’t ideal but it was all that worked for us. I would prop myself up in the rocker in a position that felt safe with a nursing pillow (My Brest Friend worked best for me in those early days) and sometimes I could get a little bit of sleep too. Taking turns/shifts with hubby as others have suggested, worked for us too. I remember all too well those tiring, loooooong, somehow beautiful nights and I will keep my fingers crossed that your family finds a way to get some rest.
Oh, I should also mention that the sound of the hair dryer was soothing to our son. I recall that you guys are fans of white noise, so you probably already have that idea up and running. It made sense though when we watched the YouTube snippet from the Happiest Baby on the Block and realized that our baby was accustomed to certain sounds (like mama’s blood flow, which is apparently pretty loud) in the womb.
Leslie says
Congratulations on your new bundle of joy! If you want help with sleep, there is nobody better than Eileen Henry – CompassionateSleepSolutions.com. She restored our sanity! Good luck! Teddy and Clara are both precious,
Rebekah says
I am finding it hilarious that the sealer is called “Impregnator.” ….. :-) Looks awesome!
cali says
they look even more alike than I originally thought! so awesome!
Lindz says
I haven’t read all the sleep tip comments but if you were serious about wanting them, here is my #1 main “trick” that has contributed to all three of my babies being good sleepers:
Put him to bed sleepy but not asleep. Babies that can get comfortable with nodding off on their own will sleep for longer stretches because they can jolt themselves awake (hello, flapping newborn arms anyone? lol) and then be like “Oh! I’m still in bed. That’s cool. I’ll just yawn a couple times and go… back… to… zzzzzzZZZZZZZ.”
Seriously, it works. If you can judge his sleepiness on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being wide awake and 10 being knocked out asleep, aim to get him to his sleeping location when he’s hitting around a 7 on the scale. Then he can settle in, nod off on his own, and not panic if he wakes up alone. I really do think my babies sleep well (and not like, miraculous, all night at a month old or anything, just sleep a few hours, eat, sleep a few more, eat, etc) is because they go to sleep on their own and can fall back asleep on their own through the middle of the night feeds/slight stirrings. I can feed ’em and stick ’em back in bed with minimal fluffing required to get them to go back to sleep.
Now on a different note, the husband made me start watching Game of Thrones this weekend and I’m completely distracted by how much Khaleesi/Daenerys looks like you… or you look like her… whichever. Totally distracting. And led to me googling your Halloween costume pic for additional giggles.
Congrats on the baby again! My Barnacle turns 1 on Sunday so I’m enjoying all the pictures of your wee one.
Lisa says
Really like how the kitchen is coming together! However, I would love to see the bottom cabinets painted.
Kris says
Unfortunately new babies brains haven’t yet sorted out the Circadian Rhythm of how to sort out their sleep/wake cycles. It takes about a month for those to really set in. With my first child I spent a great deal of time trying to research how to get her to sleep and stay asleep longer. I would suggest scanning through Dr. W’s Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. It’s not the definitive source but it gave me great comfort knowing there were many other miserable sleepless parents out there just like us. You are not alone! Stick with a good sleep plan and don’t give up.
Kristen Wax says
If he has his day/nights mixed up… you need to make sure he gets LOTS of sunshine during the day… and keep the house super dark and quiet at night. His body clock will right itself naturally! Literally let him nap during the day in a bright room – not kidding! Good luck!
jbhat says
If the two pics of John with the babies were side by side, and I had to guess which one was the first baby to be born, I’d totally be able to tell. John’s expression in the Teddy picture is a little more “It’s cool, I got this.” Both pictures are so sweet.
jbhat
Dhani L'aine says
I love how the counters came out! I’ll be book marking this string of tutorials to use on my own tragically laminate counter tops. Also congratulations on the little one, he’s adorable. I know the only way I got sleep at night with my own little nugget was playing this celestial white noise video at night. It mocks womb noises and really works!
Libradesigneye says
Daylight / sunshine – unwrapping them for direct sunlight in the early hours is also good for that bilirubin count so it has two benefits. Nighttime / dark and quiet – not even television / any noise at all (may i suggest not even white noise for this one) after 10 – 11 until the sun comes up.
Guessing that the biggest shift (besides an entirely different personality and entry strength level) is that with the first one, you can’t get enough holding time and you do a lot of holding just while you are figuring things out (nipples, let down reflex, nursing bras .. . it all comes back to me). Also, with the rough start you and Clara got in the hospital, she got used to sound all around all the time, needed more rest to get strong and possibly got acclimated to being in a hospital bed by herself early while you were in super recuperating mode.
This time, Teddy’s entry wasn’t traumatic, thank goodness. Not easy for you to get cut open, and you will need to be patient with your own recovery. He is going to be more demanding from the start because he is stronger. Now you and John are not hovering as much because there is so much to respond to.
It may be as simple as his instincts for comfort are to hear a heartbeat and have the warmth of someone next to him. Maybe personality wise is just going to be your cuddler?
That is a nice thought that makes this early investment feel a bit more worth it. He is just adjusting to his physical body and it will take him a while to feel safe. That is what the body contact does for him . . .
Yes, he will learn to self comfort, and sometimes he will actually whimper then drop back to sleep if you let him. It is a bit easier to watch the second one, instead of rushing in but also easier to hear and understand the signals so my best advice is . . .
Trust your own instincts. No one knows teddy like you do. He picked you and john for parents. and remember . . . just when you’ve got them figured out, they grow into a new stage and change!
Your love and guidance will help direct that growth so trust yourself .. .the second child is the time to surrender to the process of “whatever works here” forget the rules and make sleep the priority.
Finally, this is the time cycle at least for the first 12 weeks for momma to schedule naptime everyday, ideally when baby naps. You have a lot of healing to do and you are caring for others and keeping up with a petite business empire. The maxim I learned at La Leche League still applies for the first three years:
The best cure for a fussy baby is a nap for the mother!!!
Tara says
The kitchen is looking amazing!! Can’t wait to see what you do with the floors – it is a definite eyesore now that the rest looks so great :)
Teddy is so cute! Love the photo combo of john on the couch with a painted fireplace behind him in both pics :) Congrats again! I’m not far far removed from the newborn-no-sleep-ever stage since mine just turned 1…hope you some of the pointers shared above work!!
Valerie says
I forgot to mention, my little boy had colic also. I breastfeed, and at his 4 week checkup I asked the pediatrician if there was anything in my diet that could be causing the issue and he mentioned dairy. I cut out all dairy and processed foods containing any dairy or derivatives (whey, casein) to test it out and he stopped being wide awake or fussy at night. It’s a cow’s milk protein intolerance, not just lactose. Anytime I accidently consume dairy he is wide awake in the middle of the night due to digestive issues. The Dr. said he may or may not grow out of it, but that most babies do outgrow it.
Eileen says
Yeah, my little boy had the same issue (CMPI). He also hiccuped a lot and had mucousy diapers. For the longest time I thought it was me and nursing (not enough hindmilk, forceful letdown). It wasn’t until month 2 when I saw he had (tiny) streaks of blood in there too that we realized what was happening. Once I cut dairy out, it was surprising what a huge difference it made. He slept so much better. Most grow out of it, but my little one’s 21 months now and he has yet to do so. :( Hopefully he will at some point.
Jen @ Domesticated Nomad says
Other than the advice you have already received, I can’t tell you how to get Teddy to sleep, but I can offer advice on you both getting enough sleep. My husband and I divided the night. I’m a night owl who can’t easily fall back asleep once I’ve been woken in then night. So after trial and error, we figured out that if I just take the first shift – any feedings and diaper changes up until 2 am, then my husband who can easily fall back asleep after waking and is a morning person, took all the feedings that fell between 2 am and 7 am ish(he would just go to bed a bit earlier giving him a solid 4-5 hours). That way we each got a solid block of sleep regardless the number of times our boys woke in the night. Obviously, this required us to use bottles, but we found the trade off to be worth it, and it was good daddy-son bonding time too. :)
Sara says
I don’t know about you but my little ones always seemed to move around a lot more at night in the womb. It was no different once they made their arrival. They pretty much followed the same schedule out of the womb as they did in as far as active times so the thing that worked for me to learn their active times (always around 11)and then to try to keep them up for as long as possible before then so when the time came around where they were usually active, they had not been allowed to sleep before that and were too tired to be awake and active . It took a few nights to master but after about a week or so their days and nights were straight. Also a good night routine helped so they learned sleep cues and so did keeping it noisy and bright during the day and dark and quiet at night so they learned the difference. Good luck!
Melanie says
I recommend happiest baby on the block to everyone for baby sleep issues, saved my sanity with my two daughters! Good luck! He’s adorable!
Susan says
My twins are boy/girl. Son slept six hours at a stretch from birth, daughter woke up every four. I had a notebook to help me remember who ate what/when. I NEVER slept, LOL.
You boy will sleep longer stretches when he hits about ten pounds. Under that weight, babies simply need to feed more-it’s their job. While some babies sleep the “right” way (all night) very early, like your Clara, most don’t.
Swaddling is good; that sleeping in a rock-n-play is a problem IMHO. Baby never learns to self-sooth and can’t fall asleep without intervention. Likewise with white noise machines, etc. etc. The more YOU do to get them to sleep, the less their bodies adapt and relax and do it organically.
My two started sleeping through the night on a good schedule at about three months; they were put in their own cribs in a darkened room and we had no issues- until my son gave up napping at age three :)
If I could redo those first few months at home with two six-pounders, I would have hired a night nurse, and gotten a lot more much needed rest ( c-section here too).It would have been really worth it!
Christine G says
So many others have mentioned the wonders of the rock n play, the book with the 5 S’s, and keeping things quite and dark during night feedings.
In case no one has mentioned it yet, we found that the white noise from the travel sized “Sleep Sheep” (‘rain’ and ‘ocean’ especially) really helped for the nighttime sleep encouragement. It has a strap that makes carrying with baby easier (for when baby just doesn’t want you to sit down!) and then we hang it on a dresser knob next to the rock n play to keep her soothed as she sleeps.
For feeding and diaper tracking sanity, I discovered and now live by, the ‘Feed Baby’ app for android. It’s free for the first three weeks or so and then it is totally worth the $4.99 for continued use. It really helps with the blur of feedings while severely lacking sleep! It has great data crunching charts and a very intuitive user interface.
Good luck! I know the first few weeks are the craziest, but they go by so fast, be sure to take lots of pictures for youselves ^_^
Joy says
I’m going to jump in and give another shout out to the Rock n’ Play sleeper. I wish I’d had it with my first! My five month old has transitioned to his crib with no problems (and is still a great sleeper!!), but for the first three months it was amazing.
Joy says
I also want to follow up with setting a routine and trying to do the basically same thing every night in the same order near the same time (his bath time is always before his last feeding, we read a book with his big sister, he gets nursed, we sing a lullaby, he gets swaddled, and then we put him in his crib while he is still drowsy, but not yet asleep). I should also shout out to the Aden + Anais swaddlers. They have been also been so helpful for our little sleeper.
Carrie says
Sleeping tips:
I disagree with everyone about using rock/play. With our 2nd (born last Oct) she slept in the crib from day one at home and it has been a thousand times easier than w/ our first who we bed shared (and had bassinet for naps) w/ for 6 mos. She was a terrible sleeper (woke several times per night even at a year). Put the crib in your room, near your bed.
Otherwise, consistent routine. You probably already have a bedtime routine for Clara, so just roll Teddy into that process somewhere. With our Oct LO, I fed her in the same spot, same music, same time every night. At 6mos, she puts herself to sleep at 7pm every night. Keep him up during the day as much as you can–keep the windows open and all lights on. Get his little circadian rhythm straightened out.
Good luck! The sleepless nights are so, so hard but go by fast.
Lauren says
We used the Baby Wise books and it seriously helped our now 6 month old to sleep through the night very early on (like 7 weeks). I have heard from a lot of other parents that they had similar results with their babies. Check it out! :)
Carrie says
Oops, I forgot to add white noise. We’ve used white noise for both our kids and it makes a huge difference. And don’t clock watch in the middle of the night because it just makes it feel worse, “oh no we’ve been up for two hours”…”oh now, now it’s been four hours”… that sort of thing. Hope he gets turned around on days/nights quickly.