Our daughter only started sleeping through about two weeks before I started back at work. As you can imagine, I was getting worried that it might never happen, but it did and oh my, did we celebrate! Here are some ways you can join in the fun when your baby sleeps for 8 hours or more!
Parenting on Female First
Tell everyone!
We have a group chat for our family on both sides and one of the firs things I did was post the good news on there. It’s one of the biggest accomplishments in those first few months so why not share with your nearest and dearest? Their shared excitement gives you even more of a boost.
Take a photo
We were gifted a pack of milestone cards when our daughter was born so we could take a picture of her with the relevant card as she achieved every new stage. The night she slept through, one of my main priorities was to take a picture of her with the card that read ‘I slept all night!’ after dating it at the bottom. One for the memory box!
Fill in their baby book
Baby books are an excellent way to record when these key things happen in a baby’s development so make sure you note down the date so you can look back when they are older and make them feel guilty for taking so long!
Get an early night
The night following their longest sleep- get your head down as soon as you can. Who knows if it will last and if it does- you will have several months’ worth of rest to catch up on.
Praise your baby
Make sure they know they have done something great by giving them lots of positive reinforcement. Hopefully, by making a big event out of it they will be encouraged to repeat it again for many nights to come!
Have a celebratory couple’s meal
Once your baby is down for their next full night’s sleep (hopefully) why not get a cheeky take away in or make something extravagant? You deserve it after weeks of not eating a decent meal and surviving on snacks and food to go.
Have a celebratory non-caffeinated drink
Chances are you have been existing on coffee or energy drinks to keep you going. Now is the time to enjoy a long sip of something non-alcoholic (you are new parents after all!) yet refreshing that won’t make you wired afterwards.