Sleep Fighters

Pavlov is my hero.

Little Bird “fought sleep”.  She hated missing out on things and didn’t like being by herself.  When she was tired she’d often scream and cry for a good thirty minutes to an hour.  We were baffled.  We couldn’t figure out why she was upset.  There wasn’t anything wrong that we could fix.  It was terribly frustrating and I did a lot of sitting outside her room crying because I couldn’t fix it.

So I went Pavlov on her.

At about six months, Doc and I made a “night night mix” for Little Bird.  EVERY nap time or bed time, this music plays in her room.  It helps her realize that it is time to calm down and go to sleep.  She understands what is going to happen when she hears that music.  You can use it at home, in the car, burn copies for the babysitter – a playlist can travel much easier now-a-days.

Life has changed for our sleep fighter.  Now, she climbs into her own bed, gives kisses, and cuddles with her blanket as she goes to sleep most nights.  The music starts and she sighs, says “night night” and understands what is expected.  When she does cry because she doesn’t want to take a nap, it never lasts longer than 5 minutes.

For those of you with sleep fighters, I recommend trying this out!

Here is our “mix” for Little Bird of sleepy time music that her parents love and don’t mind hearing in the car or over and over again.

• The Lighthouses Tale – Nickel Creek
• The Ocean – Mae
• Question – Rhett Miller
• Breath – Taylor Swift ft. Colbie Caillat
• Swing Life Away – Rise Against
• Times Like These – Jack Johnson
• Good Life – Francis Dunnery
• All Kinds of Time – Fountains of Wayne
• Gravity – Sara Bareilles
• Honestly – Cary Brothers
• Sweet Afton – Nickel Creek
• Out of the Woods – Nickel Creek
• Clair de Lune – Debussy