I don't expect my babies to sleep through the night until they're 1. Some might think I'm crazy, but it's hard for me to wean nighttime feedings until I stop breastfeeding. Everyone does things their own way and this is our way. Anyway, Mia was an awesome sleeper from age 1-1.5 and when Mia was 1.5, Naomi was born and it rocked her world. She went from a super star sleeper to kid who would come up with every and any excuse not to stay in her bed. And, she would then wake up WAY too early! All of this resulted in a crabby toddler and sleep deprived parents who hated bedtime/nap time because it took way longer than it should!
It got to the point where I would LOVE if Mia fell asleep in the car, because I could just transfer her to her bed for nap time instead of dealing with it.
She would wander out of her room, destroy the upstairs and fall asleep in random spots.
She would also have to cry herself to sleep because sometimes our only option was locking her door. We didn't like doing this but knew that she needed to sleep and sometimes it was the only way to keep her contained.
A few months ago, I started researching some other options and came across the Sleep Buddy. It got amazing reviews on Amazon and a lot of parents said it changed their life! I was a little skeptical but slightly desperate, so I ordered one. With shipping, it was around $45. Joe thought I was crazy (especially when he say how simple it was). You set a timer for nap time and nighttime- when the blue light it on, the child stays in bed and when it turns off, they can leave their room.
It came wrapped as a present, which was super fun for Mia!
We have been using this system for over a month and it has been AMAZING! Mia stays in her room and actually runs to her bed when Sleep Buddy comes on. She is now in her room until 6am every day (this might seem early to most but she was getting up at 5am or earlier before).
It also came with a sticker chart, which has been really helpful at encouraging Mia to listen to her Sleep Buddy.
Seriously, look at this happy girl! Yay for sleep!!
Of course this thing isn't perfect... here are a few of the negatives:
- It doesn't have a battery back-up so if your child unplugs it, the light will shut off. Mia has unplugged it a few times but since she didn't get a sticker on her sticker chart when she unplugged it, she has stopped.
- If it gets unplugged, you have to reset the clock and sleep timers again.
- The book it comes with is super cute and clearly explains how the Sleep Buddy works, but doesn't mention that it's okay to get out of bed if you have to go potty. Not a huge deal, but be sure to have this conversation with your child.
*This is not a sponsored post...maybe someday I'll be cool enough for sponsors. : )
