Let's face it, Valentine's Day isn't for everyone, but if it is a day that you look forward to spending with your partner, good for you! Now here's the bad news. Becoming a parent can play havoc with your romantic plans on Valentine's Day. Sorry! First of all, you need to be able to spend some time alone with your loved one and when you add children into the mix it's sometimes easier said than done! Not ready for a babysitter yet? You need our help! Here's how to get your baby to sleep on Valentine's Day. You're welcome.
Naps, naps, naps!
And once more for good measure. NAPS. Daytime sleep is so so important if you want your baby to sleep well at night. Do not be tempted to skip any daytime nap in the hope of getting an early night. It just doesn't work. For one you won't have any time to yourself through the day (paint your nails? Do your hair? Cook a romantic meal?) and for another you'll end up with a seriously unhappy baby on your hands. Skipping naps makes babies overtired and less likely to fall asleep easily, or stay asleep for that matter.
Focus on the daytime sleep and make sure your baby is well rested and in a good routine today as normal. Use your SnoozeShade to create a cosy nook (indoors or outdoors- the location doesn't matter) and to eliminate distractions. Stick to your usual routine and you'll do just fine.
Keep bedtime where it is
You might be tempted to move bedtime a little earlier tonight, but doing this actually requires more than a few hours notice. If you want to move bedtime, you need to start doing so gradually over a series of days, moving nap times and awake times too- and we don't have time for that.
Relax. Don't introduce any bug changes tonight. Keep bedtime, and your bedtime routine, exactly the same as it always is and you'll have a much better chance of success.
Stay flexible
One of the best things about being a parent is that life becomes delightfully unpredictable. Stay with us here. What we mean is that your baby is not a robot. They may well wake up in the middle of your meal, or they may well decide that tonight they are teething and that's that. The thing is that if you allow this to stress you out, or upset you, then you'll end up a gibbering week. Valentine's Day is one day in the calendar, and truly you and your partner can celebrate alone time as many times as you like throughout the year. Your baby doesn't have a calendar to hand right now, so keep this in mind and keep your sanity at the same time. Be there when your baby needs you, and make that alone time with your partner more special for its rarity when it does happen!
Let us know in the comments your best tips at getting baby to sleep!
