The Price of Sleep

Sleep is precious. And in my case, sleep is expensive! I cringe at the amount of money I have spent on various products that just might help my kid sleep. Keyword is might.

At 2:30 in the morning, I’m willing to try anything to help a baby sleep. Any sort of gadget that may have helped my best friends neighbors sister-in-law’s cousin’s baby to sleep. Sound machines, swaddles, swings, bouncers, pacifiers, books… and the list goes on.

Throw in Amazon Prime, and it is a danger zone. It is all too easy to click “buy now” and like magic it will appear on my doorstep. I would run to the door and tear open the box in hopes that my baby would suddenly sleep 8 hours the second they put this swaddle on. Surely it had to be the sound machine that wasn’t letting my baby sleep, I had to try a different one!

I had the 5 S’s mastered and memorized. I knew I wasn’t going to be getting a solid 8 hours of sleep. But my kids are all “I’m awake so let’s stay awake. Let’s play, let’s talk, lets solve the world’s problems together.” I was like, “Baby, now is not the time to solve every problem, because there are WAY too many now. And let’s sleep instead, so then we can really solve all the problems.”

With my son, I overnighted a sleep suit that makes babies look like the Michelin Man. Shipping cost was as much as the actual product! Yikes. But it worked like a charm for him. I raved about it to everyone. I felt like a walking advertisement!

Once little sister joined the party this past September, I was all uber confident thinking, “I got this. I’m going to do all this differently, we will get drowsy but awake down, and she will be a rock star sleeper.” Then the universe laughed at me and I found myself on Amazon, buying the next best thing for sleep at all hours of the night. The sleep suit? She hated it. The swing? Worked for a day or two. I can’t even begin to say how many swaddles we tried!

One late night, I went on a whim and ordered a product that is all the rage. I read stories from people that their babies slept 8 hours in it after being a horrendous sleeper. I wondered, could this be the magic answer?!?!!?! I had almost bought it 100 times at 3 in the morning but just couldn’t get myself to click buy. Then one November night after hours of bouncing, rocking, shushing, swaddling etc, I bought it. When it came I excitedly threw baby in, and I held my breath hoping that she’d sleep hours in it. Guess what? She didn’t. Sigh. Isn’t there a way to deduct sleep purchases on taxes? There should be.

There are so many sleep products out there and sleep deprived or desperate parents like myself will buy almost anything in the middle of the night. Guess what? Baby will sleep… when baby wants to. Some of these products, methods, and books I’m sure work for some people. And babies aren’t a one size fits all.

What might work for one, may not work for another. But I sure helped the economy trying to get a baby to sleep.

betht
Beth is a mama to a busy toddler, Benjamin and is expecting a little girl in September of 2016. And she can’t forget their four-legged furry child that barks, Lily! She has been married to her husband, Aaron, since 2008. They are transplants originally from Minnesota but have lived in St. Louis, as well, and have called Prairie Village home since 2012. Most often you can find her in her active-wear, spending her days exploring all Kansas City has to offer with her toddler. Helping people is her passion, whether as a former kindergarten teacher or currently as a part-time health and fitness coach, working with women to improve their overall health and wellness. She loves to get dressed up for a fun night on the town! She enjoys all things fashion, a nice bottle of wine, traveling, and indulging in reality TV (hello Bravo and Bachelor Nation!). You can keep up with her shenanigans at bethtalbott.wordpress.com or follow her on Instagram at @beth_talbott and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/fitmombeth