Right after the first baby arrives the notion of sleep as we knew it completely changes. Like with breathing, we take it for granted and normally pay little, if any attention to it at all. Until suddenly one day we are experiencing difficulties of getting in enough air, and then it becomes a real problem.
How much should my baby sleep? What is the minimum amount of sleep I should be getting in order to function or like so many of us in those early days- we ask ourselves, will we ever get to sleep again??
We recently wrote a post
all about sleep, where you can find some answers to these questions.
It might also be helpful for you to know that you are not alone. This is a journey that every family has to take and what is right for one family is not necessarily right for another.
In this new section of our blog we will speak to different families around the world, to see how they deal with this new reality and how they design their sleeping spaces in order to get a good night sleep. Hopefully this will inspire you and give you ideas to try at home!
Today we talked to Alejandra, aka
@alessmalpica to hear more about their journey to sleepfull nights.
"Hello! Can you please start by telling us a little bit about you and your family?"
- "I'm Alejandra. I'm from Mexicó and I've been living in Germany for the last 12 years. I study psychology and social pedagogy and I have two girls at the ages of 3 and 7"
"Do you remember how you felt after coming home with your first born baby? Was your baby a good sleeper? Did sleep (or the lack of it) become an issue for you?
- "My first born was full with insecurity, she didn't sleep so well. And she still doesn't! It has been and still is an issue but nowadays we go more with the flow"
"Can you tell us a bit about your sleeping arrangements with your first baby, and how it changed after you got your second child?"
- "First we were more eager for the baby to sleep alone in her crib and reach the milestones. With the second child we were definitely more relaxed. We all slept together in the 'family bed' in order to be well-rested. We felt it was better for the girls to be close to us and it worked really well"
"I love it! It's easy to get stressed by all the parenting books saying how everything should be, what is right and what isn't. So in other words, you are pro-co-sleeping?
- "I am. It worked so much better for all of us"
"How do your sleeping arrangements look today?"
- "Now the girls sleep in their own rooms, they have their own beds. But they still need one of us to be able to sleep. Sleeping is still a topic here but like I said, we go with the flow, nothing is fixed here"
"Thanks Alejandra, for sharing your sleeping arrangements and experiences!"
As you can see Alejandra's family chose the more flexible and easy going approach when it comes to sleeping arrangements. Both girls have their own rooms but there is also an extra bed next to the parents, or as they like to call it, the family bed!
Swede dreams! zZz
Photos credit: Alejandra / @alessmalpica
