(Let’s face it kids are full of honesty, they say it as they see it. This is a new column written from the “Honest” observations from our children. It touches on all aspects of the process of growing up and how we as parents can improve ourselves from a child’s point of view)

 

Turn the lights out XOXO

 

I feel quite fragile this morning. Unfortunately due to certain antics by the CEB department, I couldn't get my beauty sleep. For heaven's sake don't people realise that I'm a growing child? I need all the sleep I can get. Yes you guessed right sympathetic reader, we didn't have any electricity for three hours and I almost died.  

 

Okay let me take you back to the harrowing events of the night. The weekend winded down as usual, the parent-ship engaged in a long family lunch, which I found quite annoying, all these aunties and uncles tickling and cooing at me. Give a baby some space will you, I could hurl any minute, I am a ticking tocking vomiting machine if the mood so makes me. 

 

Anyways, once the relations had disappeared, Mum looked a trifle annoyed because Dad seemed to have disappeared proclaiming a much needed nap, leaving her to do dishes. Yes that's right Just Dad, leave the ship just when it's sinking. Anyways I stayed around like the dutiful Son and helped my mother dearest. She put things in cupboards and I just took them all out again. It was such a fun game even though Mum tuttered and muttered and the final straw was where I managed to tip out the whole linen cupboard. So I got shooed to that fancy prison of mine. The play-pen. Yes my parents seem to believe in corporal punishment. What to do? They are not perfect, we have issues.  

 

I did try and sneak in a nap like around six, even thought Mummy made a lot of noise and kept me awake trying to do her interpretation of “Whip my nae nae”. Oh boy have I been traumatised again by parents. Oh my eyes. 

 

 

Anyways, pleased that she could stick to her schedule, Mummy fed me green mush which I used to decorate her kitchen wall with, then we bathed, read “Pepper has friends” for about a million times. Ouu that book gets me all the time, such riveting literature, don't get me started, can't wait for the next sequel “Pepper goes to the seaside”. 

 

An extremely weary, blurry eyed mother tucked me into bed, should I wait till she's all the way downstairs and then scream...hmmm, do a bit of gurgling, get the larynx ready, deep breath, mouth open...What happened... complete darkness, I am really going to scream. SCREAAAMMM. 

 

Yes so that's what happened for the next three hours I think, complete darkness, the heat, the mosquitoes....Mum finally cried tears of joy at five in the morning when just as she was dozing, I woke her up with a shout for milk. Yes definitely tears of joy, she's so happy to see me, forget the deprived sleep. Right. Whilst the rest of the household gets on with their day, without sleep, thanks CEB, I'll just take a nap for all of them. Happy Days.

 

---

Help your baby sleep through  the night

 

During the first 2 months, your newborns need to eat overrules her need to sleep. She may feed almost every 2 hours if you're breastfeeding, and possibly a little less often if you bottle-feed.

 

Your baby may sleep from 10 to 18 hours a day, sometimes for 3 to 4 hours at a time. But babies don’t know the difference between day and night. So they sleep with no regard for what time it is. That means your baby’s wide-awake time may be from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.

 

By 3 to 6 months, many babies are able to sleep for a stretch of 6 hours. But just as you think your baby is getting into a nice routine -- usually between 6 and 9 months -- normal developmental stages can throw things off. For instance, when your baby begins to associate bedtime with being left alone, she may start crying just to keep you around.

 

 

Text by Mayuri Jayasinghe