I’m a big fan of wake windows. My son’s sleep has followed the Huckleberry default recommendations to an eerie degree – every few months I search “Huckleberry sleep schedule [child’s age]” and nine times out of ten, it lines up with what has naturally already become our routine. Just like me, my son seems to like the predictability of a routine, even if it means we’re a bit rigid in our day-to-day.
But like everything else in motherhood, my son’s sleep is a double-edged sword. I’m so lucky to have a baby who lets me put him down in his cot and will sleep there. The downside of this is that car naps are always too short, pram naps are nonexistent, and travel cot naps are dicey at best. Our morning revolves around getting home by 11:30am, or the whole day (and following night!) are chaos.
Recently my son was a little unwell and instead of sitting by his cot, I held him a bit longer in our rocking chair. He looked so small and sweet, curled up against my chest, tiny hands wrapped around his elephant toy. Before I knew it, he was fast asleep.
My brain immediately went into crisis-management mode. “Don’t hold him too long, he’ll wake up when you transfer him.” “You should have put him down drowsy but awake.” “It’s probably too late now, the only safe option is to sit here for two hours.”
Sometimes it’s worth following what you know works for your child, even if it means you’re a bit rigid and stuck to your methods. Other times, it’s better to say f*ck the rules, and hold your baby just that little bit longer.
(I transferred him just fine after a blissful half-hour holding him while he slept. I held my baby, and broke the sleep rules, and the world did not end.)