Last week, I shared our top two must-haves for traveling with friends and/or {extra} kids.  I also teased you with how we used white noise to unload groceries…random, I know, but it’s kind of a funny situation.

8 people, 4 bedrooms; 4 of the “people” are 3 and under.

So, it was the first day of our trip, and we quickly realized that 2 in a room wasn’t ideal, especially for the little boys (ages 2 and 1).  My son (2) loves sleeping in his KidCo PeaPod, which can go anywhere.  So, I decided he could go in the kitchen.  We would just need to make sure we got everything out of the kitchen before he went down.  What we didn’t count on was getting things in the kitchen after he went down.  It was kind of a comedy of errors…

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  Opening the fridge and unloading groceries is a loud (and bright) task!

  My son goes to sleep at 7pm, so we scrambled to get the dishes done and everything out of the kitchen we needed.  We also are in Scotland, where it’s only really dark from 11pm to 3am, so we covered the windows with dark towels and turned on nature sounds from our portable sound machine to ensure a sleep-conducive environment.

• We also needed to go to the grocery store for essentials, such as milk, yogurt, meat, cheese etc. for the week.
• We couldn ‘t go right after dinner because my friend has to nurse her son (1) before bed time.  So, we decided we’d go after dinner, but quickly before the grocery store closed at 8.  (not kidding)
• This all sounded like a great plan until we realized that my son would be asleep in the very room that housed the refrigerator, and everything we were getting needed to be in it!

The plan of attack

Oh my word…so, I took one for the team and decided to be braver than I felt.  Before Luke was down for the night, I figured out when the kitchen door creaked and how to open it soundlessly.  I also checked the fridge to see if we could turn off the interior light.  We couldn’t.  Bummer.  Our last offensive move was to take the groceries out of the {loud} plastic sacks and put them in 1 large reusable, canvas bag.  So, we sneaked in the kitchen, silently opened the fridge door, and started unloading what felt like a million groceries.  All was going well except that the silly bagged lettuce was getting  crinkled every time we reached in to grab something!  We labored on, and I tell you what, I have never been more tankful for white noise!  That sweet boy stayed asleep and was oblivious to the whole thing!

Sleep Deprivation

Sleep deprivation was definitely the hardest part about having a baby.  Babies have a way of messing up sleep, regardless of the fact that they sleep 18-20 hours a day.  Amazingly enough, somehow none of those hours correspond to a normal adult’s night time sleep.  Then, when they finally do conk out, at say 10am, it’ s already morning and there’s work to do.  No wonder so many women suffer post-partum depression- nobody can function with a few hours of combined sleep at night.

Everybody has different opinions about getting babies to eat and sleep well at night.  I have read most of the popular books on tis subject and have come to 2 major conclusions.

1. EVERY baby is different.
2. You can not make a baby eat or sleep, but you can give them the best opportunities to do both well.

Tips for sleep that worked for us

{with 2 totally different babies}

In total desperation, I found that I would try almost anything to get my babies to sleep.  My husband and I had already determined we were not the co-sleeping family types- we bought a crib for a reason, and we meant to use it.  So, eventually I found a routine that worked magic for us:

This is SwaddleMe, whcih is what we used.

1. Get myself ready for bed- pj’s on, teeth brushed, ready to go.
2. Change diaper and ensure baby is awake and ready to eat.
3. Swaddle baby.  SwaddleMe or Miracle Blanket are great.
4. Nurse/bottle feed baby to a very dozey sleepiness.
5. Turn on white noise.  We use waterfall sound effects because they’re consistent and calm, unlike chirping birds or crashing waves (which I like for relaxation but not for sleep).
6. Lay baby in crib and say nuh-night.
7. Turn on white noise very low in my room-high enough to not hear every coo or sigh from baby, but low enough not to miss baby’s needs.

It was a thing of beauty- once perfected,t his routine got us past sleep deprivation and into “Man, I love this kid!” mode!

Why didn’t I bring white noise?!

The only feature this bad boy doesn't have is portable white noise. I can solve that!

Last week, we had family visiting us in Scotland.  We quickly decided that a day trip to Edinburgh was in order, which meant hoping our 2-year-old son would nap in his stroller.  Now, I’ll be the first to say that we all have different gifts- since I write for 5 different blogs, I’d say mine is blogging.  For others, it’s radar-like instincts, like my good friend’s one year 0ld son who can spot tasty crumbs from a mile away.  For my son, it’s sleep…but only in his own bed!  I figured it was just one day, no biggie if he didn’t have a great nap- we just had to make it through the day.  To my great surprise, once given his lovey and his paci, he was out like a light in his umbrella stroller!

45 minutes later, I was reminded why I love white noise.  It’s not that my kids need noise to sleep- they just need consistency.  Whether it’s trucks vrooming by or total silence, it just can’t change all the time or go back and forth on the spectrum.  So, what would have normally been a 2-hour nap was cut down by almost two-thirds due to a lack of white noise.

Next time, I’m packing our portable, battery-operated white noise and placing it in the basket of a fully-reclinable stroller.

So, it’s Christmas, and not unlike Four Christmases, some holidays are best spent sans family.  As it is, we live overseas, so Christmas is the only time we can come to the States, so avoiding family is not exactly an option.  This year, we spent a month with my parents and 3 weeks with my husband’s parents.  While at my in-laws’ house, my husband’s two sisters and their entourages also stayed with us.

7 adults

+ 4 children (9, 5, 3, and 1)

+ 2 dogs 1 dog (1 got sent away as a result of a scuffle)

_________________________________________

=Stressful & LOUD

Seriously, I cherish family time, and my in-laws are awesome.  However, squeezing that many people in 1 smallish house is painful even if the relationships themselves are not (though they might be after a week of cramped quarters).  Unfortunately, the 2 smaller children are mine- don’t get me wrong, I love my kids, but being the age they are, they still require a certain amount of sleeping that is pretty nonnegotiable.  So, barking dogs, quarreling cousins, boisterous meals, sibling rivalries, and countless other interruptions do not aide in my children’s sleep quota.

Can I say again how much I love white noise?  I used to think I had to blast the world’s loudest fan to block every single noise so my babies could sleep.  I have since learned that a low-level background noise is enough to provide a nice, secure, seemingly quiet nap and sleep area for both my children.

White noise isn’t just for children either.  My poor sister-in-law who only contributed the barking dog, but no children, had trouble sleeping until we insisted upon white noise.  (Evidently, my son’s early 6am rise was not conducive to her sleeping- especially if we chose to pretend we didn’t hear him).  A little white noise and she was able to filter it out.

Here are a few options: babies/children adults

And here’s a cool free generator you can try from the same company.

Yea for white noise!