Sleep is so important.And wonderful.Slipping between
those cool sheets and burrowing your head into a nice, comfy pillow is one of
the best feelings.However, sometimes
your baby/toddler has other plans.Like
singing the song of their people - ALL
NIGHT LONG.
One time, my husband was in Germany and I swear, my boy made
it his goal to keep me awake the whole time.One night he literally stayed awake all night.Around 4 I got out of bed, got us dressed,
and took him to my mother’s house.She
took the little tyrant while I took a nap.
When I woke up I frantically called my pediatrician.There was no way I was going to survive for
10 days while my son went on a sleep strike and my husband was out of
town.
Fortunately, the nurse on the other end had two immediate
solutions.
The first was to open up a glycine tablet and put it in his
milk.You can buy these at the vitamin
store, or here.This is the brand I used
(so I know it works), but other brands will probably do the trick. Sorry I don't have a picture, we used them all up and I am needing to order another bottle.
How does glycine help you sleep?It can increase the serotonin levels and
lower core body temperature.It is also
thought to inhibit muscle activity during REM sleep.
Honestly, I don’t really care how it works. I just know that
IT WORKS.
The second option was
to give him these glorious little homeopathic tablets.I am not actually sure how each component of
this tablet works.I can tell you that
homeopathic medicine is mostly made from minerals and plants that are VERY
diluted.Homeopathic medicine believes
that “like cures like”, so small doses can cure, when bigger doses would
actually cause those same symptoms.
You guys.It worked
like a CHARM.We both slept all night
the next night.AND we continued to use
these tricks over the next couple of years on occasion.Usually if there was a change in schedule, or
our boy was over stimulated, or we had been traveling.He’s a sleeping champ now, but let me tell
you – I have everything here and ready should the need arise.
Since then, I have also started diffusing Peace and Calming
while we sleep (especially on days where we have been busy or traveling).That also helps us all get a good night’s sleep.
One final tip: If I need extra help getting to sleep, I add
a little Rutavala to the diffuser.It’s
like taking a sleeping pill with NO crazy fuzzy/hangover feeling in the morning.I am not sure if this is safe for kids, so I
just use it for my husband and I.
There you go! All my sleeping remedies.I am sure there are tons more out there, but
these are our tried and true “get a good night’s sleep” tricks.;)Sleep well!
