As a mummy blogger, and stay-at-home parent, I’m constantly reading other people’s blogs and experiences of parenting. When I first had Dexter, I had read so much about the challenges ahead of us and how mum’s ‘never have enough time in the day’, and prepared myself for a tough time. I mentally said goodbye to sleep and a tidy house and waited for my little bundle of chaos to arrive into the world.

On May 16th 2012, Dexter was born and I have memories of Craig and I cradling him in hospital, shaking our heads at each other and saying things like “It all starts here” and “Life will never be the same again”. We told ourselves that we’d probably need to multiply all the things we’d read by 10, and wouldn’t ever have a lay in again.

The first 10 weeks or so were a massive shock to the system. It was a big adjustment getting used to having a demanding miniature person sapping all your strength and stealing all your sleep. As Dexter was born in early summer, there were a few really hot days where I didn’t bother changing out of my nightie, brushing my hair or doing my make-up. These days were similar to the days I had read about and it was comforting to know that it’s perfectly normal to be sleep-deprived, in shock, and temporarily out-of-action.

As Dexter was hospitalised twice in his first few weeks with Strep B - it was even tougher for us as we practically lived in the hospital and didn’t have any privacy; we couldn’t have a healthy row with each other, walk around in our pyjamas at 3am, and have any moments of weakness. Although the doctors and nurses didn’t have any expectations of us, we felt we had to be perfect parents and mentally alert for every second we were there.

After this all-too-common bumpy introduction to parenthood, things changed dramatically. I have no idea if our Dexter is just an amazingly easy-going baby, or if I’ve unknowingly (despite all that research) stumbled upon an easy phase of parenting - but it is so unbelievably easy that I’m just as worried as I would be if he was a nightmare. I find myself constantly poised waiting for a tantrum or something worse.

You see, at just shy of 8 months, Dexter loves to sleep. He has a really great routine that we just seem to have slipped into.

I guess it all started when he was around 10 weeks. He started sleeping through the night in the hospital and we literally had to rouse him for a sleepy feed in the early hours. Of course Craig and I both thought this was a result of the Strep B and he would soon be rid of it and back to his screaming, crying and unpredictable self. But no…

As soon as he was discharged, he took to his cot really well. The midwives taught us a little trick with a pillowcase and a rolled up towel which allowed us to create a nest in his cot (supposedly this simulates the womb) which Dexter just loved. Just a few weeks later he was sleeping regularly throughout the night and wouldn’t take kindly at all at being disturbed. We checked with the midwives and rather than advise us to wake him up to feed, they said we were lucky and to be “grateful for small miracles”. So on it continued - we’d put him down around 11pm and he would sleep soundly until 7am.

As time went on, things got even better. At around 5 months, he started taking frequent naps throughout the day. Despite this extra sleep, he started rubbing his eyes that little bit earlier in the evening. We started popping him in bed an hour earlier (9pm / 10pm) and crossed our fingers that he wouldn’t deduct this hour from his morning routine. Night after night, when we popped him in his cot he would play with his teddies for 5 minutes then gently drift off (I can count the number of times he’s cried in his cot on one hand).

Despite our fears, surprisingly he began waking an hour later around 8.00am - this meant we gained 2 extra hours in bed. Dexter was (and still is) an absolute angel in the mornings and we’d hear him quietly babbling to himself for 30 minutes before he was ready to get up and start his morning routine.

When we moved into our new home, Dexter was 6 months old. We decided this was the time we would move his cot into his own room (due to the layout of our home, in actual distance, the cot is still only 3 metres away from my head so perfectly safe).

Although we had convinced ourselves that this was going to be a difficult transition for him, Dexter absolutely loved it! As long as his LED neon fairy lights are on, and we pop on his musical mobile, he’s quite happy. He does have a few funny quirks though. He doesn’t like you watching him fall asleep so you have to pop back 10 minutes after he first goes down to tuck him in!

Soon after he moved to his big boy room, bedtime got a little earlier and he’d start to look tired around 8pm / 9pm. Naps were still few and far between and he would still sleep in until 8am.

Now he’s at 8 months, he is much more active. This has the general effect of making him even more tired. He has still maintained the usual sleep-times, but he’s now beginning to enjoy a proper afternoon nap. His general routine now looks like this:

8.00am - Awaken and play quietly in cot whilst waiting for mummy

8.30am - Say hello to mummy and nappy change

8.45am - Baby porridge and bottle-time (180mls) - usually soils a nappy

9.30am - Play-time with mummy (plenty of tummy-time and singing)

11.30am - Pre-nap bottle (180mls)

12.00pm - Nappy-change before nap

12.15pm - NAP TIME (here’s the best bit) until…

3.00pm - Awaken from nap

3.15pm - Bath-time

3.45pm - Fruit and finger food lunch and bottle-time (180mls)

4.30pm - A walk with mummy

5.30pm - Play-time with daddy

6.30pm - Dinner-time

7.00pm - Bottle-time (180mls)

8.00pm - Bed

How amazingly simple is that?! It’s just so easy to parent him at the moment. In total he’s up for just 9 hours 15 mins per day and for 2.5 hours of that, Craig is here with me!

Inevitably at weekends we’ll have to fiddle with his routine as we fit in day-trips. Despite this, Dexter never minds if he’s waiting a few extra hours for a bottle or piece of fruit. If we’re out and about, he’ll steal his nap time when he can (when we’re in the car, or he’s in his pushchair) and still be just as smiley as ever. We’ll bath him in the evening instead and he doesn’t get confused or stroppy - he just takes it all in his stride.

Every night, I tend to pre-write a blog post so it’s drafted for the next day. When Dexter naps, I’ll fiddle with it, then go ahead and post it. The rest of his nap time is taken up with social networking, reading emails, and commenting on people’s blogs. I can also do a bit of housework but Craig and I tend to do most of this at the weekend (clothes washing, hoovering etc).

How ridiculously easy?

So what do you all think? Do I simply have a great baby? Or is there indeed, an easy phase?