It is no surprise to people when you tell them that you have a newborn at home and are lacking in the sleep department. It is a given and expected in the early stages of infancy. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to function on little to no sleep. And forget about giving attention to your other kiddos when feeding time happens every 2-3 hours and the lack of sleep has affected your ability to function.
My kids have always been great sleepers…I tend to say it’s because they both have hypotonia (low muscle tone) and that causes them to sleep well. Maybe that is the reason, or maybe it is because I take a “no excuses” approach to nap time and the importance of it. I carve out time in the day where my girls (ages 5.5 years and 3 years) must take a nap to rejuvenate themselves. Sometimes I think maybe I should let up a bit and then I am reminded that them resting for a length of time each day is of utmost importance for their growing and developing bodies and minds. This information, found from http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/naps.html, further proves my thoughts and theories on kids napping. I encourage you to read through the site and familiarize yourself with the importance of sleep in growing young children.