A couple of weeks ago, you may have noticed a blog post on mammasaver about Toddler Sleep Problems and the Solihull Method of helping parents through sleep training.

It was part of kateonthinice's Groovingmums blog hop, where Kate is encouraging you mums to do something new, take care of themselves and generally inject a bit of 'Vim' into their lives.

As it's been a little while, I thought I should update you on our progress thus far. Before I go any further, I'm sure some of you will be asking:

"What has sleep got to do with money saving?"

The answer, to any Questioning Quentins, is that sleep deprivation affects every aspect of your life, really and truly. You can be as frugal and determined as you possibly can be, but if you're sleep deprived, your budget can quickly be busted by ready meals, expensive coffees (to keep you awake), poor meal planning and generally going for the easiest (often expensive) option out there.

Anyway, the sleep training has been going well. Our little lad still wakes at 5am, and screams his head of until 6am, but this is major progress.

When you consider that he had previously woken every two hours, it is nearly miracle territory we're experiencing.

That was until we had two days of relapse to previous sleep behaviour. We stuck to our guns, and he is back to his new, sleepy routine.

The morning after the first relapse, I sat upon the bed with our little lad, just having waved mr mammasaver away to work. I was exhausted - heavy, slow, easily muddled. Part of me even slightly dreaded the day ahead, knowing that it would be an upward struggle from the word go.

Then it struck me - that had been my life for the past 18 months. Each day, facing an immense struggle to keep going for our little boy, to provide stimulation, food, structure, clean nappies... all on broken sleep and for all of 18 long months.

Along with the struggle came an immense feeling of guilt that I wasn't 100% fun, exciting mamma all of the time. All of my energy went in to trying to be just that while he was awake, and trying to find ways to save money when he was asleep. To say that I was tired was a little bit lacking in accuracy.

However, since I have been getting regular sleep, lots of things have changed:

• I have baked. BAKED, for goodness sake! It was a disaster, but gave it a go anyway.
• The daily chores aren't so much of a grind any more. This is a big change.
• I feel alot more capable, less worried, more relaxed.
• I don't feel so overwhelmed with ridiculously small tasks.
• Our meal planning has improved, and with that our finances.

These improvements are substantial. It got me thinking about sleep deprivation and how little attention is paid to it, in the early days of parenting.

Our ante-natal classes were purely focussed on the 'get the baby out' scenarios, and did not mention anything about how serious the effects of sleep deprivation are.

I understand that it comes with the territory of having a baby, but the lack of awareness of its effects is surprising, considering the detrimental effect it can have on a family.

Have you had any experience of managing sleep deprivation? What advice would you give a new parent? Please comment below.

As part of Kateonthinice's #groovingmums blog hop last week, I wrote about theeffect of having little sleep has on your groove.

As you might recall, I mentioned that our little lad had not slept through the night in all of his 18 months. 

This was making a big dent in my ability to think straight, act with any real impulse, remember things, budget properly, relax easily... I could go on. 

Extensive sleep deprivation is an evil, evil thing. Operating through a fog of tiredeness (despite my best efforts to avoid excessive tea drinking), there was no way on earth that I could honestly try and get any sort of groove, or life about me without sleep. 

Things had to change.

Last Friday, the mammasaver household implemented sleep training. Not just any old sleep training, but the Solihull Method. 

Espoused by our excellent Health Visitor, this method is simply controlled crying. Where it differs from any of the hundreds of other sleep training methods out there, is that instead of focussing on what you need to do with your child, it concentrates on supporting the parent/carer through the implementation of the training.

Recognising that our little lad wakes in the night due to habit and behaviour, rather than need, and being prepared enough (through rest, good food and girding my loins)  to resist  his requests (screams) to be nursed, has resulted in him sleeping through to 5am.

5am!

There is still some work to be done to get him to sleep to 6 or 7am, but I cannot tell you what a difference this extra sleep has had on me. 

It has only been a few days, but I already feel less overwhelmed by tasks (big and small), feel more 'matter of fact' and less muddled and have even tackled some filing that I had left for far too long. Previously, that would have just been too much to contemplate.

Doesn't that sound ridiculous? Filing? Too much to contemplate? I know. I sound like a big jessie. 

However, with such little sleep, you just don't want to spend time on such things. I am absent minded by nature, but little sleep has made me into an absent minded person drowning in things 'to be done.' 

So much so, that before we leave the house, my little lad looks under the cushions for keys/bags/shoes saying  "No, no, no."

Maybe, just maybe, I might be able to get more sleep. Maybe, I might have energy to do things regularly - like the recycling. Are you knocked off your chair with anticipation yet?

Watch this space...

As part of the blog hop this week, Kate has asked that we 'embrace the spiritual.' As a non religious person, I prefer to be thankful for the people around us (and for those that we miss, too).

This week, without the support of family, friends and our health visitor, we simply wouldn't have been as successful with the sleep training and I wouldn't be feeling so much better. Thank you!

This post comes with a disclaimer: now that I have written about how well little lad is sleeping - HE WILL DECIDE NEVER TO, EVER EVER AGAIN. Shucks.


Did you come through sleep deprivation awfulness? Post a comment below on how you are, or are not managing:

Read more about my #groovingmums quest here by clickety clicking here.