This picture speaks volumes: sleeping baby - smiling mom. I admit, when I saw this topic – sleep solutions - I had to smile at the irony of kids and sleep. I am now a mom to two college students. They LOVE to sleep when they come home to visit. They loved to sleep in when they were teens in high school. So I can say with 100 percent certainty that it does get better and there will come a day when you struggle to wake them. However, when you have a newborn that needs to be on a schedule or a toddler or preschooler who fights nap time, it can feel like it will never end and you will never sleep again. (you will)

Since it has been a long time since I had any little ones in my home, I reached out to my network of moms in Just Between Friends – the children’s consignment event franchise system that I have the privilege to own. These moms provide a wealth of ideas and information. The one common thread is really no surprise – ROUTINE! Here are some of their words of wisdom:

MOMS SAY…..

Josie Roberts Karash – Mom of Kyler age 4 ½ and Nicholas age 2 ½. - shown napping as a baby with his daddy.

The best sleep solution? Simple: Routine, routine, routine! Follow the same routine each evening and put your child to bed at the same time every night. For us, the routine is 6 o'clock dinner, 7:30 bath, 8:00 pm we read books and - then tuck them in to bed. Kids are asleep by 8:30.

Bridget Jones: Mom of Rylin age 3 and Braxton 10 months

Routine is the key word in our household. Set it and stick to it. Our secret weapon? A sound machine. Sometimes the machine works on Daddy as well - as you can see below.

Rachel Webb Herrera – Mom of Samuel age 11 and Madelyn age 2

For sleep solutions we try to keep a consistent bedtime routine. And our toddler Madelyn’s best friend “Froggie” plays a big role in this routine. First – we get “Froggie” ready together. He gets some lavender essential oils on his face and feet. We get warm jammies because warm babies sleep better. Then we add some warm almond milk in the sippy, followed by reading a bedtime story and rocking by night light. I recommend "Russell" - a story about a sheep that has a hard time getting to sleep. Finally – the white noise machine is the final touch that helps Froggie - and Madelyn - get to sleep. When my kids get good sleep they are happy - and mom is happy as well.

SAFETY FIRST…..

At Just Between Friends one of our top priorities is promoting safety. Kami Snowbarger is JBF’s Product & Recall Specialist. She trains with the Consumer Product Safety Commission and JBF also partners with safety groups “Kids in Danger” and “We Make it Safer”

Here is Kami’s advice to ensure all sleeping solutions are safe.

Sadly, nearly half of the infant crib deaths and two-thirds of bassinet deaths reported to CPSC each year are suffocations from a baby being placed on top of pillows and thick quilts or because of overcrowding in baby’s sleep environment. Other factors: nursery products – with soft bedding cited as the leading factor.

Make sure you put baby on their back in a crib without any toys, stuffed animals of bedding. Swaddling infants is another good method.

Whatever your solutions or “secret weapon” for fighting bedtime battles, enjoy these moments and the journey. Because believe me when I say this - one day you will blink and your babies will be in college.