* First of all apologies for the title of this blog – it’s actually the title of an illustrated book written by a sleep deprived father (award-winning author Adam Mansbach) who got so fed up with his children’s (non)sleeping habits that he wrote a ‘pants-wettingly’ funny book about it – called Go the F*** to Sleep.

Now I don’t know one parent who has not suffered from sleep deprivation. Getting a couple of , let alone eight, hours sleep in one go is something that only single/child-free adults enjoy. Once you have a baby you can wave goodbye to your old definition of a good night’s sleep. For me getting five is about as good as it gets.

Sleep deprivation has changed my personality, by 6pm (i.e now) I’m the rattiest grumpiest person in the world. Andrew luckily is not a light sleeper so he does get more quality sleep than me. I’m not a light sleeper by nature but having a child has re-wired my body. And I don’t really like it. There are nights when I get the old me back – the ones where I fall into bed and wake up minutes later to an alarm call telling me it’s 7am. But those are normally when Imogen is staying overnight at her grandparents.

If you had put one of those time lapse cameras on our landing before Christmas just gone and let it run each night between the hours of 10pm and 7am – I’d reckon there wouldn’t have been an hour when there wasn’t any movement.

To give you an idea: around 10pm-12am there would be Imogen walking into mummy and daddy’s room and climbing into bed with them. An hour later either mummy or daddy, mainly mummy, would be carrying Imogen back to her room. An hour later Imogen would be back in her parent’s bed. Half an hour after that mummy would have walked into the spare room to try and avoid being squashed in her sleep by her three year old daughter (it’s not impossible – she now weighs at least 2.5 stone and is over three foot tall).

That’s not the end, Imogen – who seems to like cuddling up to mummy would have got out of the bed and wandered around looking for mummy who then picks her up and puts her back in her bed.

Repeat this twice more and that was the typical night in our house. With both of us working full time, and me commuting into London (6.49 train some mornings) well, I know you can all imagine; we all need a decent amount of sleep parents or not.

Of course things were easier when Imogen was a baby – she was in a cot for starters. Admittedly there were times she took a while to settle but most nights she slept through.

Until of course she got ill, or we stayed away, then it would all start up again. Then we put her in a bed and it all started again.

Until the last week.

Imogen finally appears to have accepted that she has to spend all night in her own bed; we have of course resulted to bribery, she’s been promised a pink bunk bed if her good behaviour continues. We’ve also put the stairgate up in the landing between her bedroom and ours,  to avoid temptation you understand.

There is no secret to settling children, but I’ve asked around and here are some other mummy blogger’s tips.

ZoolanderK reckons it’s about survival – ‘Putting babas in own room at 6 months is certainly a must.’ (It gets them used to their own space)

The LazyGirlBlog is a mum after my own heart too. ‘routines are always best (routine is soooo important). And let them cry if they want to – don’t immediately go running in.’

My favourite (but obviously not practical) is Motherventing who says ‘For me? Gin usually works. For Moo (her LO) Gin usually wor.. oh wait.’

My top tips for a good night’s sleep include:

1) Exercise – preferably in fresh air. For me a run or even brisk walk helps mop up a lot of those stress hormones.

2) No caffeine after 7pm – especially not coffee.

3) Yoga – stretches are my saviour when I feel like a coiled-up stressed out sleep-deprived mummy.

4) Not eating too much too late – most parents are guilty of this but it doesn’t make it right.

5) Sleeping in a well-ventilated room. I prefer sleeping in a cold room, I’ve been known to open windows mid winter. It’s better for the skin too.

If you’ve any more feel free to pitch in.

Sam x