by Becky Vieira posted in Parenting

If I had a dollar for every time someone told me to sleep when my baby naps I?d have a lot of dollars. It?s common advice to new moms with good reason -- it makes sense in theory.
Yes, theoretically a mom should be able to put her little one down to nap, grab the baby monitor, and begin her relaxation routine. Draw the shades, light some candles, maybe massage cream into her hands and feet right before she puts on her silk eye mask and shuts down her mind. And then...sorry, I had to stop writing because I was laughing too hard.
As any mom knows it would never happen like that. Personally, I?ve slept when my son was napping twice. Two times. Total. In almost seven months.

So thank you to everyone who has told me that sleeping when my baby naps is the solution to my sleep deprivation, the cure for the dark circles under my eyes and a means to refresh my brain so that I may speak in coherent sentences once again. But I?m too busy doing these 8 things during nap time to actually sleep myself:
Watching the baby monitor like it?s my job. This is generally my biggest downfall. It starts innocently with me watching as my son settles to sleep. Then, once he?s sleeping I need to see a movement to ensure he?s okay. After that it's a series of ?was that a cough"? to ?is he too warm"? and ?is that a tarantula on the wall"? Before I know it the nap is almost over and all I did was wander the house with a baby monitor in my hand.
Prac...