2am...You are not my friend anymore

Back in my college days the sight of 2am on a blury clock was a common occurrence. Many a nights 2am witnessed some of my best school work, as well as, some of the best memories I had in college.

For almost the last decade I only saw my once good friend 2am a couple times a year. We would rehash old stories and make some new ones for the next time we saw each other.

However, since the birth of my son in late August, 2am and I have reacquainted with each other, only this time we are seeing way to much of each other and this time we are no longer friends. Seeing the red bury 2:00 on the alarm clock with the sounds of my son's cries over the monitor means a long walk down the hall for my wife or I to see what is a matter while the other tries to go back to sleep.

I'm not going to lie. My encounters with my once good friend has decreased over the last month but as we try and transition my son into his crib I'm afraid it might start an ugly trend.

For the to-be-dad's out there here are a few suggestions to minimize your run ins to your old 2am friend.
You won't avoid it completely but you can at least take some steps to reduce the run ins.

1.) Learn to swaddle. Actually forget that. Go buy a Swaddle Me. They are great and the little buggers can't escape them. It took about 2 months for us to learn that. But since we started with the Swaddle Me's life has been a lot easier. (side note- if you are going to use a blanket, make sure BOTH arms are tucked away for the night. Trust me.
2.) Get the baby out of your room as soon as possible. Like all new parents the thought of having your child more than 5' away at any time is hard. But do yourself a favor and put him in his room and keep him there. They will be okay. When they are in the room you never get into a deep sleep. You hear every little sound. Even the littlest cue will make you almost jump out of bed. And once they are in the other room turn down your monitor so that you only hear when they are crying.
3.) Get a swing. If your little angle doesn't like to sleep flat try sleeping them in a swing. Since we moved our little guy over he sleeps so much better. I also hear a car seat works as well, although I find the straps get in the way.

I hope these help. Also, remember all babies are different and will respond to differently.