(sleep) Itzbeen

The first 3 months, we depended on the Itzbeen to be our brains. We were so sleep-deprived (as all new parents are), getting only 2 hour chunks of sleep at a time. We could barely keep our eyes open, let alone be able to remember what time the boys' fed or when we gave them medicine. We were instructed by the NICU to never let them go more than 4 hours between feeds. (This, of course, changed as they started extending, then dropping, their nighttime feeds.) So we needed something to do the thinking for us.

The Itzbeen is no more than 4 timers (diapers, feed, sleep, misc). Each has an alarm capability, so if you need to make sure you do not exceed say, 4 hours, the alarm can sound at that time. This was crucial for us to use in the middle of the night when the boys would have easily slept more than 4 hours due to their prematurity.

We ended up getting one Itzbeen for each child, which is a lifesaver if each is on a different schedule. Thankfully, we really only needed one for all three babies due to their similar schedules. When we started the "cry it out" phase, we started using the Itzbeens for timing how long the boys would cry. Trust me, two minutes feels like two hours, so it is great to have the timer in front of you for proof.

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