When asked the question “What is the best piece of advice you would give tired parents“, we received tons of responses and very good answers! Even though it was tough, we chose our 5 favorites. In the comments below, let us know which is your favorite using the numbers beside your favorite entry (ex: “My favorite is number 1”).
1.
The best advice to tired parents is simple- think long term!  If you focus on the short term when you just want to get some sleep now, you’ll wind up creating bad habits and your goal will become farther away and harder to reach.  It will get tougher before it gets easier, but if you and your spouse/partner stick to your guns and focus on the long term goal of a good night sleep every night for you and your kid(s), you will be rewarded!
Kate C.
2.

Jennifer Eldredge
3.
Be consistent.  Use the same soothing and bedtime routines. Even if they don’t always appear tired, follow a schedule that seems right for your child’s age and activity level. Always sleep children in the same place–ideally this is a cool, dark room with a noise machine. This environment is fairly easy to duplicate when travelling and is a much more effective than a stroller or carseat. Establishing healthy, consistent sleep routines may be your first chance to show some tough love-that you are the parent and you are willing to sacrifice any other plans to totally focus on what’s best for your child. When your children see you make sleep a constant priority, they do better with relaxing and accepting the needed sleep. Also, be consistent also when caring for yourself and child; sleep-deprived people need nutritious food and to only focus on the main essentials life.
Moira C. Silva
4.
Being a mother of twins, I know how long those sleepless nights can be.  My best advice would be to make this a team effort with your husband or partner.  Even though we were exclusively breastfeeding, my husband would get up, bring the babies to me and change their diapers before putting them back down.  He couldn’t actually do much real work to help out with feeding them, but just having him there and knowing that I wasn’t doing this alone kept me sane.
Leslie Fox
5.