would i be a bad mother if i wore earplugs?

[Mimsy2000]

i have a 2.9 son and 3 1/2 month year old son. my toddler usually comes into our bed in the middle of the night. my 3 1/2 month old has a feed before i come to bed and then again around 4am. this in itself is not too bad, but my nights are usually like this:

• sweaty toddler, occasionally snoring and often times trying to lay on top of me
• constantly snoring husband
• grunting 3 1/2 month old baby

would i be terrible to wear earplugs? i am such a light sleeper that everything is waking me up and as far as I can tell, the only time i need to be awake is for the 4am feed. would you?

[T0BY]

I use earplugs every night and was having trouble with the foam ones falling out so I started using these; www.zenplugs.com/molded-earplugs which are much better. They stay in and are more comfortable.

[NellyTheElephant]

Haven't read all the replies, but I'd definitely use them if I were you - surely if there was a problem of any sort then your DH would wake up and wake you if necessary. I'm pregnant at the mo and it has made me a v light sleeper, so wake a lot in the night due to DDs coughing, DH snoring etc and I have taken to wearing earplugs. A while back DD2 went through a habit waking phase and would wake and cry around 4am. We didn't need to do anything as she would settle herself back to sleep after 5 mins or so, but it was driving DH and I mad as once we were woken we found it hard to go back to sleep again, so we alternated nights wearing earplugs - i.e. so long as one of us didn't have them in and so would wake if one of the girls did call and need us what's the problem?

[nickytwotimes]

I am a closet earplug wearer.
I would NEVER sleep without them.
Ds is in his own room, but I still hear him on the monitor on the occassions he wakes up. Also dh snores a bit.

[TheProvincialLady]

I have also slept with earplugs in for years, thought I was a freak!

[Mimsy2000]

why don't they advise these in parenting books

[Jane7]

i recommend moldex spark plugs... amazing...
another earplugs lover here. again, i think i'm addicted as i can't sleep without them. always hear lo when he is properly crying. sometimes i wear one plug (in ear facing out, and squish other ear onto the pillow!)
i'm a light sleeper so i've never worried that i wld sleep through crying baby.
i recommend the spark plugs, i bulk bought a stash of about 200 as i don't like wearing the same pair for too many nights in a row as thought it might be bad for my ears or something...

[countrylover]

I wear them every night and have done for years. DH snores and apart from that, I wake at the tinest sound.

I thought once DS was born I might stop wearing them but I tried it one night and didn't get a wink of sleep.

As long as DS/DD is either next to you or you have the babay monitor turned up full (or even better have one of those breathing monitors) then I see nothing wrong with it.

A mummy who has had some sleep is 100 times better than a mummy with no sleep.

[kittywise]

God, I wear them, go for it!

[ChocOrange05]

You can also buy earplugs from B&Q and Wickes - they are for people working on building sites but they are much cheaper than boots and other chemists - about £2.50 for 10 pairs orange squishy ones - and they are good at blocking out noise but not painful ones - you can tell I've tried lots!!

[Racers]

I'm another one who uses them. You can always adjust them slightly if you're not sure (ie don't squish them all the way in)

[chocoholic]

Oops, hear not here

[chocoholic]

Another ear plug fan here too. Block out DP snoring but I can alway here DS when he shouts for me (a sixth sense I think!)

After trying lots I use superdrug orange ones. Have a huge stock!!

[Mimsy2000]

earplugs are boots own brand - orange and smooshy

i must confess dh was booted from the bedroom for my entire third trimester. earplugs wouldn't have scratched the surface of my sleeping complaints.

[notyummy]

Another earplus fan here...they may not be sexy but they do the trick!

[CatIsSleepy]

ooh mimsy-what kind of earplugs are they? are they comfy?
i might have to get some if I am ever going to share a room with dh again (he's a big snorer,and i am v. pregnant so have banished him to the sofabed. It's meant to be temporary...)

[RaggedRobin]

wow... i think you might have changed my mind! it might be dp's passport back into my bed!

[Mimsy2000]

totally agree, chocorange. when mummy's happy everyone's happy :-)

[ChocOrange05]

Sounds perfect Mimsy - I used earplugs when DS was in our room from newborn - it blocked out all his little grunts but I could hear when he was whimpering / crying. Sleep is very important and I think we are all happier hence better mothers when we've had it.

[Mimsy2000]

used the earplugs last night and it was great. didn't hear my hubby snoring, didn't even notice toddler sneaking into our bed. heard baby cry for feed. just like it said on the tin.

[roselle]

I have very funny memories of Dh and I taking our screaming DS into a hardware store and asking where the earplugs were. The staff almost fell over laughing but we were so tired we didn't realise until after how transparent our plans were.
You can still hear the big stuff it just means you have a better chance of getting to sleep and wont wake for the little things which is what you want.

[lollipopmother]

They'd have to be bloody good earplugs for you not to be able to hear a baby crying that was right next to you! I'd go for it, I did a couple of times when DD was a newborn.

[Gavlaar]

I have used ear plugs for so many years now that i can't sleep without them even if i'm totally alone

i wear them and just turn the monitor up so i can hear the bub if he needs me.

[GentleOtter]

Another ear plug user here. I still hear ds at night (ok his cot is right beside the bed) but do not hear the sniffs and snorts of ManFlu beside me or the gang of cockerels outside the window. The foamy orange ones are good.