Baby
That blissful moment of quiet is finally here... for now, at least.
When you're expecting a baby, you look forward to the smiles, cuddles, milestones, and playtimes. When the baby actually arrives, you still look forward to all that... but you also find yourself counting the minutes ‘til nap time and bedtime. The arrival of that golden time means you can exhale, grab your phone, snap a picture, and post the photo of your drowsy little one along with captions and quotes about sleeping babies that perfectly capture the beauty, calm, and oh-thank-heavens-I-have-a-moment-to-myself delight every parent feels at this precious moment.
In theory, it seems so easy to parent a baby. After all, newborns can sleep up to 18 hours of sleep each day, according to the National Sleep Foundation; on average, most babies around the 6-month mark clock around 13 hours a day of shut-eye. But because babies' sleep cycles are much shorter than those of adults, they shift from deep to light sleep more often, and they're more easily awakened. Just when you've put your darling child down for a nap and are trying to get something done, a passing car horn or a sound from the TV startles them, and you're back to rocking, shushing, and lullabies. This is very much routine and to be expected in the early months, according to Dr. Whitney Casares, pediatrician and author of The Working Mom Blueprint: Winning At Parenting Without Losing Yourself.
“Some 4- to 6-month-old babies will start sleeping for longer stretches at night, but eight-hour stretches normally occur consistently when babies reach 6 months,” Casares previously told Romper. “Most babies won’t start sleeping through the night until they lose their startle — aka Moro — reflex, are able to drop a significant number of nighttime feedings, and have developed the ability to self-soothe by sucking on their hands, fingers, or a pacifier.”
But no matter how challenging a day you've had with your tot — teething grumpiness, up-the-back poops, juggling a stroller and a shopping cart — all seems right again when they're finally down for the night. For those times, choose from one of these 22 sleeping child quotes and captions for your photo (along with the #sleepingbaby hashtag, if you like), and watch your family and friends send you more hearts than you'll see at the Hallmark card aisle on Valentine's Day.
1
"Babies smile in their sleep because they're listening to the whispering of angels."
Looking at a snoozing baby's blissful face, it's easy to believe that they know something we don't.
2
"Let her sleep, for when she wakes, she will move mountains."
A tribute both to the restorative power of sleep and to the unlimited potential that lies within each little child. Of course, you can change the pronoun to "he" or "them," depending on your child and preferences.
3
"With a butterfly kiss and a ladybug hug, sleep tight, little one, like a bug in a rug."
An adorable little bedtime rhyme that you can use not only as a one-time Instagram caption, but also as a nighttime routine that your child will come to love and look forward to every night.
4
"Oh, cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow, for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow. So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust, go to sleep. I'm rocking my baby. Babies don't keep." — Ruth Hulbert Hamilton
This important life lesson — which has been reprinted on zillions of posters and cards — is actually the last stanza of a poem called Song for a Fifth Child, which Hamilton published in Ladies' Home Journal in 1958, according to Lullaby Link. It also makes a perfect accompaniment for a pic of you rocking your baby to dreamland.
5
"Here sleeps a (girl/boy/child) with a head full of magical dreams, a heart full of wonder, and hands that will shape the world."
Adaptable for any gender, this is another all-the-feels caption that reminds even the most jaded of us that there's still innocence and hope in each new life.
6
"People who say they 'sleep like a baby' usually don't have one." —Leo Burke
A funny and so-true observation. Between the thrashing around and the waking every couple of hours, a baby doesn't always spend the night totally unconscious. A good caption if you have a shot of your child lying wide-awake in their crib.
7
"Sleep, baby, sleep. Your father tends the sheep. Your mother shakes the dreamland tree, and from it fall sweet dreams for thee. Sleep, baby, sleep."
Lyrics from classic lullabies make sweet captions for social media. Among them: "Sleep, Baby, Sleep," which originated in Germany in 1611, according to Famlii. The music for the verse, however, wouldn't be written till 200 years later.
8
"A mother's arms are made of tenderness, and children sleep soundly in them." — Victor Hugo
Hugo wrote these lines long before computers and social media existed, but he undoubtedly would have approved of his work being displayed alongside a photo of a baby asleep in their mother's loving embrace.
9
"When my baby is sleeping, that's when I think: Wow, I made that."
It's unclear who wrote this often-used quote, but it was definitely someone who knows that feeling of wonder that comes over you when you can take a moment, breathe, and look at the life you created.
10
"The serpent, the king, the tiger, the stinging wasp, the small child, the dog owned by other people, and the fool: These seven ought not to be awakened from sleep." — Chanakya
You may never have a personal opportunity to see what a fool or a tiger does when rudely awakened, but you know what you'd do to anyone who tried to wake up the baby who just fell asleep after an hour of colicky crying.
11
"A sleeping baby is the new happy hour."
For parents who can't yet indulge in traditional happy hours (either because they're nursing or because they're just too wiped out to join their friends at the pub), this quote has special meaning as a caption.
12
"Sleep is the best meditation." — The Dalai Lama
And babies can be perfect masters of this art. (Maybe we grownups could take a lesson from them.)
13
"There was never a child so lovely but that his mother was glad to get him to sleep." — Ralph Waldo Emerson
See, moms? You're not alone, and your feelings are nothing new. Famed poet Emerson lived more than 200 years ago, in the days way before Dr. Spock, Ferberizing, motorized baby swings, and bedtime apps.
14
"Before you go to sleep, say a little prayer. Every day, in every way, it's getting better and better." — John Lennon
If you don't mist up a little just reading this line from the song "Beautiful Boy," you're made of tougher stuff than many.
15
“Twinkle twinkle little star, do you know how loved you are?”
As an adorable alteration of the classic nursery rhyme and bedtime lullaby, this caption will give anyone reading it all the feels alongside a sweet photo of your little one sleeping and dreaming.
16
“Our baby in particular is, we think, allergic to sleep. We think that she thinks that she’s protecting us from the sleep monsters. She’s like ‘Oh, I gotta keep them up or the sleep monsters will get them’.” — Ryan Reynolds
Leave it to Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively to be able to perfectly make fun of the no sleep for the parents situation in a cute, wholesome way. Now that your baby is finally asleep, you can celebrate the small victory with this joke.
17
“Monday morning got me like”
Hey, your baby has just as important of a job as everyone else waking up on a Monday morning and getting settled into the workweek. If anything, your small one’s level of sleepiness and need for a nap is extremely relatable.
18
"A mother's arms are more comforting than anyone else's." — Princess Diana
This quote from Princess Di is a perfect one for the precious moment when your little one dozes off right on top of you or in the comfy confines of your arms. So cute!
19
“This is how we fight the Sunday scaries.”
Getting your baby to sleep is a team effort and full-time job for the months ahead. As you look ahead to a week full of late nights and messy cleanups, it’s nice to sit and take in a sweet Sunday moment when everything is calm.
20
“I wish I looked this cute when I slept.”
Looking like an angel while you sleep is definitely something you grow out of as an adult. It’s only natural to envy your baby’s serene cuteness when they’re dozing off (and make everyone else envious, too).
21
“Put her to sleep yourself every night. Sing to her and cradle her in your arms and sit by her side — every night. Because one day you won’t be able to.” — Salma Hayek
This quote from actress Salma Hayek tugs right at the heartstrings. Cherish the moments — especially the peaceful, quiet ones — you spend together with your baby. Watching your tiny one drift into sleep by your side or in your arms is only something that happens for a short amount of time in your life.
22
"The cats nestle close to their kittens, the lambs have laid down with the sheep. You're cozy and warm in your bed, my dear. Please go the f*** to sleep." — Adam Mansbach
And finally, for parents with a good sense of humor, this gem from the bestselling book Go the F**k to Sleep. The foul-mouthed, hilarious verses instantly strike a chord with every parent who ever desperately tried to get their wide-awake child to dreamland.
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