The influencer Susan Østdahl is a Danish mother of two children. She has shared with us some aspects about her family sleeping habits and daily routine. Susan enjoys listening to calm music before going to bed around midnight. Her morning mood is mostly good since she became a mother and for breakfast she normally takes eggs or oatmeal, although she indulges herself with pancakes every Sunday!
You can learn more about her lifestyle on her Instagram profile @susanoestdahl.
My mornings normally start at... way too early. I have no idea why my children keep waking me up before 6 am every day, when we still have to wait until the morning light comes.
My alarm sounds like... always the kids. They take turns starting the day, but our oldest son often wakes up first and waits to hear his sister's voice. She's only seven months and when she starts to make noises, he runs out of bed into her room and climbs up her crib. They give me enough time to put on some clothes, start the coffee machine and then ‘surprise’ them with peek-a-boo. I am not sure if you can call it a surprise when it happens every morning, but it feels good to start the day with my children's laughter!
My morning mood usually is... mostly good. I have to admit this was a challenge when I first became a mother. I am one of those people that works most efficiently in the evening and much less so in the morning. However, when you have kids, they suddenly become your boss. After three years in the motherhood game, I always try to go to bed no later than midnight.
My everyday breakfast... eggs or oatmeal. Something quick and easy. I always have breakfast - I cannot start my day without it.
My special breakfast... pancakes. Every Sunday, we have pancakes for breakfast. I try not to make plans for Sunday because I think it's very important to have one day per week when we all chill out and enjoy the time together.
My babies/kids bedtime… between 7 and 8 pm.
My baby sleeps… our older son sleeps in his bedroom every night, or at least he starts off in his own bed. But at night, I sometimes hear his footsteps as he makes his way into our bedroom. I am a very light sleeper and can never sleep well after he's crawled into our bed, no matter what we try. So, we bought a new mattress and placed it on the floor next to my side of the bed - now he sleeps there the rest of the night. Our baby girl just started to sleep in her own room next to ours, and it works well so far.
My bedtime… well, before midnight. Most days. But sometimes it happens that I fall asleep while reading a book to my son.
What I always do before turning off the lights... kiss my husband goodnight. Always. Even on a bad day. It's a promise we made to each other. But if we're being honest, before that I'll have probably checked Instagram.
What I like to wear to sleep… oh. Nothing really. Now it's getting intimate, right?
Best tip for a good night's sleep… fresh sheets, a good pillow and your phone switched off. Oh! And don’t have little children waking you several times per night! ;)
On my nightstand I have… my phone and the baby alarm.
My favourite sleeping position… on the right side.
My favourite music before going to bed... any calm song with a guitar and a male voice.
What keeps me awake at night… my baby waking up to eat, or my son trying to ‘sleep’ between his dad and me.
What I do in order to fall asleep… right here I will have to write "nothing". I'm one of those people who can sleep whenever they want. Or else I am just really really tired in the end of the day. My husband always has to listen to an e-book in order to fall asleep and envies my lack of routine so bad.
Yesterday I dreamt about… it has been a while since I last had a dream I could remember in the morning. Sometimes I think it might be due to the fact that I don't get that deep, quality sleep since I spend so much time at night awake with my kids.
My favourite bedroom feature is... it's simplicity. I need my bedroom to be a peaceful area with only a few things. It might not look like a magazine's bedroom, but it's just the way I need it to be.
What I like the most about Zizzz products… they provide me with a much better sleep despite my everyday life with small children. I do believe it's very important to invest in good sleep – it's very important for me to have a comfortable bed, good pillows and a warm duvet.