The Cost of Sleep

I was thrilled during my pregnancy to stumble upon a cradle swing at a garage sale for only $15. It was an older model, probably one of the first to come out. But it worked and that was all the mattered. The cheapest I'd been able to find a second hand one was about $60 on craigslist and I couldn't afford that type of expense for something I wasn't sure we'd use.

When I got it home and cleaned up, I was a little dismayed to find out it took four size D batteries (which cost about $8). I did search, and there was no option to connect to an outlet - which all the newer models have.

The first set of batteries lasted about a month after Linden's birth. In part, this was due to the fact that Linden seldom stayed in his swing the first three weeks. It was around the one month mark that his allergies started to develop and sleeping flat on a mattress was no longer an option. He quickly adapted to sleeping in the swing which is a more upright position. All his naps, and nights, are spent sleeping in a gently moving swing.

Unfortunately, as Linden's weight has increased the life of batteries in his swing has decreased. The first set lasted about a month. The next set about three weeks. Then two. When I had to start buying them every week I began to get concerned. Now we're down to every four days.

Eight dollars every four days.

Two dollars a day.

That's the cost of sleep in our house.