Ali Fedotowsky-Manno is setting the record straight about why she and husband Kevin Manno slept apart right after welcoming their son Riley Doran last year — and it’s all about the Zs.
After welcoming baby Riley on May 24, the couple “slept in separate beds for the first three months” of his life, she tells PEOPLE in a new interview surrounding her partnership with Kibbles 'n Bits.
“Now we’re back to sleeping in the same bed but that’s not because we were fighting, [it’s] because we got to sleep!” explains Fedotowsky-Manno, 34. “We slept in separate beds because I would take care of Riley at night — it was my job nursing.”
“Then Kevin would go to work from 4 to 11 a.m. and when he got home, I got to sleep,” she continues. “The only reason we slept in separate beds was so he could get sleep at night to go to work in the morning and I could nap and he could be Superdad after work.”
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The former reality star has zero regrets about the spouses’ sleeping situation following their baby boy’s arrival, going so far as to recommend it “highly” for other new parents.
“I highly suggest every parent who has a newborn sleep in separate beds,” she tells PEOPLE. “It’s one of my No. 1 suggestions. There’s no reason for both of you not to sleep all night long.”
Another way Fedotowsky-Manno catches up on sleep between caring for Riley and his 2½-year-old big sister Molly Sullivan? Taking naps with Owen, the family pup.
“The most memorable thing I did with Owen was take a nap,” she says. “I know that doesn’t sound that exciting but to me, getting to take a nap reminds me of my pre-children days. One way I bond with him is saying, ‘Kevin, take the kids. I’m going to nap with Owen.’ “
And both of the blogger’s (human) children are hitting milestones left and right.
“Riley is sitting up and starting to eat teething crackers,” she shares with PEOPLE. “We finally get to put him in a highchair with Molly, which means Kevin and I can finally sit and eat food, even if we have to shovel it in our mouths to be done before they’re done.”
“He’s also down to two naps, and any parent knows that it’s better when your baby does less naps because it means you have more freedom to go out during the day,” Fedotowsky-Manno continues of her younger child. “He’s getting a third tooth coming in.”
As for her daughter? “Molly is super smart,” says the proud mom. “She can count to 10 in Spanish and [say] all her colors in Spanish. I don’t even know all my colors in Spanish.”
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