ALL THINGS NEWBORN, BABY, & TODDLER SLEEP
The Blog
Surviving sick season: how to support your baby’s sleep
Sick season is never easy—especially when your little one is battling a cold or flu, and you're juggling sleepless nights and endless worry. As a parent, you may find yourself watching over your baby, wondering how to keep their sleep on track while they’re feeling under the weather. The good news? With a few adjustments, you can help your baby get the rest they need to heal, even during those sniffly, restless nights.
Why is my newborn so restless? A guide to active sleep
If you’ve ever watched your newborn sleep and wondered why they seem so restless, you’re not alone! One minute they’re peaceful, and the next, they’re twitching, grunting, or even moving their arms and legs. It can be confusing for new parents who expect sleep to look calm and still. But here’s the thing—your baby’s restlessness is often part of something called active sleep, a crucial part of their development.
Tired of the bedtime battle? 8 tips to help your toddler stay in bed
Is bedtime in your house starting to feel more like a battlefield than a peaceful end to the day? You’re not alone! Many parents struggle with toddlers who resist staying in bed, constantly calling out for “just one more” story, hug, or drink of water. It can be exhausting and frustrating, especially when you know they need the rest (and so do you!).
But don’t worry, you don’t have to keep fighting the same bedtime battles night after night. With the right strategies, you can help your toddler stay in bed and make bedtime a smoother, more enjoyable experience for everyone.
Sibling sleep challenges: how to mange shared bedrooms
Sharing a bedroom can be a beautiful bonding experience for siblings, but it often comes with its fair share of challenges—especially when it comes to sleep. If you’ve found yourself tiptoeing around the house, fearing that one child’s stirring will wake the other, you’re not alone! Many parents struggle to find the balance between fostering sibling closeness and ensuring everyone gets the sleep they need. But the good news? With some thoughtful planning and realistic expectations, you can create a sleep environment that works for both of your little ones.
Addressing sleep associations
Is your baby waking up multiple times a night, needing to be rocked, fed, or held back to sleep? You might be dealing with sleep associations, a common challenge that many parents face but don’t always realize. Sleep associations are the habits and cues that your baby relies on to fall asleep—and while some are helpful, others can become obstacles that keep everyone from getting the rest they need.
Sleep myths debunked: Common misconceptions about infant and toddler sleep
When it comes to getting your baby or toddler to sleep well, advice is never in short supply. From well-meaning relatives to online forums, everyone seems to have a “tried and true” tip that promises longer stretches of sleep. But what if some of this advice is actually working against you? Common sleep myths like feeding your baby cereal before bed, keeping them up late so they’ll sleep in, or never waking a sleeping baby have been passed down for generations—but they might be doing more harm than good.
Overcoming your child's separation anxiety at sleep times
Separation anxiety at sleep time can turn bedtime into a struggle, leaving both parents and children feeling overwhelmed. If your once peaceful bedtime routine has become a nightly challenge, you're not alone. Separation anxiety is a common developmental phase, but that doesn't make it any easier to navigate. The good news? With the right strategies, you can help your child overcome their fears and make sleep time a comforting experience once again.
Breaking the pacifier habit: How to help your child sleep without it
Is it time to say goodbye to the pacifier? While pacifiers can be a lifesaver for soothing your baby, there comes a point when it’s best to let them go. The process of weaning off the pacifier can seem daunting, but with the right approach, it can be a smooth transition for both you and your little one. In this blog, we’ll discuss the signs that it’s time to drop the pacifier, share tips for using it less during the newborn phase, outline steps for helping your baby give up the pacifier, and provide strategies for ditching the pacifier with your toddler. Ready to help your child develop healthier sleep habits? Let’s dive in and make this transition as easy and stress-free as possible!
Understanding the 12 month sleep regression
Is your once peaceful sleeper suddenly waking at all hours of the night and refusing their naps? Welcome to the 12-month baby sleep regression, a phase that can leave even the most experienced parents feeling frazzled. You're not alone in this sleep chaos but understanding what’s happening can make all the difference.
In this post, I’ll explore the telltale signs of the 12-month sleep regression, how long you can expect it to last, and the reasons behind this perplexing phase. Plus, I’ll share two quick and effective tips to help you and your little one navigate this challenging time. Keep reading if you’re ready to reclaim your sleep and help your baby through this sleep regression.
How to handle your toddler being afraid of the dark
Toddler sleep can be so tricky! Not only do you have the crib to bed transition, dropping naps, and potential new siblings, but you also have night time fears popping up as well. As a parent, it can feel so disheartening when your child suddenly develops fears at nighttime. You know how much they still need sleep and it can be frustrating to see fears come out of nowhere.
As I’ve worked with families through these nighttime fears, I find most parents just feel so caught off guard by nighttime fears. They tend to throw all their skills and sleep expectations out the window when a blip like this pops up. I decided to put together my tips for helping your child navigate their nighttime fears so you don’t feel like lost if you ever go through this phase.
Fixing your baby’s split nights
Is your baby waking at night for extended periods of time? Split nights can literally feel like the worst thing when you’re desperate for a full night of sleep. You may even be reading this blog as you sit up overnight waiting for your baby to finally go back to sleep. These marathon waking sessions are often frustrating and confusing. Aren’t babies supposed to sleep at night? Why does my baby think she’s nocturnal? Lucky for you, I’m here to share the 3 main causes of split nights and give you tools to tackle this issue so you can get back to sleeping all night!
Contact naps in the newborn stage
I walk you through what you can expect from your newborn’s naps, how to navigate contact naps, and offer you no-judgment solutions so you don’t waste a bunch of time feeling bad about your current sleep situation. As a mom of 4 under 4, trust me, I’ve been here and I want to share all my best tips for navigating these tough newborn days.
How to use an okay to wake clock
If you have a toddler and you’re struggling with early wakings, you’ve probably had someone suggest that you get an okay to wake clock! I find that people fall into 1 of 2 camps when they talk about these tools. They either swear by them and think they are the greatest invention OR they dislike them because the okay to wake clock “didn’t work.” But can I tell you a secret? Those in the second camp often feel like the clocks don’t work because they aren’t using them correctly.
As someone in camp 1 who is obsessed with my okay to wake clock, I put together step by step instructions for exactly how to use an okay to wake clock so that it works for you as any sleep tool should. Keep reading to learn how to teach your toddler to stay in their room until their clock light turns on and it’s actually wake up time.
Your roadmap to the 2 to 1 nap transition
Nap transitions can be really confusing. You may be unsure if it’s time to drop from 2 to 1 nap. You may be wondering if there is a right or wrong time to do it? Some days your toddler may be taking 2 naps just fine while other days seem to be a trainwreck. But the thought of removing the morning nap can feel impossible.
Transitioning from two naps to one is the biggest nap transition you will go through. It can be a challenging transition for your toddler so knowing the best way to approach this transition as well as being patient during the process is key. In this blog, I'll walk you through the signs indicating it's time to make the switch, strategies for a smooth transition, and practical tips to ease the adjustment.
How to drop the swaddle for sleep
If you know me, then you know I love me a good swaddle! Swaddling can make such a difference for a newborn’s sleep. But, there’s also a time and place to stop swaddling. And that can feel big and scary. Perhaps you’ve just finally gotten to a place with your baby’s sleep where things are leveling out. If that’s the case, the idea of now dropping the swaddle and throwing sleep back into chaos can feel like the worst decision you could make. Or maybe sleep has really never gotten better for you and the thought of now making it potentially worse by dropping the swaddle almost seems like too much to bear.
Whether you and your baby are getting good sleep or not, transitioning away from the swaddle just never seems like a fun option. But I promise, it doesn’t have to be such a scary transition. Dropping the swaddle is simply an adjustment that your baby will make and within about a week, sleep will be back to normal!
Managing the witching hour with your newborn
Ohhh the witching hour. Not much is more frightening during the newborn stage than this period of time each day where your baby absolutely loses their mind! And who named it the witching “hour” anyway? In most cases, it’s “hours”- plural.
If you’re ready to read up on this phenomena and gather all the tools necessary to get through it, then you’re in the right place. In this blog I’ll walk you through what the witching hour is, when you should expect, what could be causing it, and my best tips for getting you through it with your sanity intact.
Transitioning from nap to quiet time
Is your toddler starting to fight nap time? If they are, it’s possible you are freaking out right now. Naptime is sacred time for moms and the thought of losing that daily time can feel kind of depressing. I get it. As a mom of 3, 3 and under, I want to hold onto naptime as long as I possibly can. Not only is it for my sanity, but it also helps hold off the meltdowns with my toddler too!
So, before you go cry into your pillow, let me walk you through everything you need to know for this transition away from napping. We’ll get into what age you can expect this, when your toddler is actually tricking you about being done with naptime, the real signs to look out for, and how you can drop the nap but still keep a daily rest time (also known as quiet time) for you and your toddler.
5 signs that it's time to drop a nap
One of the exciting parts about watching your baby grow up is that they are always learning new things and changing. Sometimes it can feel like every day brings something new! However, this can also be a bit frustrating because it means their sleep schedule and sleep needs are ever changing too. Just when you feel like you've gotten into a good groove, you find it's time to increase wake windows and drop a nap. But luckily you're here, reading this blog, and I'm going to share all about how to determine if it's time for a nap transition, including the 5 key signs to be on the lookout for.
How to manage your baby’s sleep regressions like a pro
As a pediatric sleep consultant, it’s not uncommon for me to receive messages like this: “My baby suddenly isn’t sleeping! Is there a sleep regression at 12 months?” In fact, I get this question all the time, for every different age imaginable. Sleep disruptions can be so frustrating and confusing and it often makes us feel just a little better if we can blame it on a sleep regression!
So let’s jump into this topic of sleep regressions. We’ll tackle what a sleep regression is, how long it can last, and what ages you should expect sleep regressions to happen.
The dream feed: what it is and how to do it
Are you struggling with night wakings? Perhaps someone has suggested that you should try a dream feed with your baby? But what is a dream feed anyways? And is it the right choice for your sleep situation? I’m so glad you’re here because in this blog I’m going to break down what the dream feed is, who it’s for, and how to do it! Keep reading to learn more.