Blog – Information to help your child sleep better

I was very committed to breastfeeding my babies and I was very committed to getting some sleep! Many moms wonder if it's possible to successfully sleep train a breastfed baby. The good news? Yes, you absolutely can breastfeed and sleep train your baby! I'll guide you...

When summer is nearing the end, I get many clients with preschool and elementary-aged children. As the back-to-school season approaches, it's important to think about adjusting your child's sleep schedule to ensure they are well-rested and ready to learn. A consistent...

Transitioning your child from a crib to a bed is a big milestone. This process can be both exciting and challenging for parents and children. I remember being nervous about this with all of my kids but with the right approach and some helpful tips, you can make this...

Managing sleep expectations on a road trip can be a challenge. As a parent, you may worry about how the journey will affect your child's sleep schedule. The good news is that with some planning and realistic expectations, you can help your children get the rest they...

If your toddler is around the 15-month mark, and sleep has suddenly become disrupted, they may be experiencing the 15-month sleep regression. It's a less common regression and not every toddler will go through it, but for those that do this phase can be challenging....

Sleep is essential for everyone, especially for children and their caregivers. However, poor sleep can have a ripple effect, impacting not just the child but the entire family. When a child struggles with sleep, it often creates a cascade of challenges and stresses...

As parents, one of the most valuable gifts we can give our family is the gift of good sleep. Not only does it help with physical growth and mental development, but it also fosters a sense of well-being and harmony in the home. One effective way to encourage healthy...

Get ready for Daylight Saving Time Daylight Saving Time 2024 is on Sunday, March 10th. While the clocks only change an hour, the impact on sleep, especially for the little ones, can be obvious . This blog offers practical tips to help parents preserve a healthy sleep...

I'm a dedicated advocate for healthy sleep habits in children and I find immense joy and fulfillment in being a sleep consultant. My work not only helps a child sleep better but enhances the overall well-being of the entire family.  I've had lots of people ask me "Why...

Dressing your baby for sleep can be confusing! Parents can be stressed about this topic because babies who are too cold or too hot don't sleep well. Also, it's not safe for a baby to get overheated. So what should parents do? What is the best temperature for baby...

Daylight Saving Time It happens every year, but Daylight Saving Time still manages to catch many of us by surprise. In the U.S., we will spring forward on Sunday, March 10th, 2024 at 2:00 AM.  What is Spring Forward? When we Spring Forward, we set our clocks forward...

A pretty simple way to help your baby or toddler sleep better is to pay attention to how long they are awake! You should watch their wake windows. What are wake windows? A wake window is the amount of time your baby or toddler is awake between one nap and the next....

I promise your baby does not hate sleep! Let's talk about why your baby fights sleep though. Figuring out why your baby fights sleep is easy sometimes and challenging other times. In this blog I will discuss five common reasons your baby might fight sleep and what to...

Can you believe it's almost time for Daylight Saving Time to end?! We will fall back on Sunday, November 3rd, 2024 at 2 AM. If you have small children, the end of Daylight Saving Time often results in schedules that are thrown off. Your kids might wake super early and...

What is the ideal bedtime for your child? Sleep plays an integral role in physical and mental health! Unfortunately, many children do not get enough sleep each night. I truly think that many parents just aren’t aware of how much sleep their child needs. If you don’t...

All good things must come to an end. That includes your child's naps! Here are a few signs that is is time to drop that last nap: 1. Your child is four years old. I always recommend offering a daily nap until a child turns four. Most children are still napping when...

New parents often learn how to swaddle their newborn from the nurses in the hospital. Yet I still get so many questions about it! Swaddling is not new. People have been swaddling their babies for centuries. It has become more popular in America since the Back to Sleep...

It can be challenging to talk to extended family about your child's sleep! But this conversation is so important because sleep is an essential building block for your child’s mental and physical health. There are likely to be topics that you disagree with your parents...

Car seats are the safest place for a baby to be while in the car. It is okay to let your baby sleep in the car-- for short periods of time. They should be properly restrained in a car seat that’s been installed with appropriate positioning. I actually really like to...

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that parents start introducing solid foods around 6 months. Solids should compliment, not replace, breastmilk and formula. However, if you have an infant who doesn't sleep great, chances are a well-meaning family...

Having children share a bedroom has its pros and cons. Some families don’t have a choice, but others do. Ideally children would be close in age if they are going to share a room. I always recommend that both children are sleeping through the night consistently before...

Every baby is different. You have probably heard this many times. Temperament can have a lot to do with how well a baby sleeps. Looking back at my children, I could have told you what kind of sleeper they were going to be on DAY ONE of each of their lives. My...

I would estimate about 75% of families that hire me for a sleep consultation have already tried making some changes and most of those parents have implemented some form of sleep training on their own. These parents often tell me, "I've tried everything" but that...

Bedtime Routine Charts Using a bedtime routine chart is a great way to make bedtime smoother for children three and older. Routines are powerful because they allow your child to feel secure and gain independence. Keeping a bedtime routine chart will help you stick to...

There are a few sleep trends to know about right now! Sleep is a crucial component to overall wellness. Sometimes as parents we get desperate for sleep and are willing to try anything that might help. Trends come and go. Do the latest sleep trends work? Are they safe?...

I felt very confident going into motherhood I'd always loved babies and children and had a lot of experience with them. I was the oldest of many cousins, worked at a daycare as a teenager, was a nanny for the same four children my whole time in college and had taught...

The internet is full of information about your baby’s sleep. But let’s be honest, having all of this information can be overwhelming. And some of it is just plain wrong. I am always amazed at the suggestions I see when a mom asks a sleep question in a Facebook group....

If your toddler still takes a bottle you are definitely not alone! I sometimes see two and even three-year-olds still taking a bottle. Usually these bottles are happening before naps, at bedtime and sometimes even at night. Moving from a bottle to a cup is just one of...

Over the years I have covered a lot of topics, but a few of them definitely come up more than others. The top three questions I get asked as an expert in pediatric sleep are: 1. How do I wean my baby from the bedtime bottle? It's recommended to start weaning the...

December is a whirlwind of shopping, cooking, holiday parties, the list goes on! When January hits, many families realize they have gotten off track with their children’s sleep routine, and they need to get back to normal. It's very common for sleep problems to...

I recommend that parents wait as long as possible before moving their child to a bed. Two-and-a-half is the youngest I recommend for making this switch. Most children will do better with this transition when they are three. If your child has been climbing out of the...

My oldest child was a chronically short napper. And I remember how frustrating that was for me! I had plans to do other things than spend my whole day trying to help her go to sleep and stay asleep. If your child takes short naps, you know what I'm talking about! It's...

Most children will go through a “scaries” phase at some point. It is so important to listen to your child, validate the fears and let them know you understand (even when you don’t…often fears don’t make sense, but they are very real to your child!) If your child is...

As parents you’re going to get a lot of advice from well-meaning family and friends (and maybe totally strangers!) about your child’s sleep. Some of this information I see and hear given really frustrates me because to be honest, it is just wrong. I’m going to discuss...

Thinking about moving your child out of your bed? There are lots of reasons parents become ready to make this change, but I would not recommend it if your child is going through any other changes, like potty training, giving up the pacifier, starting school, etc. If there aren’t any changes occurring right now and you are ready to have her sleep in her own room, follow these steps:

Every time I teach a class on sleep, I always start with discussing why sleep is important, or what lack of sleep can lead to. It’s almost as if I’m trying to talk people into making sure that their children are getting the proper amount of sleep. There are so many reasons why sleep is important at every age.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 20 percent of 5-year-olds wet the bed. Dr. Elizabeth C. Jackson, M.D., director of the healthy bladder clinic at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital says that most pediatricians don’t consider bedwetting a problem until a child is 6 years old. At that point, it’s time to take action. See the tips on what to do below.

Top 10 sleep tips for multiples:
1. With multiples it is important to get them on the same schedule right from the start. Wake your babies at the same time each morning to get them on the same routine.

Last week my perfect sleeper was suddenly taking over an hour to fall asleep at night! This week…he started walking. And he’s back to going to sleep in a regular amount of time. This got me thinking about baby sleep regressions, which are basically just periods of time when a baby who normally sleeps through the night suddenly begins to have uncharacteristically frequent night wakings, may take a long time to fall asleep at night, wake earlier in the morning, and/or have napping issues.

When my first baby entered the world as a colicky, crazy little thing I knew there would be one solution: give her a pacifier. But several weeks later, I found myself re-plugging the pacifier in her mouth over and over again at night. She was just one of those babies who had a hard time keeping it in, and cried every time it fell out. I knew I had to stop giving it to her.
There are many different opinions from experts on when and why to get rid of the pacifier, but I think it is a parent’s decision so I’m going to tell you the pros and cons of pacifiers and let you decide if you should get rid of your child’s.

With a baby due any day now, I’m wondering if he will be a good sleeper or not. But, I have also been thinking a lot about how his older sisters will handle this transition. Both of my kids are awesome sleepers, but I understand this is one event that may cause some regression. Here are my tips for handling the possible sleep disruptions:

I hated it when people would tell me my first child “would sleep when she was tired”. No, she wouldn’t. Her naps were practically non-existent, even as a newborn. She was a very colicky, very high-needs baby and I was extremely frustrated. I pretty much felt like I spent my entire day trying to get her to go to sleep. I wish I would have known the things I know now!

Usually, the better your child sleeps at home, the better he or she will sleep while you are traveling. But getting some children to sleep well while you are away from home can be a struggle. I do not recommend traveling for at least a few weeks after sleep training or after your child is consistently sleeping through the night (excluding babies under 6 months).

I am not a morning person. I am so glad that early rising is not an issue for my children. However, early rising (waking before 6 am) is a very common sleep problem for young kids and babies, and possibly the topic I get asked about the most. Super early mornings lead to a tired, cranky kid which, of course, leads to tired, cranky parents.

First of all, why is it so important to sleep train your child? One reason is that long-term studies have shown that children who never learn how to fall asleep independently are at increased risk of continuing sleep problems as they grow up. And the older a child gets, the longer the process usually takes. So now is the time!

There is really a big difference between a nightmare and night terror. You want to respond to a night terror differently than you would a nightmare. It’s important to know the difference in symptoms between the two.