There is nothing more that fuels me than learning that a doctor has recommended melatonin for a child instead of first looking into what might be causing the sleep issue. Yes, there are certainly situations where melatonin may be appropriate, but I find that some physicians are quick to prescribe it or put a Band-Aid on the issue instead of asking what is actually causing the problem in the first place. In fact let me give you a personal example of what one doctor recommended

Learn about the 10-12 month sleep regression and how you can tackle it to get life back to normal for you and your baby.

Hey, parents! As we get ready to turn our clocks back on November 3, many of us might be dreading those early morning wake-ups from our kiddos. But don’t worry! Here are some friendly tips to help tackle the time change and keep your little one snoozing: 1. Ease into It: Start shifting your child’s bedtime by 10-15 minutes earlier a few days before the change. This gentle nudge can make the transition smoother! 2. Set Up a Cozy Bedtime Routine: Create a relaxing pre-bedtime r

Sleep schedules: you either love them or hate them. For your child’s health, and yours for that matter, they are necessary. Babies thrive on schedules, children thrive on schedules, and so do adults. If your child’s sleep schedule isn’t on point then you can experience issues like split nights, rejected naps, short naps, bedtime shenanigans (with toddlers), crying, and much more. Keep on reading to learn about when you should put your baby on a sleep schedule, and how to trou

You just had your first (or even third) baby, and he seems to be nocturnal like your cats. You think to yourself, “Yikes, this isn’t what I expected, I need help --- fast!” The good news is that this is just a phase like anything else in life, but the bad news is that this nocturnal life can last up to 8 weeks. This nocturnal baby life is called day / night confusion and most babies are born with this because they were used to being in the womb and lulled to sleep during the

Whether you just had a baby, or if your baby is older and still struggling with sleep, you may have done some research and debated on using “wake windows” or a “set schedule" to improve your little one's sleep. This blog post is intended to help define what these terms mean, and how / when to use each when it comes to your baby' sleep while figuring out what's best for your little one. Wake window vs Set Schedule A wake window, also known as wake time, is the time from when y

Two fail-proof approaches to adjusting your baby's schedule for the end of daylight saving

3 to 2 nap transition explained, baby sleep

The only thing that is constant is change, this applies to sleep too. Your little one's sleep is constantly changing and will continue to do so dramatically for the first 18 - 24 months of his life. As a sleep coach, I am often asked how much sleep a baby really need per night, and how many naps a baby should be taking each day. The truth is that baby sleep needs vary based on age, and change fairly often. However, you may be surprised to learn that the total number of hours

It’s that time of the year again when flowers are blooming, the sun is shining bright, local farmer’s markets are popping up and your little one’s schedule needs to be adjusted. Wait – what? Did you say another adjustment? Yes, this is true for many of us who live in areas of the country that practice Daylight savings. Clocks officially spring forward on Sunday, March 10. And although I love having more hours of sunshine and the warm weather ahead, I dislike any disruption

Besides the endless diaper changes, sore nipples and all of the other wonderful things we acquire with motherhood, the one thing that is probably the hardest to get used to is less sleep and early mornings. Not the best quality image, but hey this was in 2008 before we used our cell phones to take images. Here I am, 4 days prior to delivering boy/girl twins. After I had the twins, I recall wishing I would have spent more time sleeping in every morning when I was pregnant and

When I had my youngest child, Charlie, in May 2017 my parents came to visit me in August. By then I had already started my sleep consultant certification and I knew a lot more about pediatric sleep. One thing I learned is that sometimes you need to wake a baby to protect night sleep and build enough sleep pressure for naps/nights. My mother looked at me like I was crazy when I would wake Charlie up from his 3rd nap of the day. She just didn’t understand why I would wake a s