Many parents ask how much sleep their child needs, usually because they are concerned that the amount they are getting isn’t enough. Ultimately, a child who is sleep deprived will not have the ability to attend and concentrate in the same way than if they were well rested, and behavior will also be negatively affected
Why is it that sometimes bedtime is easy and sometimes it’s just a struggle? Maybe you missed the right moment to put your child down? It’s important to understand sleep windows, or windows of opportunity to put your child to sleep. We all have an internal clock, known as the Circadian Rhythm. This clock works
“When is my baby going to sleep through the night?” is a question I get very often from parents. I usually tell them “well, nobody actually sleeps through the night.” Looks of horror now come my way. What on earth is this woman talking about?! I’m being cheeky, of course, but it’s helpful to understand
Recently I got a call from a mom desperate for sleep. She told me “I’m so tired and my baby used to sleep fairly long stretches, maybe even 6 hours, but now it’s rare that she sleeps longer than 3 hours at a time! I’m a mess! And I’m afraid we’ve missed the chance to
Most parents that contact me about sleep coaching their child are concerned about crying. Usually they are very sleep deprived and they wonder, “Is there any way we can do this without crying?” I try to help families understand and minimize their children's tears. As a Gentle Sleep Coach I do my best to minimize
This blog was written exclusively forTheParentMaze.com I get many emails from families like this: “My child goes to sleep really easily, it’s just the middle of the night- he keeps waking up a few times. I don’t get it!” There are 5 main reasons your child may be waking at night: Too late of a
If you are facing a sleep challenge, it’s very important to know how sleep works in order to make any changes. Here are the basics that I want every family to understand about their child’s sleep: Sleep is a learned skill Although it is easy to assume that sleeping is a natural ability we are
On Sunday March 13th we will adjust our clocks ahead one hour for Daylight Savings Time. This means days get longer (yippee!) and mornings are darker for a brief while (until the sunrise is 5 am, yikes!). It also means that our children’s sleep schedules need to alter, as well. You can help your child
While it seems illogical and counterintuitive, you need to put your child down to sleep awake. Yes, awake. Let me explain why. The idea that we “sleep through the night” is actually a complete fallacy. The human body wakes up, very briefly, several times each night as it transitions through different sleep cycles. So, if nobody woke
1. Back to Sleep, Tummy to Play. Always put your baby on his or her back to sleep. Supervised tummy time is beneficial for the development of head, neck, and trunk control. 2. Make Feeding A Priority. Establishing healthy feeding is the most important priority for the first 6 months and if it isn’t going smoothly talk
