Whether you’re just beginning your sleep-teaching journey, or have been at it for some time, you’ve likely been told to establish a bedtime routine. It’s true! Children at all ages – even in early infancy – thrive on consistency. Consistency provides predictability and comfort. We love consistency, but strive for consistently healthy habits over consistently bad habits. Even with a ‘routine,’ some parents – and children...
Read MoreI recently offered my suggestions for when to wake a sleeping baby, but the toddler years are a bit different. While it’s beyond rewarding to watch our little ones grow and develop their personalities, toddlers are no walk in the park. Boundless energy, unbridled emotions and constantly testing our patience – all in a day’s work. It’s little wonder that naptime is so sacred. So why would we even consider waking a sleeping toddler?...
Read More“Never wake a sleeping baby!” Always true? Not a bit. Newborns and infants sleep a lot. Unfortunately, as most of us have found, not always at the right times. In the first 6-8 weeks of life, infants spend most of their days sleeping and many of their nights awake. Fortunately, there’s a reason to all of the confusion. Studies agree that, in addition to growing quickly and needing to be fed frequently, newborns spend those first weeks...
Read More…well-a well-a well-a huh, tell me more, tell me more… OK, so we’re not exactly teenagers talking about summer love, but those particular lyrics remind me of a few recent conversations I’ve had with tired parents. Longer summer days punctuated with increased fussiness, irritability and an epic meltdown or two, followed by unusual nighttime wake-ups…sound familiar? From a healthy sleep perspective, it’s not at all surprising to see...
Read More