5 Tips to Improve Sleep at Daycare

Daycare Rant….A Follow-Up

I heard from many of you after my last post about daycare….It seems I’m not alone in my concern and, of course, I’m not surprised! I know that there are many parents who are concerned about their child’s lack of sleep at school and often feel like their hands are tied – that the school personnel aren’t willing to make necessary changes. It’s nice to know we’re not alone. In fact, in the past few months, we’ve had a few clients who are in the same boat, and so Melissa and I have had a chance to work on some tools that parents might use when their infant or young child is having trouble sleeping. Continue reading…

No Rest for My Daycare Kid…A Mother’s (and Sleep Consultant’s) Rant

There are parents who are passionate about lots of things. I run into parents who are really sticklers about no television for their kids. Others who are passionate about breast feeding and many who care deeply about foods/pesticides/organic/non GMOs for their children. All of these parents are crusaders – mothers and fathers who are fighting for what they believe is best for their children and other children as well.  And I respect them greatly even if our opinions differ. Well – my “issue” is sleep.  (No surprise, as I am a sleep consultant.) And I feel very passionately about it – so passionate that I feel angry.
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Stop Watching Your Video Monitor Like It’s Your Favorite TV show!

One of our first blog posts was one Melissa wrote about turning off your monitor.  It was a helpful article about the importance of allowing you, as parents, to get a sound night’s sleep without being disrupted by the small and frequent noises our babies make when they shift between sleep cycles! I remember when our youngest (now 8-months-old) was about 4 months – I had moved her into her own room and was still using the baby monitor. I was being woken up frequently throughout the night – not only when she needed to be fed and cried but also when she was “fussing.” I was not getting any uninterrupted sleep and doctors say that undisrupted sleep is just as important, if not more so, then length of sleep. So, although my daughter was sleeping for a total of around 13 hours, I was really only getting about three hours at a time and I was exhausted. Continue reading…

Merlin Really is Magic

I know I’ve said it before, but I am so amazed by how much has changed in the 5 years since my first daughter was born. I’ve already written about a number of new products that I love and I’m thrilled to write about yet another amazing discovery. In a recent blog, I wrote about the challenges of transitioning out of a swaddle blanket. Our babies really slept noticeably better when they are swaddled, so the thought of having them OUT of the swaddle and just in a sleep sack made me extremely nervous. It seemed cruel to have my daughters go straight from feeling like they were back in the womb to the openness of the world! Continue reading…

Unwrapping the Challenges of the Swaddle

We believe strongly that babies sleep much better when they are swaddled. Melissa and I read the book by Dr. Karp called Happiest Baby on the Block (and watched the amazing DVD) and found that Dr. Karp’s advice for soothing newborns was very helpful and holds true for all the babies with whom we have worked.

Babies feel calmer when they are in an environment that mimics the womb – dark, cool, noisy, and confined!  Babies have a very strong startle reflex (the Morrow Reflex) and when they are swaddled, this reflex is dampened. When they are not, they wake frequently and are, well, startled! We believe that these wakings are unnecessary. Swaddling is the solution. Continue reading…

You Have the Baby…Now, Where’s the Intimacy?

For nine months you and your partner have been focused on one thing…the pending arrival of your future child. Whether one of you is carrying the child or not, there is nothing that can compare to the all-encompassing stress and excitement of that wait. Will the baby be healthy? Will she have everything she needs when we bring her home? Did we get the right kind of stroller? (And will we be able to open and close it when we’ve got a screaming baby in our arms?) And then she arrives, and she’s healthy and beautiful and the stroller works fine and you and your partner feel like your world is complete. And then… Continue reading…

Lessons I’ve RE-Learned with My Second Child

My daughter is now four months old and she is my second. My older daughter is five years old, so it has been a while since I’ve been through this! Here are the things that I have found most important and helpful:

  • Up until 10 weeks, do whatever you can to get you and the baby as much sleep as you can. Don’t worry about “spoiling” him or creating bad habits at this age! Rest is the most important foundation. That goes for new moms too. Ask for help and take a nap whenever you can.

  • After 10 weeks, start putting the baby down for naps in her crib in a dark room with white noise. Dark rooms make all the difference – I’m a fan of contractor bags and painters tape; it’s not pretty but it’s cheap and easy! Continue reading…

A Sick and Sleepless Baby Really “Sucks!”

A few months ago, I heard about a product that helps clears the mucus from a baby’s nose when she’s congested. Nosefrida The Snotsucker Nasal Aspirator is a Swedish product that has parents suck the mucus through a straw out of the baby’s nostril. GROSS – right?!?

Check out their video of how to use the product: NoseFrida Demo Video

“No way,” I said when I heard about this. “There are limits to my love for my daughters,” I thought! Fast forward to this week and I am a new mom….

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How to Get Sleep with a New Baby

I’m not completely sure why, but most women seem to believe that we have to be able to do everything and do it well. I believe this is even more true as a mom. In preparing for the birth of our second daughter, this came up for me again when my sister suggested that I hire someone to help us with the baby. I balked at the idea – after all, wasn’t I supposed to be able to handle everything? I had done ok with our first (although I admit that I was overtired, overwhelmed, and over-extended). Shouldn’t I be more prepared for number two? Inside though, I was secretly thrilled with the idea that I might actually be able to get some sleep in the first few weeks post-delivery. Continue reading…