MSD Baby Sleep Coach

For a lot of my clients, spring forward and the time change fixed their early rising problem, but not for all of them. Early Rising is common for babies and young children.  Waking between the hours of 6 and 8 a.m. is typical for most young children.  But waking up before 6 a.m. and being ready to play is an early rising problem you must address. Understand the Cause Early rising is typically caused by one of these four problems and identifying what is the cause, will help you find your fix. Too late of a bedtime Not enough daytime sleep Staying awake too long between end of afternoon nap and bedtime Going to bed too drowsy. Earlier Bedtime Keeping your child up later will not help them sleep later in the morning and could be the cause of early rising.  For the first 5 years of a child's life, bedtime is usually between 7 and 8 p.m. Napping That old myth of keeping your child awake all day and they will sleep better at night, is an untruth....

Article featured in: Parenting OC Magazine – Back to School Survival Guide Back to School Sleep Tips  The summer months are for enjoying longer days, family fun and later bedtimes.  Now it’s time to focus on getting your child’s sleep on track so they are well rested for school. Here are my back to school sleep tips to prepare for those early mornings and earlier bedtimes. Ideal bedtime In order to know your child’s ideal bedtime, you first need to know how much night time sleep they need.  Children need more sleep than most parents realize.  Sleep deprivation is linked to poor learning and memory. The National Sleep Foundation recommendations the following: Preschoolers (3-5 years): 10-13 hours School-age children (6-13): 9-11 hours Teenagers (14-17): 8-10 hours The next step is to figure out the time your child has to wake up, to be at school on time.  Let’s assume your 6 year old needs to get up by 6:00 a.m. to be ...

Traveling with small children is sure to cause roadblocks in your child's sleep patterns.   In order to navigate these obstacles, create a road map around them so that you don’t bring all your good sleep habits to complete halt. Having a plan will aid you and your family so you can enjoy your holiday travels without loosing precious sleep. The key to a successful plan is to have some flexibility when traveling with young children. When you're flexible you can adjust your plans to adapt to your children’s sleep needs so you all stay well rested.   Extra support is normal You can also expect that your child will need more assistance at sleep times, even if they don’t need it at home.  It is normal for children to need extra help to fall asleep in a new environment, so add that into your plan.  Take extra time with your bedtime routine and allow your child time to get used to the new sleeping space before bedtime arrives.   At sleep times, if ne...

I come across these issues very often in my practice so thought I would share them with you.  Once you are ready to start sleeping coaching, following these top tips will help you achieve success and get the much needed sleep for you and your lil one. Top tip #1 – Bedtime is the easiest time to learn independent sleep. When you have a sleep plan in place and you are ready to begin teaching your lil one the skill of independent sleep – Start At Bedtime (the easiest time for your lil one to learn the new skill). I have had many parents tell me ‘we tried that awake thing at a nap once and it didn’t work’ or ‘I tried that in in the middle of the night and it didn’t work’.  These parents all started at the most difficult time to teach this lifelong skill. Bedtime is also the time when you will be able to make better decisions. If bedtime is all you can handle right now, it’s ok to focus your efforts at this time for now.  Once you get it right at bedtime, you will...

Is sleep a priority in your home? "Is my child getting enough sleep"?  A common question my clients ask me.  To be honest it's a question I ask myself often, as sleep is a very big priority in our home.  Not just for my children, but for all of us.  How much sleep everyone in the family is getting, is important for the health and well-being of every member of your family. The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) has recently updated their recommendations on how much sleep each age should be getting.  But before we look at those I would like you to think about these questions to know if your child is truly getting enough sleep. Does your child fall asleep every time you are in the car? Does your child seem fussy, whining, extra clingy or have more emotional meltdowns during the day? Does your child seem ready for bed much earlier then usual bedtime, most days? Does your child often wake before 6:00 a.m. and wake up crying? If your answer was yes, then your...