MSD Baby Sleep Coach

Baby Care: Ssssh, The Scoop on Sleep Article featured in: OC Family | OC Register By Jenna L. Jones with Michelle S. Donaghy, Certified Gentle Sleep Coach Bloodshot eyes and fuzzy thinking are typical hallmarks of early parenthood.  And it’s no surprise — 43 percent of new parents get only one to three hours of uninterrupted sleep per night according to a study commissioned by Owlet Baby Care. Because newborns wake up every two to three hours, getting baby to sleep promptly can have a huge impact on everyone’s overall wellbeing. To help parents find a few extra zzz’s in their nighttime routine and shed light on the basics on newborn sleep, we sat down with Michelle S. Donaghy, MSD Baby Sleep Coach. Based in Brea California, she is a certified Gentle Sleep Coach who has helped several hundred families implement better sleep practices. OCF: What are the sleep cycles like for newborns? Michelle S. Donaghy: Newborns sleep a lot but thei...

Sunday, March 10th we “spring forward”!  Turn your clocks ahead 1 hour, before bed on Saturday night March 9th. If you/your child(ren) typically wake at 6am, then they will likely wake 7am.  If you like this change then YAY!  This is a great fix for an early riser. Keep naps and bedtime on the new schedule (1hr later). To protect this new schedule and time make sure you use continuous white noise for all sleep periods and keep the room really, really dark. If the new time doesn’t work for you, below are some options to help your family adjust: Gradually adjust: This is ideal for children under 2 or those who don’t do well with big changes.  Go to bed 15 minutes earlier every night this week.  Each day, wake up your child 15 minutes earlier in the morning.  If napping, put her down 15 minutes earlier for each nap the following day. Continue to adjust the schedule earlier in 15-minute increments (wake up, naptime...

Summer is officially over and we are in the midst of the fall time change. Sunday, Nov 4th at 2:00 AM clock fall back by one hour. Spring forward...Fall back.... I love fall! Cooler weather, leaves changing colors, holidays around the corner and I get an extra hour of sleep. As a parent, I dread my kids waking up too early and having to adjust their sleep patterns. Do you? If so, here are some options to help you and your family through the transition when we set our clocks backwards one hour on Sunday November 4th. Gradual Approach:  The gradual approach is usually recommended for younger children (3 and under) or those who do not adjust well to rapid changes in their schedules. Start the week before the time change and slowly shift your baby's sleep schedule later.  For example: move bedtime, morning wake up time and nap times later by 10-15 minutes. Keep moving the entire schedule later every few days but ensure your child doesn't get overtired.  By...

Around 7 to 9 months most babies drop their 3rd cat nap and transition from three to two naps. The sign for this change may come in many different cues from your baby.  Some baby's will continue to take the 3rd nap but it will last only 10-30 minutes and then it will stop completely.  Other's will take the 3rd nap some days but not consistency.  The last group will suddenly one day refuse the 3rd nap altogether. When any of the above happens consistently for more than 3 or 4 days, it's time to drop that nap and begin transitioning baby's schedule from a 3 nap routine to a two nap schedule.   This can be a little bit of a bumpy road and most babies go through a yucky phase where three naps is too much but two naps is not enough.  You may need to be patient and some days you will need to try for that 3rd nap in the car, stroller or arms if that's what will get even just a little catnap and help baby make it to bedtime before she is running o...

The key to good napping is to be consistent. Make sure to always watch the awake windows and put them into the crib drowsy but awake.  This is how they will learn to fall asleep independently and stay asleep! Top 5 tips for naps: 1) Nap Routine - Create a good nap environment: Give wind-down time, which should be a short version of the bedtime routine.  For example, a simple routine could be a diaper change, swaddle (for babies under 4-5 months), close blinds, turn on the sound machine and sit for 5 minutes in the chair (sing, read a book) then into crib drowsy but awake. 2) Environment -  A dark, quiet room: Some babies need total darkness to nap. I always recommend room darkening shades and if it is a noisy home, you might want to try a loud fan or place a white-noise machine in the room. 3) Crib nap and back up plan - Try the nap in the crib twice a day before going to a “back up nap plan”.  If you look at your log and see that the day sleep...

Summer is coming and keeping your little one on a schedule is a challenge.  With vacations and long summer days the routines are bound to be disrupted. As a general rule it is a good idea to return to your normal routine as soon as you can.  Some children return to their normal sleep patterns without much fuss.  With others you need to do some sleep training, but it falls into place much faster then the first time.   When you return from vacation try to keep the schedule clear for a few days so you can make sleep and returning to your normal routine a priority.  I hope these tips below help you and your family have a fun, but sleep filled, summer vacation. Packing List For your packing check list, here are a few items you should not leave home without: Travel crib, sheets, pillowcases                                         Crib blankie, sleep s...

We are starting a new series of Q & A blogs- I take a question (from tired Mom's like you) and give my answer (and my professional opinion).  Note: If you would like to submit a question please do so in the "Post a Question" area of the blog below.   This month I answer a question from the Mom of a 3yr who's late naps are making bedtime too late. Question from Mom: Q: "I'd like your professional opinion - I am the mother of a  10-month-old and 3-year-old . My older daughter just turned 3, and currently on a 2:30PM nap to match my (11-month  old's afternoon nap).  However, the nap ends up running later and later, which results in a late bedtime (10 or 10:30 PM).  My husband thinks I should drop the nap, but I'm not sure. It just seems 10:30 PM is too late for her to go to sleep at age 3. Should I continue with the nap? How can I  control these factors and get bedtime back to a reasonable hour? My answe...