MSD Baby Sleep Coach

We are parents, not perfect - I love that saying from a TV network.  I wanted to share with you four common sleep mistakes many parents make that will definitely affect your child's sleep and their ability to sleep through the night.  I see these mistakes over and over when I work with families one on one, so I thought I would share them with you along with tips on how to avoid them so that your child is set up for a better nights sleep. Four common sleep mistakes and how to avoid them: 1. Putting children to bed too late! Set a regular bedtime (and, if appropriate, nap times) that you stick to.  Don't wait until your child is rubbing his eyes, yawning, or whining — that's probably too late. Put him to bed earlier. Even 15 to 20 minutes of extra sleep can make a difference.   NOTE: If you need help with finding appropriate nap times and creating an age appropriate schedule  click here. While every child is different, the National Sleep Fou...

Becoming a new parent is such an amazing time in your life.  But it's also full of questions and advice from well meaning family, friends and strangers.  I wanted to share with you some questions I had when my first daughter was born and common concerns of new parents. Newborn Sleep Myth #1 Baby's instinctively know how to sleep - FALSE! This fact is a surprise to new parents as most don't realize that your baby is not born knowing how to instinctively put them self to sleep.  Which means, it is okay to help your newborn fall asleep - you can nurse, rock, shush, pat (or anything else that is safe and works) to help your baby fall sleep.  You are not going to create any life long sleep habit.  In fact most sleep issues can be resolve after 6 months of age very, very quickly.   Newborn Sleep Myth #2 Never waking a sleeping baby -  FALSE! Newborns need to eat every 2-3 hours during the day.  If your baby is sleeping longer than 2-3...