By avoiding these common mistakes and implementing healthy sleep practices, you can help your baby develop good sleep habits from an early age. Remember, every baby is unique, so be patient and observant, adjusting your approach as needed. Quality sleep is a gift you give not only to your baby but to yourself as well. Sweet dreams!
One huge factor in improving toddler sleep involves getting outside! Let's look at the benefits of getting children outside, playing in the natural light, and how it profoundly impacts melatonin secretion, physical tiredness, and overall health, paving the way for a peaceful night's sleep.
Say goodbye to the stress and frustration of bedtime struggles, and say hello to a smoother and more peaceful sleep routine with an Ooly sleep trainer clock. Get ready for uninterrupted evenings and well-rested mornings, enabling you to start each day on the right foot.
Toddlers develop language at a rather alarming rate, and we often delight in their newfound phrases or requests - think "'nother story?" and "one more cuddle". They are also master procrastinators! Here's a checklist I have used with my own children, and with many sleep clients.
Whether you're still grappling with sleep deprivation or finally getting the hang of a routine, brace yourself for the 4-month sleep regression – for some families it's a real game-changer (and not in a great way). Your little one's nighttime sleep becomes a top priority for everyone's sake!
Temperature plays an important role in our circadian rhythm regulation, with our temperatures rising during waking hours, and dropping during sleeping hours. A baby who is too hot or cold may struggle to settle to sleep initially, and to drop into a deep, restorative period of sleep.
Play is the universal language of childhood, fostering joy, imagination, and learning. When parents actively engage in play with their children, magical things happen. But play is not just about having fun; it is a critical component of a child's cognitive development.
Sleep deprivation is a common struggle for new parents, and its impact goes beyond just feeling tired. In fact, sleep deprivation can significantly contribute to the development or exacerbation of postpartum depression and anxiety - both are common mood disorders that can occur after giving birth.
If a toddler has no boundaries during the day, how can we expect them to understand boundaries like staying in bed at bedtime and through the night, or following the cues of a sleep training clock? To have success with improving toddler sleep, daytime boundaries are just as important as night time ones!
One of the key decisions parents face is whether to be a friend or a parent our toddlers. While both roles are important, they are not interchangeable, and it is crucial to understand the differences between the two. There are benefits to both, but striking a balance is necessary!
As parents, we want our children to feel safe and secure, especially at night when it's dark and scary. Introducing a nightlight for a toddler can be a great way to help them feel more comfortable and sleep better. Read more to understand when, why, and how to introduce a nightlight effectively.
The arrival of a new sibling is an exciting and joyous event for many families. In this blog post, we'll explore some of the ways in which the arrival of a new sibling can impact a child's sleep, as well as strategies parents can use to help their child adjust to these changes.
Reading a baby’s cues can be a minefield. Babies will often display similar cues for hunger, tiredness and boredom, and putting these into context is necessary to understand just what it is your baby is needing. A combination of clock watching and reading cues is often key to figuring this out.
Research has shown that exposure to blue light, which is emitted by most electronic devices and some light bulbs, can disrupt circadian rhythms and suppress melatonin secretion, which can lead to difficulty falling and staying asleep. On the other hand, red light doesn't do this!
Alongside their paid employment, the majority of mothers take on most of the household responsibilities - entertaining the children, booking and attending appointments for the children, organising family outings, playdates and after school activities, household chores… you get the picture!
Unpopular opinion ahead… I stand against sleep martyrdom. Sleep is a biological necessity, not a luxury. So the next time you read that challenging sleep is normal, will pass, and is a rite of passage to parenting, I encourage you to think past this and prioritise sleep. You don’t have to be a sleep martyr!
Moving from a cot to a ‘big bed’ is one of these exciting stages. But this also means they can get themselves out an awful lot easier than they can if they’re in a cot… cue frustrating bedtimes and nights. Here are my top 3 mistakes to avoid when making this exciting transition!
If you've read all the books, tried all the traditional tricks and your darling baby still isn't going to sleep, you might feel like you're fighting a losing battle. And just like any battle, it's tough to fight when you're sleep deprived.
If this is all ringing too true, we're here to help.
In New Zealand, 2023 Daylight Saving begins at 2.45am on Sunday 24thSeptember – this isless than a month away! If you are a parent who is struggling with early wake ups, then fear not! This will actually be helpful for you... Here are my 8 top tips for dealing with daylight savings.
It's world Breastfeeding week this week, and seeing so many breastfeeding photos and stories on social media has prompted me to share mine. I wrote this when I feeling raw about the Breast is Best campaign, which caused me so much grief with my mental health at the beginning with both babies.
Although it might not feel like it when they’re awake at 3am, your baby loves to nap. Many babies sleep for up to 17 hours a day.But they don’t just switch off when they’re snoozing in their cot or Moses basket – a lot is going on in their growing brains and bodies.
Because postnatal depression can affect how you feel about and care for your baby and other children, it is important not to ignore any signs that something may be wrong. You’re not a bad parent and postnatal depression doesn’t mean you don’t love your baby.
While snoring is commonly associated with adults, it's important to recognise that snoring in babies and toddlers is not normal and can have significant implications for their health and development. In this blog, I'll explore the signs to watch and listen for and how snoring could be impacting your child's sleep.
Cara Popping, founder of Shop Snooze, talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the inspiration behind her business and her hopes and dreams for the future. I am incredibly passionate about sleep, having had two babies and experienced the stages of poor sleep that come with having young children.
If you are a parent who is struggling with early wake ups, then finding out that daylight savings is over shortly might be bringing panic to your house! Your 6am wake up is about to turn into 5am, and a 5am into a 4am… Here are my top tips for dealing with daylight savings ending.
We all know how important it is to have the right environment to get a good night’s sleep and of course it is just the same for babies - if they're too hot or too cold they're not going to sleep well. The SmartSnugg baby sleeping system helps you to understand and control your child's sleeping temperature.
You hear your baby stirring in their room next door, the temperature has dropped and you think they're cold. You don't want to put blankets on them because you've read about that being dangerous, but putting them in a warmer sleeping bag would mean waking them up!
No matter what kind of super-parent you might be you are still going to need some sleep and when you sleep you're not able to keep an eye on your baby's temperature or position. Young babies just don't sleep for long periods yet,when you sleep you need it to be high quality sleep.
Worried about overheating your child AND worried about them being too cold? This is a very common problem that most parents face. Experts tell us about the dangers of overheating our children, but until now nobody has really had a practical solution to monitor and manage the temperature within the sleeping bag.
Swaddling is a brilliant tool to help your newborn feel safe and secure, along with hampering their startle reflex, to improve the quality of their sleep. However, there comes a time when weaning off the swaddle becomes necessary due to age, or developmental changes include increased mobility.
Newborns can be such unpredictable little beings, one day sleeping for long periods, other days just catnapping their way through the day. While this is frustrating, it's very very normal! Around the 12 week mark things start to change, but until then, here are some tips to help.
If you have an early riser, you may be feeling frustrated with your day starting at 5am, 7 days a week! Early morning wake ups can occur for a number of reasons, and they can be one of the trickiest things to change. Here are some factors to consider when trying to change an early wake up:
Toddlers and preschoolers have absolutely no concept of time, often not even grasping numbers, so a traditional alarm style clock is well above their level of understanding. For this reason, a colour based system works incredibly well - this is where a sleep training clock comes in.
