Sample Schedules: Sleep and Naps From 6 Months to Preschool
Sample Schedules: Sleep and Naps From 6 Months to Preschool Sometimes it seems like babies and young children grow up in the blink of an eye. They leave behind one skill and gain another as fast as you can get out your camera. While they are growing, their sleep needs change too. Your three naps-per-day […]
Gentle Sleep Training What Is It & What Are Your Options
What is Gentle Sleep Training Gentle sleep training — sometimes called sleep coaching — is nothing more than helping your baby learn to put himself to sleep so that he can successfully nap and eventually sleep through the night. Many parents don’t realize that babies do not inherently know how to fall asleep — sleep is […]
18 Month Sleep Regression: How to Get Your Toddler Back to Sleep
Your toddler was finally sleeping well—until the night wakings, nap refusals, and bedtime battles started again. Welcome to the 18-month sleep regression, a challenging but normal phase of development. At this age, toddlers experience major developmental milestones that can temporarily disrupt their sleep. With a better understanding of the causes, signs, and strategies for managing […]
Early Rising in Babies and Toddlers – 10 Tips to Resolve Early Wake-Ups
Early Rising in Babies and Toddlers – 10 Tips to Resolve Early Wake-Ups Having a baby is akin to having a human alarm clock. Both wake you up with sudden noise, but what happens when your baby suddenly begins to wake earlier and earlier? The average baby wakes ‘early’ by most adult standards. Believe it […]
Sensory Processing Disorder, Sleep, and…Sandwiches?
We all know, “that kid”. The one who seems to move to the beat of their own drum. Maybe “that kid” is…yours. He’s fine as long as he’s doing his own thing, but thrust into an organized activity or classroom with behavioral expectations and, well, he’s in the corner knocking over someone else’s block castle. […]
Bedtime Stories: Favorite Books to Benefit Your Growing Child
Bedtime stories are a part of almost every family nighttime routine. Reading is a screen-free, quiet activity that allows babies and children to calm down before it’s time to go to sleep. Reading stories to young children has benefits beyond a bedtime routine, though. The American Academy of Pediatrics studied the brain function of children, […]
Sleep Schedules – Your Two-and-a-Half to Five-Year-Old
Sleep Schedules – Your Two-and-a-Half to Five-Year-Old Preschool sleep needs change quickly! Between ages two and three, average sleep needs drop to about ten and a half hours a night, plus an hour-and-a-half afternoon nap*. Four year olds need eleven and a half hours at night, and most no longer nap daily, although they do […]
We Must Stop Blaming Parents for Baby Sleep Problems
We Must Stop Blaming Parents for Baby Sleep Problems This article has been reprinted with permission. Original title: “Sleep research and advice is full of parent-shaming and it needs to stop” I recently met a woman who told me that when her baby was roughly four-months-old, she was persistently fussy and just wouldn’t sleep…at all. […]
Creating a Soothing Bedtime Routine – 7 Tips to Meet the Challenge
Creating a Soothing Bedtime Routine – 7 Tips to Meet the Challenge For toddlers and preschoolers, a soothing bedtime routine can often be the most challenging part of the day. It means another transition and separation from you, at the same time that everyone in the household is a bit tired and sometimes frazzled from […]