Sleep Training Science

When people ask me what I do, I tell them I am a sleep consultant (among other things), I help parents with their baby’s sleep. I sometimes get the response, “Oh so you use Cry It Out?”. And it really surprises them when I respond, “Not often!”

There is so much more to “sleep training”, (and I don’t even like that terminology) than just letting your baby cry in order to sleep. I educate my clients on the science of sleep; when babies get tired, how they get tired, how that changes as they age, and any other curveballs that we may encounter along the way.

So this article really spoke to me. Sleep training does not have to be all or nothing. It doesn’t have to be Cry it out or Co-sleeping Til They Are 20. Every family is different, every baby is different and so parents need help that is tailored to their experience and comfort level. Take a read through it!

And reach out if you need help! Each of my packages are specific to your child and your family.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/07/15/730339536/sleep-training-truths-what-science-can-and-cant-tell-us-about-crying-it-out

Adults and Sleep

I know I talk about infants and kids sleep here a lot. And yes, it’s super important that your child get the rest they need. But what about you? I am just as guilty of not getting the rest I need as any other parent! I stay up late doing work, researching, snacking, working out, watching shows (where my Game of Thrones fans at?!) and spending time with my husband. It’s a badge of honor we wear as parents. Stay up late for some desperately needed adult and alone time.

What can we do? Do we give up that coveted downtime? Do we let our homes fall to pieces? No. But I ask myself each night to go to bed 15 mins earlier than I did the night before. Sometimes, I have a week long streak of abiding by that rule. And I feel great. More rested and somehow more efficient. So I try to keep that in mind on the nights I think “no, I can’t give up even 15 minutes”. Try it. See how you feel after a week of just going to bed 15 mins earlier than you did the night before.

Here is a link to an awesome article highlighting the issue in adult sleep! I think you’ll find yourself doing what I did as I read, “Yep. Yep. That’s me”. 

Wake up, America: You're fooling yourself about sleep, study says

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/16/health/sleep-myths-facts-study/index.html

Reading at Bedtime

Reading at Bedtime 

Every parent knows that you should read to your kids as much as you can, that point gets driven home to us by pediatricians, teachers, researchers , and everybody else who cares offer opinion! 

And I’m in total agreement.  Reading to your child is critical for their learning, critical thinking, and comprehension. But did you know, it could also be a non verbal cue to begin relaxing the body and brain? 

There are lots of nonverbal cues we can give our children to let them know that it’s time to start getting ready for bed. A warm bath, massage with lotion, warm pajamas, and the “piece de resistance”, a bedtime story. Or five. Implementing a bedtime routine is critical to teaching children how to slow the body and brain down and sleep. So we can add as many or as few steps to this nonverbal cue that it is time to go to bed.

Books are a step that I don’t mind at all. In fact reading to my children at night while they are snuggled in my arms, is one of my favorite things to do. And you can read any sort of books before bed to your child, but if anyone knows me, they know I love a theme!  

While we have books that we keep on a seasonal rotation (holiday ones, weather related ones, etc) There are a few that don’t really leave the rotation. These are the Good Night Books by Adam Gamble and Mark Jasper. I don’t receive any sort of payment for promoting them I just love their books because there is a good notebook for any child and any area of interest they have! They even have Good Night books for states and cities!

Check out their website, www.goodnightbooks.com 

You will find that they are super sturdy board books and at a reasonable price of about $10 each.  They last forever and are a wonderful addition to our bedtime routine. 

We have read Good Night New Orleans  to our son since he was six months old. He knows all about the city that his mother and father fell in love with on their baby moon when they were pregnant with him. And we can’t wait to take him there to see all of the things we’ve been reading about for years. 

If you need help implementing reading into your bedtime routine, shoot me an email! We can have a quick chat, talk about your child’s interests and make a few suggestions!

The Wyze Cam Review

This camera!

Super clear image, you can pan around and save footage on an SD CARD for free! I LOVE the price point. With many home cameras and baby monitors on the market at a much higher price point, this little guy allows for home security or baby security for $38 on Amazon! I would definately recommend this camera for nap times, over nights at the grandparents, date nights, or as a travel monitor. You can set the motion and sound sensors, so you’ll never miss a thing. You’ll get a notification right to your smartphone as soon as baby sits up or cries out. Which bring me to my next point, it is perfect for sleep training. I highly recommend my clients use a monitor, as it is always more beneficial to SEE baby while we are learning how to get more restorative sleep. I love that you can exit the Wyze App, but if baby makes a PEEP, you get a notification. Perfect for mom and dad date nights in! Which reminds me, I’m going to get back to my Saturday night movie and glass(es) of wine!

Sleep Tight, Sweet Dreamers!

Heidi

The ONLY catch is that there is no temp read. Aside from that, it checks all my boxes for safe infant and baby sleep! The blue light on the front of the camera bugged me a bit, but some quick thinking and having a three year old with endless stickers helped. Just popped one over the blue light and got rid of that pesky melatonin production disrupter!