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

Safe Sleep

Safe infant sleep 

I’m jumping off of an Instagram story I watched recently by @mommy.labornurse regarding SIDS and cribs, I wanted to quickly list my sleep hygiene tips for you guys! Safe sleep is a priority of mine and while I know sometimes it’s not every day practice, I think we should strive to be safe! 

1. Nothing in crib but baby. Those cute little crib bumpers from Pottery Barn? Put them away. Loose ties and lengths of fabric. No stuffed animals for a little while (bring them back around at 12m+). Just baby and their swaddle/sleep sack! Pacifier is ok, loose. 

2. Put baby flat on their back, on a firm supportive mattress. Eventually, baby will learn to role over and have the mobility to sleep in other positions, but new babies go on their back. 

3. No bedmates! This means no siblings or parent in the sleep space. Co-sleeping may be convenient, however accidents happen. 

Heidi’s Crib Code 

I know so many of us are so excited for baby that we get the nursery furniture and set up the crib and bedding immediately! But, there are a few things you should do before hand! 

1. Take the crib mattress out of the packaging and let it air out for 24/48 hours. I always do a bit longer than the instructions say. The mattresses are treated with flame retardant and it’s best to let that air out before baby sleeps on it. 

2. Cover mattress in a waterproof cover. This protects baby from any remaining chemicals after the air out AND saves your mattress from pee stains or worse...blow out stains! 

3. Wipe down (with cleaner of choice) all the furniture in the nursery after it’s assembled. Give the room a good airing out. 

Sleep safely and soundly ♥️😴

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!