SleepLady

3 Things That Won’t Help Your Baby Sleep: The Anti-Advice

KimWest — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:00:35 +0000

This is a great blog post by Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson, aka Seattle Mama Doc. Its short, sweet and packed with info! I have put her words in italic.

There is a lot of information (and opinion) about how to get your infant to sleep through the night. Cry it out/don’t cry it out, rocking/no rocking, co-sleeping/crib sleeping, white noise/no noise, breastfeeding or bottle-feeding. Everyone has an idea about what works. Like I said earlier, there is very little data to support one technique over another.

Sleep Lady Comment (SL): Although she does write in another post that consistency is the key to success no matter what method you choose! I couldn’t agree more.

Auspiciously, there is new data that may help us know what NOT to do. Researchers found 3 things to avoid while helping your baby learn to sleep through the night.

A study (summary in Journal Watch 2010) refutes an urban legend: feeding rice cereal keeps babies asleep.

The findings may also help us understand how to improve our home environment to ultimately improve infant/toddler sleep. Researchers in Boston followed over 1600 mothers until their babies were 2 years of age. They evaluated the amount of sleep babies got at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years of age. Study results included:

1. No rice cereal before 4 months. Feeding rice cereal early in infancy doesn’t help babies/toddlers sleep longer. Many parents hear that rice cereal will satiate a baby to the point that they’ll avoid overnight feeds. The study found babies who were fed rice cereal before 4 months of age slept LESS. I recommend no solids until about 6 months of age. Not because rice cereal is necessarily harmful, rather it likely isn’t helpful and what’s the rush? Wait until the baby is able to sit up independently, then give it a go.

SL: If your child doesn’t know how to put him or herself to sleep, rice cereal won’t make the difference either!

2. No TV. Research (and instincts) tell us television isn’t good for infants & toddlers. In this study, babies who were placed in front of the TV, slept less at age 1 and 2 years of age. The AAP recommends no TV until age 2. Some families find that impossible. Whatever you do, this study may encourage you to wait until your baby is sleeping through the night.

One Mom commented on this and asked Dr. Swanson to write more about TV use and here is what she said:

I haven’t written a post about TV use. Your comment has encouraged me to do so! Look for more soon. However, the bottom line is this:

TV is not good for kids: we know it contributes to obesity, may contribute to inattention and later diagnoses of ADHD, and may slow language development. TV is a fixture in our culture so many families rely on TV in their home to help them get tasks done, but I don’t think it ever should be considered “good” for children. I don’t know of any scientific studies that states that TV calms children down. Actually, some studies find that TV 2 hours before bedtime should never be allowed because it revs kids up! More later, but I’d say if you have a choice, I’d read books, sing, or play with toys quietly to calm your child down, not turn on the tube.

SL: Hoorah Dr. Swanson! Research also supports that adults have no screen time at least one hour before bed for better sleep!

3. Avoid depression. Postpartum depression was associated with less sleep in babies and toddlers. Nearly 80% of women who give birth have the “baby blues,” but some women go on to suffer from postpartum depression. Prompt diagnosis and help can improve a mother’s enjoyment of the baby, her suffering, and the baby’s sleep. If you’re worried about your mood or sadness, or another mother’s mood, you can get help. Postpartum depression can be treated. Call the doctor for an appointment to discuss. Or talk with your infant’s pediatrician. It’s always okay to ask for help.

SL: Check out Dr. Shosh’s site. She is a psychologist and author who specializes in PPD. She is great! Her books are filled with straightforward advice and tips.

Also, two wildcard non-issues: breast-feeding (versus formula) & maternal smoking seemed to have no effect on sleep duration in the 1 and 2 year-olds.

There you go, the anti-advice. Just 3 things to try not to do. All in the never-ending quest for a good night of sleep.

You can read Dr. Swanson’s blog here:

Dr. Swanson’s blog is www.seattlemamadoc.seattlechildrens.org

Thank you for the “cut to the chase” advise Dr. Swanson!

Sweet dreams,

Kim

How Do Animals Sleep?

KimWest — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:00:14 +0000

photo by Paul Souders

What fun animal sleep facts to share with your children! This article is from the National Sleep Foundation.

“Ever wonder how a dolphin can sleep without drowning or why a bat sleeps upside down? Well, you won’t have to wonder any more. Check out how our favorite animals sleep below.

Dolphins

Can you sleep and swim at the same time? For dolphins, this is an easy task. They can turn off half their brain and close one eye, allowing them to be partly asleep and awake at the same time. According to an article in the Scientific American, dolphins sleep this way so they can be ready to protect themselves from predators and swim to the surface for air. ScienCentral News reports that mothers and their baby calves often don’t sleep at all for the first few months after birth.

Walruses
According to HowStuffWorks.com, walruses can sleep and swim at the same time, too. While in the water, walruses can choose between sleeping underwater or above. A walrus can hold its breath for five minutes, just enough time for a nap. For a deeper sleep, walruses inflate spaces inside their body, called pharyngeal pouches, with up to 13 gallons of air. These pouches act like a life-jacket, allowing them to remain in the water by bobbing up and down while keeping their head above for air. For the deepest sleep, walruses will either hook their tusks onto a stable piece of ice or move to land. Walruses can sleep up to 19 hours at one time. Unlike most animals, walruses do not need to sleep every day, and they can swim without stopping to sleep for more than three days.

Giraffes
Giraffes need less sleep than any other mammal. According to the Smithsonian publication,Zoogoer, giraffes sleep for five minutes at a time, adding up to an average of 30 minutes per day. Why don’t they sleep all night like other mammals? Because giraffes are considered to be a prey animal, which means that they are often hunted by other animals for food. Lying down to sleep for a long time would make it easier to get caught. According to the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, giraffes sleep standing up with one eye open and both ears moving.

Brown Bats
While a giraffe may only sleep for minutes at a time, the little brown bat typically sleeps 12 to 19 hours without stopping. They are nocturnal creatures, which means they sleep during the day and are awake at night. Bats spend most of the day hanging upside down in small, dark crevices or with claws hooked into ceilings. Have you ever wondered why they sleep upside down? A Cornell University guide to bats notes it is because their wings are not strong enough to fly into the air from the ground. It is more efficient for bats to use gravity by dropping into flight from their perch.

Squirrels
Have you ever seen a sleeping squirrel? Most likely not because the most common squirrels, such as the grey squirrel, are tree dwelling, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. This means that they make their homes high up in trees or attics. Squirrels sleep in nests called dreys that look a lot like birds’ nests. They use twigs, leaves, moss, bark, grass, paper and even dog hair to build their homes. In the winter, several squirrels will cuddle together in the drey for warmth.”

Helping Your Toddler Go to Sleep and Stay in Bed

KimWest — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:14:35 +0000

As toddlers grow, their bodies and minds need to adjust to the shift of weaning themselves off of naps and appreciating the benefits of a longer night’s sleep. Between the ages of 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 need about forty-five minutes of quiet time each afternoon and possibly an occasional nap. Five year olds sleep about eleven hours a night and afternoon quiet time can still be quite beneficial for both of you!

As you can see, toddlers still need quite a lot of sleep; however, we all seem to experience a strange phenomenon at bedtime as these crafty creatures devise countless reasons for not doing what they need to do – sleep! They stall and evade with amazing ingenuity; they engage in philosophical discussions; and they voice enough curiosity to rival a little Einstein. Of course, none of these thoughts and questions crosses their minds at 4:00 in the afternoon when they are busy playing, but become an all-consuming need to know as soon as they hear the word pajamas. I worked with one couple that dubbed their oldest daughter “Captain Loophole” for her brilliance in delaying bedtime!

Your best defense against “Captian Loopholes” is a sensible bedtime (ex. asleep between 8-8:30pm), a good routine, and the ability to gently disengage when they start to pepper you with all sorts of questions and requests. If your child wants you to tuck him in three hundred times, try to do it just once or twice. Tell him what you expect, when “last time” will be. Then stick to it. You can come back to his doorway in a few minutes to quickly praise him for understanding and following the bedtime directions. Once you’ve given him that dollop of praise and reassurance, leave before he starts trying to engage you all over again. Skip this step if it makes matters worse. Use your judgment. Put up a gate if he insists on coming out of bed a zillion times; he’ll get the message. You can even tell him that if he stays in bed you’ll be back in a few minutes to take down the gate.

Children this age are brilliant procrastinators, and any separation anxiety or nighttime fears only hone their skills. As parents, we need to inject some discipline into bedtime but still keep it warm and cozy. We need to help them with those bouts of the scaries that can make bedtime difficult even when they aren’t turning stalling into a competitive sport. We need to sincerely address the monsters under their bed as real threats, and help them look there and in closets as assurance before they turn off the lights. We need to make sure they are fed well before bedtime and have gone to the bathroom before tuck-in to evade those stall tactics. A sip of water after brushing their teeth should do the trick for the night. At nighttime (and anytime!) your best defense is a good offense!

If your toddler needs you to lay down with them, rub their back to sleep or sing them to sleep (to name a few) then you will have to create change from many angles! Here are a few suggestions (the details are outlined in the 2.5 to 5 year old chapter in my book “Good Night, Sleep Tight”):

1. Have a family meeting once you are ready to get started. Explain to your child that you have learned that they need to learn how to put themselves to sleep “without Mommy and Daddy laying down with you” (for example) and that you are going to stay with them as they learn. Encourage your child to brainstorm about how she can participate, maybe by deciding what she can take into her bed to touch, hug, or twirl, or what extra game she will get to play in the morning if she uses her “good sleep manners” at night. You want her to have a stake in success. You may be surprised at how sensitive children already are to sleep issues, and how quickly they pick up the lingo. Many children are relieved when parents bring this up. They know that something is wrong, that Mom and Dad are frustrated and want them to sleep differently. They are happy to know you are going to stay with them as they learn.

2. Explain clearly what changes your family will be making so the child knows what to expect. Warn her about an earlier or more structured bedtime, or a new routine. “Daddy is not going to lie down with you anymore, but Daddy will stay with you until you fall asleep.” Or “If you come to our bed at night, we are going to tell you we love you and give you a big hug and take you back into your bed where you can snuggle with your teddy bear.” Adapt the script to the appropriate sleep challenge, but you don’t have to give a lot more detail.

3. Make a “Sleep Manners” sticker or star chart. How elaborate your sticker scheme is depends on your child’s age and temperament. Kids love stickers, stamps, and stars, and they work great for this age. As an extra incentive, you can let them choose their own stickers. To make a weekly chart, turn the paper horizontally, put the days of the week along the top, and the manners across the left, or short, side. You can even leave a little space to jot down a simple log: what time he went to bed, how long he slept, etc. Choose three to four manners that best apply to your child. Phrase the manners in positive terms-”do’s,” not “don’ts.” In other words, say “Lie quietly in bed,” instead of “Don’t make noise in bed.” Here are a few examples:

. “Put yourself to sleep without twirling Mommy’s hair.”
. “Stay in your own bed all night long.”
. “Sleep until 6:00 a.m.” (or whatever realistic time you choose as long as it’s not before 6:00 a.m.). Or “Stay in bed quietly until the wakeup music comes on.” (check out the Good Nite Lite that is perfect for this!….see ad on right)
. “Take a nap or quiet time.”

Give the chart some good focused attention every night at bedtime, even if your child appears to be ignoring you. You can talk about it during the day too, emphasizing her successes, gently reminding her of expectations but not dwelling on failures. But the nighttime review is essential. In the morning, give out the rewards promptly, not just the stickers themselves but praise and hugs, which mean even more to her than those cherished stickers. Try not to make her feel that she is bad if she failed, just tell her that she can try again that night and that you know she can do it. If she’s done a really good sleep job, you can give her an extra sticker for her jacket or her hand so she can show it to her grandmother, babysitter, preschool teacher, or the bank teller. By sharing in her success, you are sharing your own successes with yourself and the rest of your family as well! Try positive reinforcement before taking away a privilege like TV in the morning.

4. Use the “Sleep Lady Shuffle” to help your toddler learn how to go to sleep at bedtime and back to sleep during the night. This means you can sit up next to your toddler while they go to sleep at bedtime. Here is the part where you get less sleep in the short run– each time they wake up during the night calmly return them to bed and sit by their bedside until they are asleep. Move your chair further away every 3 nights. If you are consistent your toddler should be sleeping through the night within 2-3 weeks (it takes longer the older they get and the more inconsistent you have been in the past!).

5. If you child is younger than 3.5 or 4 years old, make sure they are not nap deprived during this process. Nap deprivation will increase the struggle at bedtime and cause more night wakenings and early rising!

Remember to stay consistent for the best sleep success!

Portions of the material printed in this newsletter are reprinted from “Good Night, Sleep Tight” copyright 2005 by Kim West with Joanne Kenen. These materials cannot be used or reproduced without written permission from the author. Email assistant@sleeplady.com if you wish to reproduce this article.

Toddler sleep problems

Toddler and Baby Sleep Tips to Ward Off Holiday Sleep Disruptions

KimWest — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:00:31 +0000

No matter how hard you try to keep your child on a predictable and comforting routine, the holidays sometimes make sleep disruptions unavoidable. Some children are more adaptable than others, and get back into their normal routine without missing a beat. Parents also handle change differently. Some Moms and Dads really strive to keep that schedule in place at all costs, while others consciously decide that the circumstances warrant breaking the sleep rules temporarily, knowing they may have to pay a price in terms of sleep.

As a general rule, the better a child sleeps at home, the better the odds are that he will sleep well when you travel. Even if he does get out of kilter while you are away, if he’s a good sleeper, he’ll probably return to good patterns when he gets home. Conversely, if your child has only recently started sleeping through the night or going to bed without a great deal of fussing, try to postpone any discretionary travel for at least three weeks- if you can! Dare I even suggest having the holidays at your house this year?!?

If that is not an option and you must travel with your newly sleep-coached child then be prepared for a little necessary backsliding. Try not to throw out all your gains and try not to rely on whatever sleep crutch you’ve just eliminated. For instance, if you stopped nursing during the night, don’t start again. Go ahead and do lots more soothing and comforting on the road than you would at home, but find some way of soothing that won’t lead you back to where you started, that won’t let you get caught in the intermittent reinforcement trap. You don’t want him thinking, “You got me up to nurse when we were in that strange place; maybe you will still get me up to nurse now that we are home!” You can’t blame a guy for trying!

If your child needs extra reassurance to go to sleep in a new place, consider regressing in your chair position. For example, if you have progressed to no longer sitting in the room at bedtime, you may want to sit by the door or closer to her crib the first couple of nights in a new place or do more frequent checks instead of regressing completely back to your original sleep crutch. Don’t worry – you can resume The Shuffle when you return home at a quicker pace- perhaps moving your chair every 1-2 days because you are reminding them of a learned skill, not introducing it from scratch.

If you have to share a room or bed with your older child while traveling, I like reminding children of sleep rules even while we’re bending them. “You are sleeping in the same room as Mommy and Daddy while we are at Grandma’s but as soon as we get home, you and Teddy Bear will be back in your princess bed and Mommy and Daddy will be in our bed, but we’ll still come check on you every night.” Or “I’m going to pick you up and hold you until you fall back asleep to make you feel better, but as soon as your tummy ache goes away and you don’t need mommy to do this, you are going to sleep great again. I’ll give you so many stars and stickers because I will be so proud!” Even very young toddlers understand some of this, and older ones get it quite well. It helps to make the rule- breaking less confusing to them, makes the intermittent reinforcement less powerful. They may have an easier time re-adapting to their old routine and understanding your expectations once the holidays and traveling have passed.

Always bring along the lovey and pack a night light, and as there’s no such thing as traveling light with a small child anyway, go ahead and take along favorite books and toys. Many families bring crib sheets or blankets too. (Some hotels don’t even provide much in the way of bedding with the crib or port-a-crib so check in advance or pack linens protectively). You want the child to have items that feel and smell comforting and familiar. If you are one of those moms who always keeps a small bag stocked with first aid supplies, travel sized medications, and baby toiletries, stick the spare nightlight and bulb in there as well, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting it.

Before you go, talk to the hotel about whether it has cribs, port-a-cribs or pack-n-plays. Or if you are visiting relatives, think about whether there will be enough grandchildren visiting over the years to make it worth investing in an inexpensive crib, even one of the smaller fold-up varieties. Some babies don’t really like sleeping in those portable cribs with thin mattresses. You’ll learn quickly what your child can adjust to, and you’ll then be able to pack and plan accordingly on subsequent travel.

With older children who are no longer in a crib, you may request a roll-away bed, or if the child will be in a regular hotel bed in your room, you may see if you can move it closer to the wall for safety. Put an extra pillow on the floor in case he falls out, or place the bed or cot mattress on the floor so it doesn’t matter if he rolls off. You may want to place the mattress right next to your bed, or between your bed and another bed holding older siblings, so that the little one is reassured by being close to you. There’s a good chance he will get out of his bed and sneak into yours. Some parents return the child to his own bed, others figure it’s a losing battle in the hotel. If he does end up with you, carefully explain that he can sleep with you in the hotel (or at granny’s house or whatever) but will have to go right back into his own bed when you get back home.

If possible, try to have your child’s sleep in one place throughout the whole vacation. If you are visiting several relatives, it may be worth sleeping in one home for the entire trip, and visit with other family members during the day or over early dinners. For instance, one couple with a nine-month-old originally planned a five day vacation – two nights with one set of grandparents, two with the other, and one night at an aunt’s. I gently suggested they might want to reconsider, so they chose one set of grandparents as a “base camp” and arranged to have relatives come there to visit them or to spend part of the day at other family members’ homes. They carefully explained to all concerned why their baby needed this, and to avoid bruised feelings or rivalries they immediately let all concerned know that the other grandparents would be the “base” for the next visit.

Try very hard to make sure your children get enough rest during the holidays. With all the change and stimulation, they may not nap while traveling. It’s up to you how hard you press the nap, you may get a sense that if you insist and make the effort, he will nap. Alternatively, you may figure that you can spend the whole afternoon in your hotel room and or in grandma’s guestroom and he still won’t sleep a wink! You might as well go out and enjoy yourself, maybe he’ll doze in the stroller or in the car. It depends on how old the child is, and how long you are away. An infant absolutely still needs naps, a three year old can probably skip naps for a few days as long as you get him to bed at night earlier than usual. You might also want to plan some of your travel to overlap with naptime. As you know, I normally want children to sleep in their beds, not in cars, but on vacation, a car nap might be the best you can do, plus if you are going to be in the car for a few hours anyway, it may be easier on everyone if she sleeps through it. Try to get back to your hotel (or relatives’ home) on the early side, to have an early bedtime. Remember a well rested child is better behaved and more adaptable to all the changes and new people they will meet while away.

If you are traveling across time zones, get your child up at his usual wake-up time, both when you start your vacation and when you get back home. In other words, if he wakes up at 7:00 a.m. at home in Miami, wake him up at 7:00 a.m. local time in Seattle and then when you get back home to Miami, wake him at 7:00 a.m. EST. Do this the day you arrive on holiday, or if you all need to recover from a long trip or a red- eye, do it the next day. Switch naps and sleep times to local time the first full day after your arrival. So if you got in late and everyone goes to bed later than usual and then sleeps in, naps will obviously be off that first day. But don’t let him nap late. Wake him from his last nap (or his only nap) early enough so you can get him to bed at his regular bedtime. In other words, if you arrived in Seattle at midnight, everyone will sleep late in the morning (you hope!). Then instead of napping from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., he might not begin his nap until 4:00. Don’t let him nap too late, though, even if he’s a little cranky when you rouse him, so you can get him to bed that night at his regular bedtime, at 7:00 or 8:00pm (Seattle time). Don’t fret if you don’t follow this exactly. A few car or stroller naps aren’t a big deal over the holidays; you’ll get everyone back to normal when you get home.

When you are home, make it a top priority to return to your normal routine as quickly as possible. Some families keep their activities very light for a day or two when returning home to really focus on getting napping and bedtime back in place. These days will also help you recuperate and become familiar again with your household’s routines. Please remember these are just guidelines to follow, and each family member’s individual personalities should be considered when traveling and adjusting to their routines.

I hope these suggestions help you and your family have a well- rested, enjoyable holidays!

Sweet dreams,

Kim, The Sleep Lady

baby sleep

Rise & Shine – Tips to Combat Early Rising!

KimWest — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:28:18 +0000

Mornings for some of you, it seems, begin as early as 4 AM as others of you lounge around until 9 AM waiting for your baby to wake up. Both of these scenarios, however, can have their own repercussions. Waking up too early can mean a tired family and earlier naps, throwing off bedtime rituals later. Waking up too late does the opposite, pushing nap time to later in the day and sometimes prolonging bedtime. The solution is to find a schedule that works for you and your family and teach your child to stick to it!

Early risings sometimes have a very simple solution. If too much light is coming into the baby’s room, buy room-darkening blinds (also good for napping). If an external noise-garbage trucks, songbirds, or a dad with a long commute who has turned on the shower-is waking him, you might want to try a white noise machine or a fan. Unfortunately, it’s not always so simple.

If your child is awake at 6:00 or 6:30 a.m., cheerful, refreshed, and ready to start his day-even if you aren’t-you’ll probably have to live with it. That’s a common and biologically appropriate wake-up time for a baby or small child. Remember to adapt the meal and nap schedule to suit his early hours.

Babies who wake up before 6:00 a.m., or who wake up cheerful at 6:00 or 6:30 but are a total grump by 7:00, are a different story. You need to intervene and coach him to sleep later. The longer you endure early risings, the harder it is to change the pattern, so I strongly suggest you address it now, even if it takes a few weeks to see results. Once they’re older, it can take months. Make sure your early riser is getting enough daytime sleep because nap deprivation can cause poor night sleep and early awakenings.

If your baby is under 8months old and you think he is waking up very early because he is hungry, try waking him for a final feeding about 11:00 p.m. as an interim step, and also work on making sure he takes more food during the day.

When your early bird stirs, go to his room immediately. You want to try to get him back to sleep ASAP, not let him scream himself awake. Give him his lovey and try to soothe him back to sleep without picking him up. (Follow the Sleep Lady Shuffle guidelines outlined in Good Night Sleep Tight). Even if he doesn’t doze off again-and not all babies will at first-do not turn on the lights or get him out of his crib until 6:00 a.m. no matter how much he protests. Getting him up earlier, while it is still dark, sends a confusing message and is another example of intermittent reinforcement. He can’t understand why he can get up in the dark at 5:45 a.m. but not at 2:15 a.m. Also, many parents I’ve worked with have learned the hard way that if they let him get up at 5:45 a.m., the next thing they know it’s 5:30, 5:15, etc.

At this age, I usually recommend that the parent stay in the room for this early-morning routine. If, however, you feel your presence is encouraging him to be more awake, as often occurs with older children, you can try leaving his room after a bit of reassurance and see if he falls asleep again on his own. Check on him every ten to fifteen minutes. If you stay in the room, keep the interaction minimal. Try sitting in a chair with your eyes closed. When the clock finally strikes 6:00 a.m. and he’s not falling asleep-and it can seem like it takes a very long time to reach 6:00 a.m.-leave the room for a minute or two. He may cry, but try not to let it bother you, you will be right back in a minute. When you come back in, make a big deal out of “good morning” time. Do your dramatic wake-up. The morning routine is the flip side of the bedtime-routine coin. Your goal is to help him distinguish between day and night, to know when it really is time to get up. Your message must be clear: “I’m getting you out of the crib because it’s morning time-not because you were crying.”

If your early riser is over 2 or 2.5 years old and sleeps in a bed, then you will have to return your child to their bed and treat this like a night wakening. Continue with your Shuffle position until the clock strikes 6:00 a.m. Consider using an alarm clock radio or a light with an appliance timer to help signal to your child when it is wake up time. If you sometimes let you child get out of bed and start the day before the music comes on then he or she will not take the alarm clock seriously!

Important points about early rising:

Four most common causes of early rising:

Too late of a bedtime
Nap deprivation
Staying up too long between the end of his afternoon nap and going to bed (try not to let the interval exceed four hours)
Going to bed when he’s past that “drowsy but awake” mark. If he’s too drowsy, he won’t know how to get himself back to sleep when he’s more alert-including at 5:00a.m.

Skipping naps and putting your child to bed later will cause early rising-I know it’s not logical- you and I would never do that – but it is true!
You can’t assume your child needs less sleep than the average until they are taking decent naps and sleeping through the night for several weeks.
Room darkening shades are critical!
Early rising takes several weeks of utter consistency to change so stick with it!

If your child is new to early rising since daylight saving time, use the nap to get to the new bedtime. In other words make sure the nap is after 12n and is long enough so that the wakeful window after the nap is not longer than 4 hours (max 5 for a toddler/preschooler who is well rested).

Patience, consistency, and understanding of both your child and his needs are critical for this process to be successful. Be firm and be loving and good mornings will be right around the corner! I wish you both many happy mornings together!

Baby Sleep

Back-to-School Sleep Tips

KimWest — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 14:00:06 +0000

After a few months of throwing your schedule to the wind due to vacations, traveling, long days, BBQs and family fun, the time has come to get back on to a healthy sleep schedule!

Here are some back-to-school sleep tips:

1. If your child’s wake up time has been all over the board, then start to wake them up earlier in the morning. You can even start by waking them up at the time they need to get up once school or daycare starts. This will help you move bedtime earlier quickly.

2. To figure out your child’s ideal bedtime, do “the math backwards”. For example, if your 2 year old needs to be up at 7am to get dressed and out the door to daycare then he should be ASLEEP by 8pm. (Two year olds need on average11 hours of sleep at night). Check this post for sleep averages.

3. It goes without saying that you should eliminate caffeine from your child’s diets. If you can’t do it completely then no caffeine after 3pm.

4. Dinner should be at least 2 hours prior to bedtime so that your child gets a chance to digest.

5. Exercise during the day does help a child sleep better but try to avoid exercise an hour before bedtime. Please include rough housing in this rule which can really rile up a child just when you want them to be settling down. (Sorry Dads).

6. Turn off all electronics an hour before bedtime. During this time your child can complete homework, get their bags together for the next day, wash up, brush teeth, then blinds down and stories in bed. By the way, we adults should turn off electronics one hour prior to bed also.

If your child needs to learn how to put themselves to sleep independently then post-vacation and post-traveling time is often the best time! Always aim for at least 3 weeks where you can be home and focused on improving your family’s sleep!

Sweet dreams,

Kim

The Sleep Lady

And the Winners Are…

KimWest — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:58:43 +0000

We are so excited to announce the top two winners who will be receiving Cloud B sleep friends! The first place winner is:

Submitted by Catie Shafer

And the runner up is:

Submitted by Tonya Hopkins

Thank you all so much for the pictures, the votes and the comments. Stay tuned for our next contest : “The Sleep Lady’s Funniest Kid Vids”

~Kim West- The Sleep Lady

“Sleeping Like a Baby” Photo Contest Entries

KimWest — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 04:04:03 +0000

Happy August Parents!

We recently asked you to show us your cutest sleeping baby/ toddler/ child photos and you responded by the hundreds! We poured over every single picture. Our team cooed, laughed and said “Awww” thousands of times as we looked at your beautiful children. Thank you so much for submitting your photos. It was the single hardest decision we’ve made in a long time, but here are the finalists.

#10

#11

#12

#13

#14

#15

Aren’t they adorable? Make sure you tell us which picture you like the most in the comments below (ex: I like # 16, Number #17 is adorable, etc).

The two pictures with the most votes will get one of these adorable sleep friends from Cloud B.

Best of luck to our finalists! Stay tuned for our next contest, “The Sleep Lady’s Funniest Kids”.

~Kim

** Kim West, The Sleep Lady always promotes safe sleeping practices and does not endorse any photos in this contest. Check with your pediatrician for the safest sleeping practices.

“Sleeping Like a Baby” Photo Contest

KimWest — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 22:12:05 +0000

Do you have an adorable picture of your baby or toddler (finally) sleeping?

Do you want to win one of these adorable Cloud B sleep friends?

Send in your picture of your baby/ toddler/ child sleeping to assistant@sleeplady.com. The Sleep Lady Team will select the finalists and the pictures will be posted on www.sleeplady.com/blog for our fans and friends to vote on. The winner will be the picture with the most votes in the comments section. Submissions will be accepted until August 5th. The contest will open for voting August 9th and will end August 23rd. Prizes will be awarded to the top two pictures with the most votes.

No nude pictures please. Finalists will be chosen at the discretion of the Sleep Lady Team and will be notified by email if they are selected as a finalist or a winner.

Good luck!

~Kim

The Sleep Lady Advice Contest

KimWest — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:55:08 +0000

When asked the question “What is the best piece of advice you would give tired parents”, we received tons of responses and very good answers! Even though it was tough, we chose our 5 favorites. In the comments below, let us know which is your favorite using the numbers beside your favorite entry (ex: “My favorite is number 1″).

The best advice to tired parents is simple- think long term! If you focus on the short term when you just want to get some sleep now, you’ll wind up creating bad habits and your goal will become farther away and harder to reach. It will get tougher before it gets easier, but if you and your spouse/partner stick to your guns and focus on the long term goal of a good night sleep every night for you and your kid(s), you will be rewarded!

Kate C.

One of the best pieces of sleep advice I have learned is to go to bed one night at week when my kids do. It is so tempting to stay up late for some quiet, “adult time”, but falling asleep at 8pm one night a week really helps catch up on some much-needed sleep. Tired parents are just too tired to enforce rules with kids, so give yourself a break and get yourself a little bit of extra sleep!

Jennifer Eldredge

Be consistent. Use the same soothing and bedtime routines. Even if they don’t always appear tired, follow a schedule that seems right for your child’s age and activity level. Always sleep children in the same place–ideally this is a cool, dark room with a noise machine. This environment is fairly easy to duplicate when travelling and is a much more effective than a stroller or carseat. Establishing healthy, consistent sleep routines may be your first chance to show some tough love-that you are the parent and you are willing to sacrifice any other plans to totally focus on what’s best for your child. When your children see you make sleep a constant priority, they do better with relaxing and accepting the needed sleep. Also, be consistent also when caring for yourself and child; sleep-deprived people need nutritious food and to only focus on the main essentials life.
Moira C. Silva

Being a mother of twins, I know how long those sleepless nights can be. My best advice would be to make this a team effort with your husband or partner. Even though we were exclusively breastfeeding, my husband would get up, bring the babies to me and change their diapers before putting them back down. He couldn’t actually do much real work to help out with feeding them, but just having him there and knowing that I wasn’t doing this alone kept me sane.

Leslie Fox

My mom gave me great advice when starting out on the mission to sleep train my daughter. She said, “when the parent decides, the child will follow”. This made so much sense to me as I had half-heartedly tried several methods of sleep training with no success. Of course I was not successful because I was not consistent with any of them.

I knew I needed to get serious and consistent so I sat down and thought about all the reasons I wanted to sleep train my child. I visualized myself walking into my daughter’s room seeing her waking up rested and happy. I thought about my day and all the things that would improve if I was not waking up every two hours. I jotted these thoughts down among several others and I would read them before bed each night. Almost like a pep rally as I knew the night was going to be rough. I stayed committed and steadfast to these visions and I am happy to say that I now walk into my daughter’s room in the morning and the grin that she gives me says she is thankful too!

Lauren Duncan