Is my toddler having a sleep regression? Changes in sleep patterns are normal and not necessarily “regressions.” Those changes interact with developmental changes, environmental changes, and things like sickness or changes in routine. They’re also different for every child. That said, helping [...]
Troubleshooting: how can I help my older toddler sleep? Consistency and predictability are so important! But, there’s no one size fits all fix. Predictability and choice are important to many preschoolers. Putting the bedtime routine on a visual schedule for your child (and you) can help keep [...]
What is a sleep association? A sleep association is the set of conditions that a baby needs to fall asleep, such as nursing, rocking, and/or being patted to sleep. Sleep associations can be a single thing (being rocked), or a combination of things (being rocked while listening to a specific song). [...]
How can I help my baby feel more comfortable at night when she is congested or has a cold? Upper respiratory tract infections, usually from a virus, are common in infants and young children. They can disrupt sleep in both the baby and the parents! The important thing is to make sure that your [...]
Is it normal for my baby to make noises during sleep? Most sounds that infants make in sleep are normal. The noises can be frequent and sound like smacking, snorting, gurgling, grunting, etc. An infant’s breathing pattern can change at different times while they are asleep, sometimes breathing [...]
Will an iron supplement help my restless sleeper? Many parents describe their children as “restless sleepers” or that their child is “difficult to settle down.” These same children may be overly active during the day or have behavioral outbursts. Others may be sleepier than usual. Children [...]
Are sleep terrors from unresolved trauma, especially since he has type 1 diabetes (T1D)? Sleep terrors can be distressing to witness as they involve a sudden apparent arousal from sleep followed by what appears to be terror. Although they can be related to (and sometimes made worse by) things [...]
How can we get better sleep when my child has type 1 diabetes (T1D)? Monitoring alarms wake me up all night. Technology can play a central role in diabetes management. For example, insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitors, and mobile phones can all play a role in glucose management. However, [...]
How can my toddler learn to stay in his room at night? Toddlers love to test boundaries and can come in and out of their rooms asking for a drink, a story, to go to the bathroom, to tell you something, etc. We call these “curtain calls.” You can use a technique called the “bedtime pass.” [...]
I’m always awake with my baby – how can I help myself and get more sleep? During the first months of life babies wake regularly at night. So, as a parent, it’s completely normal to experience sleep disturbances and sleep deprivation. Nevertheless, there are a few things that you [...]