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 [...]
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 do I stop contact naps? You can stop contact napping by taking a few steps. First, create a consistent sleep schedule for naps (and bedtime). Become familiar with and recognize signs of drowsiness in your baby (such as yawning, eye rubbing) and start naptime when you see these behaviors. [...]
How can my baby learn to connect sleep cycles? A sleep cycle is when the brain cycles from wake through the stages of sleep including non-REM and REM sleep. In little ones sleep cycles are shorter than in adults, ranging from about 45 to 60 minutes for newborns, to around 90 minutes by school-age. [...]
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 [...]
What is “camping out” in sleep training? As babies grow up, parents often wonder how to help them learn to fall asleep independently. One method, known as “camping out,” is a gradual approach to helping your baby learn to fall asleep independently. This is a great method to consider [...]
The Excuse-Me Drill: How do I help my toddler stay in bed without calling for me? Is your toddler calling for you after lights out? It’s hard for many children to tune out and go to sleep. A sleep-friendly room needs to be boring – calm, quiet, and dark. In other words, nothing too exciting or [...]
Should we start sleep training now that we are home more because of the coronavirus? Deciding to sleep train during the COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Order (if there is one in your area) will depend on what this time is like for your family. The timing of sleep training is a personal and unique decision [...]
What does “sleep through the night” actually mean? Not surprisingly, this means different things to different people and it strongly depends on the age of the child. Sleeping through the night involves several hours of consolidated sleep. For a 5-year-old this might be 10-12 hours. For a [...]
What are the top 4 sleep training myths? 1) If you sleep train, you have to let your baby cry it out There are many ways to approach helping a baby learn to sleep through the night, and the specific techniques we recommend depend on the age of the child and parent or family preferences. There are [...]