Tis’ the season of family gatherings, parties, fun traditions, and more. It really is my favorite time of year. For some parents, it’s an extremely stressful time especially if you’re balancing all of the holiday fun while running on empty. Let’s talk about the holidays and your child’s sleep. If your kiddo is not a great sleeper, I can help. If you’ve got the sleep thing down, I’ll share tips on keeping it intact while during this season of joy.
When I have a discovery call with tired parents to discuss their baby’s sleep, short naps are the most common struggles they mention. They tell me they spend 30 minutes trying to get their baby to fall asleep only to have them wake up 30 minutes later. If you have a baby that naps 4 times a day, putting them down could take up hours of your day. Rough!
I became a mom 11 years ago and didn’t even know sleep consultants were a thing. I also knew very little about sleep in general. When I was pregnant, I spent lots of time learning about the development of the little human growing inside me, took breastfeeding classes, watched videos on swaddling, attended infant CPR and read books about infant development. But where was the information about sleep?
So, I did what most new moms do. I Googled ‘how to get your baby to sleep more’ in the wee hours of the night. I also asked my friends and family for advice and eventually read several books about infant sleep.
Taking the time to create a bedtime routine can feel monotonous or like a chore for some parents. A bedtime routine is something both children and adults benefit from when considering the best way to get a healthy night of sleep. Do bedtime routines matter? Is it worth the effort and time to implement?
When I became a mother 10 years ago, my world was rocked. I undoubtedly experienced the most intense and instantaneous kind of love, but I also slowly became filled with self-doubt and insecurity. There were so many decisions to be made: would I nurse or bottle feed or both? Did my baby nap on me or in a bassinet? When should I start going to play groups? Did I use the wrong kind of laundry detergent? Was I being irresponsible if I ditched the cloth diapers I’d had my heart set on using?
Here is a situation that most parents call relate to - your little one (especially a toddler) is full of energy and even entertaining the room with their charm. You are enjoying the spectacle and thinking that he is clearly not tired, even though it’s 8 pm. So you let him stay up a little longer.
That’s when the trouble begins and bedtime becomes a battle. The meltdowns start and getting him to sleep is a hot mess. Your baby is now overtired.
How to weed out the good advice from the bad can feel near impossible when you become a new mom? New parents are bombarded with old wives' tales and the heavy suggestions that are loaded with judgment. Try rice cereal in the bottle, it will make him sleep longer. Or, waking 5 times in the night is normal, and not sleeping for 2 years is part of being a mom. Both are 100% untrue and the latter really gets me riled up.
