A common request by many parents! Yes, Loving Lessons is here to empower and support a family when their child is not sleeping through the night. You don't have to do the Ferber method and let your child cry it out, but you can do it in a loving and gentle way so your child can sleep, and you still get the sleep you need too! Helping children sleep is not a one size fits all solution. When teaching your child to sleep, it's important to take into consideration your child's temperament, age, developmental needs, parenting styles, routines, and schedules. Healthy sleep habits now, are the foundation for healthy sleep habits later in life!
Loving Lessons offers consultations and classes in your home or via Skype. A new service available is the Sweet Dreams Class which is a one hour sleep education, filled with tips and strategies for your child's age, and a question and answer session. Learn more about services available by visiting Loving Lessons Pediatric Sleep Consulting.
This is a great time to help your baby sleep because on Cyber Monday, Plum District is offering $50 vouchers to use towards any consultation or solution option for $25. Learn more about this offer by visiting the Plum District- For Moms, By Moms.
And yes, now you can learn how to help your baby sleep -by sleep training your child in a loving and supportive way!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Dare I say the naughty words- Sleep Training!
I did! I did say sleep training and these seem like naughty words in most parenting circles. Number one question parents ask parents- "How is your baby sleeping?" It makes parents uncomfortable, lie, make up sleepy tales about the sleep they think they have or wish they had, or they keep the talk minimal because if you even knew what was going on behind closed doors! YIKES!
What some parents fail to realize is that our children are a clean slate. Everything and I mean EVERYTHING they learn is from us. As parents we have so much influence in our child's little life.
When I'm talking about sleep training, I'm merely speaking of the healthy habit I hope you teach your child- how to sleep. During the night we go through different sleep stages/cycles and we have a partial arousal. As adults, we might reposition ourselves, turn over, or just adjust the covers. For children that don't know how to go back to sleep without some sort of crutch or association (bottle, pacifier, rocking, holding/snuggling with mom or dad), they wake and are ready for the next part of their day. And as the parent- you're not because it's the middle of the night and you are thinking- GO TO SLEEP. Although- Adam Mansbach did write a book with a few choice words I'm sure we all may be thinking... there's no way our children learn this skill unless we take the time to teach them.
Here's what sleep training does NOT mean. It does not mean break out the Ferber method and just let your child cry it out. Nor does it mean you are a terrible parent if you can't hold or attend to your child's every cry or your child will be scarred for life if they cry. We are human - so that in itself makes us imperfect, but more importantly we are parents and there is room to grow and learn how to help our child develop these healthy habits.
Many times I'm asked- how do you teach children how to sleep? My approach with each family is unique- as each child has his or her own needs. It means I need to learn about the child, the family, parenting styles, temperaments, and the sleep history. My role is NOT to judge or criticize. Believe me when I say I have been there and done that. Desperate times call for desperate measures. We all have the crazy sleep story of how we got our baby, toddler, or preschooler to sleep. But my goal is to come up with a gentle, creative solution that you and your family can live with and follow through. But more importantly, I hope you walk away with tools for your parenting toolbox to empower you as you go through the journey of parenting.
If you have a young child, my wish for you is to make sure your child knows how to sleep. Read a book, talk to your pediatrician, or contact me, a sleep coach to help support your family's sleep needs. You have to train up your child in so many ways, and don't forget sleep is just one of them!
What some parents fail to realize is that our children are a clean slate. Everything and I mean EVERYTHING they learn is from us. As parents we have so much influence in our child's little life.
When I'm talking about sleep training, I'm merely speaking of the healthy habit I hope you teach your child- how to sleep. During the night we go through different sleep stages/cycles and we have a partial arousal. As adults, we might reposition ourselves, turn over, or just adjust the covers. For children that don't know how to go back to sleep without some sort of crutch or association (bottle, pacifier, rocking, holding/snuggling with mom or dad), they wake and are ready for the next part of their day. And as the parent- you're not because it's the middle of the night and you are thinking- GO TO SLEEP. Although- Adam Mansbach did write a book with a few choice words I'm sure we all may be thinking... there's no way our children learn this skill unless we take the time to teach them.
Here's what sleep training does NOT mean. It does not mean break out the Ferber method and just let your child cry it out. Nor does it mean you are a terrible parent if you can't hold or attend to your child's every cry or your child will be scarred for life if they cry. We are human - so that in itself makes us imperfect, but more importantly we are parents and there is room to grow and learn how to help our child develop these healthy habits.
Many times I'm asked- how do you teach children how to sleep? My approach with each family is unique- as each child has his or her own needs. It means I need to learn about the child, the family, parenting styles, temperaments, and the sleep history. My role is NOT to judge or criticize. Believe me when I say I have been there and done that. Desperate times call for desperate measures. We all have the crazy sleep story of how we got our baby, toddler, or preschooler to sleep. But my goal is to come up with a gentle, creative solution that you and your family can live with and follow through. But more importantly, I hope you walk away with tools for your parenting toolbox to empower you as you go through the journey of parenting.
If you have a young child, my wish for you is to make sure your child knows how to sleep. Read a book, talk to your pediatrician, or contact me, a sleep coach to help support your family's sleep needs. You have to train up your child in so many ways, and don't forget sleep is just one of them!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Get ready to FALL back!
Daylight Savings Time ends this Sunday!
As adults we love this time of year: the leaves change color, the chill in the air, and the extra hour of some zzz's! But for our children, it's a little more work to reset their internal clock. There are two ways to help your child make it through the change and get their sleep!
Start TONIGHT if you plan to make a gradual change in your child's routine. This is helpful for children who have a more alert temperament, children who may be more sensitive to being overtired, or who tend to wake up early. Bedtime should be 15 minutes later than usual tonight, 30 minutes later tomorrow night, 45 minutes later on Friday night, and an hour ...later on Saturday night. You need to move the wake up time 15 minutes later each morning too. Try to expose your child to as much sunlight as possible in the few days following the change.
Enjoy your extra hour of zzz's!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
When your a MOM, you're a ROCK STAR!
If you're a mom, then you have achieved ROCK STAR status! I'm not sure who wrote this piece, but I love it and makes me think of my daily life with my boys- I couldn't imagine not being a ROCK STAR! Where else am I loved and adored so much?
I live the life of a rock star. It’s true! I have wild hair and make up with frequent costume changes.
Everywhere I go I have an entourage. People are constantly yelling my name. I look out into the crowd and they’re actually crying for me, reaching for me.
I have no privacy. I’m watched when I shower, when I’m cooking, even when I use the restroom… for my own protection I’m sure.
When I go places I must do so quickly before my fans get out of control and start a riot. Every night a different guy wants to sleep with me. Each of them seems genuinely hurt when I turn him away.
Occasionally I get dirty underwear whirled at me with a whoop and a smile. It’s even hard sometimes to walk through my own home without someone spotting me and trying to grab my legs or my clothing.
Oh, and don’t forget about the stalkers! You know those crazed fans that follow you everywhere? Why, I can’t even talk on the phone in the pantry without an eye or two peeping at me.
Yes, it’s true- I live the life of a rock star. And this goes out to my biggest fans- Connor & Bailey- thank you for making my debut so special!!
I live the life of a rock star. It’s true! I have wild hair and make up with frequent costume changes.
Everywhere I go I have an entourage. People are constantly yelling my name. I look out into the crowd and they’re actually crying for me, reaching for me.
I have no privacy. I’m watched when I shower, when I’m cooking, even when I use the restroom… for my own protection I’m sure.
When I go places I must do so quickly before my fans get out of control and start a riot. Every night a different guy wants to sleep with me. Each of them seems genuinely hurt when I turn him away.
Occasionally I get dirty underwear whirled at me with a whoop and a smile. It’s even hard sometimes to walk through my own home without someone spotting me and trying to grab my legs or my clothing.
Oh, and don’t forget about the stalkers! You know those crazed fans that follow you everywhere? Why, I can’t even talk on the phone in the pantry without an eye or two peeping at me.
Yes, it’s true- I live the life of a rock star. And this goes out to my biggest fans- Connor & Bailey- thank you for making my debut so special!!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Sleep Culprits- What to do about them?
When it comes to sleeping-children are easy targets for sleep culprits! I don't think parents realize how children pick up on the little things in life. Stop and think about some triggers that cause distress in your child's life. Are there parental stresses, separations, upsetting events, major life changes, and a lack of sleep? There are also common triggers for excitement that can cause sleep disruptions too. Over stimulation, over scheduling, anticipation, growth spurts, or competition and pressure to perform are events that can cause tension that does not allow restorative sleep. I think we all strive to lead a balanced life, but are we really?
In today's world it's really, really hard to even pretend like we might be leading a balanced life. We are over scheduled, over worked, and we put too much pressure on ourselves to do it all.
One of the most valuable lessons I've learned as a mom is to keep it simple. Go with the flow and follow my children's lead. If I push too hard, they will push back even harder. So I have to stop and think- what do my kids need right now?
It's a lot of love, patience, guidance, opportunities to learn and grow from their mistakes, and just PLAY! It can make some of the sleep culprits disappear!
In today's world it's really, really hard to even pretend like we might be leading a balanced life. We are over scheduled, over worked, and we put too much pressure on ourselves to do it all.
One of the most valuable lessons I've learned as a mom is to keep it simple. Go with the flow and follow my children's lead. If I push too hard, they will push back even harder. So I have to stop and think- what do my kids need right now?
It's a lot of love, patience, guidance, opportunities to learn and grow from their mistakes, and just PLAY! It can make some of the sleep culprits disappear!
Monday, June 13, 2011
How much sleep does my child REALLY need?
As a first time mom with Connor, I was sorely mistaken. I had no idea that a baby’s bedtime was 6:30-7pm. I found that out 2 years later. I went with what the Dr. said- he had colic. Looking back at our experience, I call it self induced colic since we chose to keep him up and let him miss his sleep window. I had no idea. He slept like a champ at daycare because he was SO sleep deprived at home in the evenings. Connor didn’t get the right amount of sleep nor the quality sleep he really needed as a baby. When I first found out how many hours of sleep a child really needs, I realized how much I didn’t know as a parent.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
So how do I get my baby to sleep?
You are probably aware that there are so many baby sleep books and programs out there. Some of the big names you know are Ferber, Mindell, West, Sears, Wiessbluth, just to name a few. Although all of them have some really great tips and ideas about children and sleeping, they have very different philosophies and approaches to get to that good quaility sleep. The one thing they all have in common is that they recommend you pick a plan and stick with it. Read more in the NY Times artcle to see what I mean!
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/12/health/12sleep.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/12/health/12sleep.html
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