Back-to-School Sleep Routine: Tips for a Successful Transition

As summer days wind down and the back-to-school season approaches, it’s time to shift gears from late nights chasing fireflies to establishing healthy sleep routines. Reintroducing a back-to-school sleep routine can help your child adjust. Embracing the transition to earlier bedtimes can set your family up for success as the school year begins. Sleep is important at any age. After all, quality sleep is essential for children of all ages to thrive, learn, and stay alert in the classroom. As you prepare fo school shopping, don’t forget to prioritize reestablishing healthy sleep habits in your household. Here are some tips to help your family make a smooth and well-rested transition:

Baby Sleep Adjustments for the Spring Daylight Saving Time Change

What the Daylight Saving time change means for your baby, how the time change will affect your baby’s sleep and how to adjust your baby’s schedule so you can help your baby get the sleep they need to achieve their dreams. On Sunday, March 12th, 2023 at 2 am we “Spring Forward” with the Spring time change to welcome the beginning of Daylight Savings Time. Although the spring forward time change brings brighter mornings and longer days, many parents fear this time change as it may also bring early wakings leading to cranky, sleep-deprived children (and parents!). Fear not!! The “Spring Forward” time change is actually less disruptive to your child’s sleep than the Fall Back or end of Daylight Savings time change. In fact, those of you with an earlier riser may actually feel like you are getting a bit more sleep this weekend! WIN!! How does the Daylight Saving time change affect my baby’s sleep? We essentially lose an hour of sleep with the Daylight Saving time change and it can take your child’s body’s natural circadian rhythms a few days (or even a bit longer) to adjust to a time change. When the times of the clock …

Holiday Sleep Tips to Keep Your Child on the Nice List

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house not a child was sleeping and mommy was TIRED! While the holidays are a wonderful time of year, it may feel overwhelming to find a balance between attending all the holiday events and keeping your child on schedule and well-rested. Your child’s sleep may get off track and before you know it, you and your little one may be struggling to stay on Santa’s Nice List this season. Making your child’s sleep a priority during the Holiday season doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. If you are looking for help to keep your little one well-rested during travel and this Holiday Season, check out The Ultimate Holiday Travel and Sleep Guide. Here are some Holiday Sleep Tips to help keep your children merry and bright.

Time Change SLEEP Tips for your Toddler, Preschooler, or Big Kid

Sleep tips to help your toddler, preschooler or big kid adjust to the end of Daylight Saving time change Child Sleep and the Fall Back Time Change The leaves are turning colors, the air is brisk and the end to Daylight Savings, or the Fall Back Time Change, is right around the corner. The time change might have you dreaming about that extra hour of sleep! Unfortunately, many parents dread the time change and often wonder if the time change will affect their child’s sleep. Many parents worry the end to Daylight Savings will lead to early morning wakings, a tired, cranky child and an unhappy family. Fear not! I have SLEEP tips to help you adjust your child’s sleep to the time change. Don’t forget, the time change will occur Sunday, November 6th, 2022 at 2:00 am. How to adjust your child’s sleep for the Daylight Saving Time Change Fall 2022: SLEEP Tips Spend time outdoors. Natural light helps our bodies adjust our internal clocks. Playing outside not only exposes a child to natural light which will help adjust their internal clocks it promotes physical activity which can be tiring! Lighting. Keep your child’s room nice and dark for …

Parents need sleep, too!

Sleep is a need and is essential for the growth and development of our little ones. So why is it that many adults don’t prioritize their own sleep and like we do for our children? Parents need sleep, too!

Sleep Easy: Safety Tips for Turning a Nursery into a Big Kid Room

Transitioning to a big kid bed is a big kid step! If you are considering moving your little one out of a crib and into a big kid bed, making sure your child’s room is safe will help everyone sleep better! Safety is always a number one concern! You know the ABC’s of safe sleep and followed them step by step throughout infancy. But now, your child is out of the crib and even though they are ready for a big kid bed, they may not be ready to have big kid freedoms and responsibilities…especially in the middle of the night. Although we will expect our little one to follow their sleep rules and remain in their sleep space during sleep, we also need to make sure their room is as safe as a giant crib. As your child ages, they will be spending more time exploring and asserting their independence throughout your house and we want to keep them as safe as possible as they do so. Follow these tips to help turn your nursery into a big kid room that is as safe as a giant crib and sleep easy knowing you are taking steps to keep them safe. …

Help Your Child LOVE Sleep

February the month of “Love Day” (my 3 year old’s name for Valentine’s day), so it seems appropriate to share tips to help you get your child to LOVE sleep! Whether you have an infant that is taking short naps, a toddler that is waking during the night or a preschooler that is on a sleep protest, these tips can help your little one learn to LOVE sleep. 5 Tips to Help Your Child LOVE SLEEP

Sleep Products for Your Baby, Toddler or Child

Setting up your child’s bedroom so it ideal for sleep can help everyone get some Zzzz’s! Creating a safe, cool, quiet and dark sleep environment will help your baby, toddler or child get more restful sleep. Here are a few of my favorite sleep products: Safe. We want to create a safe sleeping environment by always following the ABC’s of sleep. That means for baby’s they will be placed down for sleep in an empty crib (i.e. no blankets, bumpers, stuffed animals, etc.). Sleep sacks help to keep little ones warm and can be a cue for sleep. Plus, they come in all sizes! Make the nursery and home a safe environment by anchoring furniture, installing door knob covers or the door monkey lock, covering outlets, and securing windows and cords. Cool. A cool temperature is ideal for sleep. I like the The Gro Company Gro-Egg Room Thermometer to monitor the room temperature plus it’s soft light won’t interfere with melatonin production which is necessary for sound sleep. Quiet. White noise can help create a calm environment that muffles noises that occur outside of the room. Check out the Marpac Dohm-DS All-Natural Sound Machine for a durable product that can …

Sleep Rules are Rules to Follow

If your family’s sleep habits have gotten a bit off track, it is time to reestablish some sleep rules. Sleep rules do not have to be complicated. In fact, simple rules are easiest for children to understand and follow. Have a family meeting and discuss the importance of sleep together. Let your child know that we are all committing to follow these rules as a family so we can all benefit from being a well-rested family! Sleep rules should be simple and direct. Discuss these rules with your little one and allow them to actively take a part of the discussion. Make a Sleep Rule Chart or Sleep Rules Book and review it with your little one before every sleep. Allow them to use stickers, color and decorate their sleep rules. They should be proud of these rules! Let them show off their Sleep Rules and share them with their family, friends and teachers. Example Sleep Rules: I lay quietly and I do not wake sleeping people. When I wake at night, I stretch my body and go back to sleep. I stay in bed all night. Once the rules are stated they will need to be followed. Let your child knowthat …