 Mom guilt can be such a burden, am I right?? Pretty much any decision you need to make as a mom (or dad!) is a decision someone can shame or judge you for. As a mom, a sleep professional and Certified Lactation Counselor, I am a big advocate for doing what is right for your own family and situation. A hot topic in the world of parenting (and especially in sleep training) is breastfeeding. Should you do it? Can you do it? How can you do it successfully? And on and on…
To be completely up front…YES YOU CAN! I’ve seen many people tout that breastfed babies are doomed to have terrible sleep due to the on-demand schedule many nursing mamas/babies follow. As you may have gathered about me, the biggest thing I focus on when it comes to getting your baby to sleep is their habits. Recognizing what baby relies on to help them fall asleep gives us a clue as to how their little bodies and brains perceive the process of falling asleep and staying asleep. My biggest advice I give when it comes to breastfeeding is this: Breastfeeding, even if you're an exclusive pumper, is a way to feed your baby. It shouldn't be the way that you use to get your baby or toddler to fall asleep. This, I might add, is the same advice I give to bottle/formula-fed babies. Hear me out here. While nursing can comfort a baby to the point of sleeping, it quickly becomes a crutch for the baby to rely on whenever he/she wakes in the middle of the night. A baby who constantly nurses to sleep will expect to be able to nurse at any hour, forcing you to get up and have a feeding session when you’d rather be asleep. Our goal with sleep training is to teach baby how to fall asleep without props and fall back asleep when the inevitable nighttime waking occurs. So what to do? It’s obviously important to make sure baby goes to bed with a full tummy. No one likes to wake from a peaceful sleep with a growling tummy! When you nurse baby in the evening, keep the lights on, and continue to gently shake or tickle baby’s feet or arms to keep them awake. Ideally, baby will feel full and drowsy after nursing, but still awake. This would be the ideal time to give them a kiss, place them in the crib, and shut the light off to signal bedtime. Simulating this routine allows baby to fall asleep on their own in the same way you do when you turn in for the night. As always, it’s important to do what you think is best for your family. Don’t let the shame or opinions you receive from others guilt you into unhealthy habits! I want you to have the breastfeeding journey that you want and to meet your goals. Sleep shouldn’t have to take a backseat either. Happy sleeping!  I was looking at my calendar this week and I can't believe it's almost August. Our summer has been so much fun with plenty of days at the pool, working on projects at home and of course, an upcoming trip to the beach! I love waking up early to get in a quick run on the boardwalk before stopping at a cool little coffee shop to have breakfast. What trips do you have planned for the remainder of the summer? Anywhere fun? And while I'm on vacation, I'm looking forward to early bedtimes for my daughter because she is guaranteed to be exhausted from all the beach time and fun. Will she sleep all night...you bet! Some parents worry that they'll get even less sleep when they're on vacation, but that doesn't have to be the case. In fact, it should be the opposite--you and your child should get MORE sleep while you're on vacation. That's the whole point of vacation, right? One of the things you shouldn’t have to worry about is how you’ll sleep when you’re staying somewhere other than your home. Because…face it…you’ll need the sleep and so will your children. Whether you’re only going for a quick weekend trip or staying at a beach condo for the week, your child can continue to sleep as well as they do at home. Here are a few tips to help ease the craziness of sleeping away from home with your child. Tip #1 – Make your child’s sleeping area feel like home as much as possible. Bring along your child’s lovey, sleep sack and white noise machine, if you use one. Make the environment as close to home as possible to help ease your child’s anxiety of being in a new place. Bonus points for you if the room your child is staying in has good room darkening curtains. For a quick solution, throw a blanket over the curtain rod to make the room darker! Tip #2 -- Separate your sleeping spaces as much as possible. If you’re staying in a hotel room with a separate bedroom, there’s nothing wrong with your child sleeping in the bedroom so you can continue to watch TV and go to bed when you're ready. If you have to share a room with your child, make sure they have their own sleeping space, such as a portable crib or cots for toddlers already sleeping in a big kid bed. If you’re worried about lugging the portable crib along with your luggage and your child’s car seat, ask to borrow one at your destination. Grandparents have friends with grandchildren, maybe your sister who’s driving in can bring her extra portable crib, or check in the area for rental companies that will supply cribs to your hotel. (I've seen kids sleep in some odd places in an effort to make their space dark so don't think it hasn't been tried.) Tip #3 – Don’t skip naps. Make sure your child is getting the recommended amount of naps they need. Finding times for naps can be tough when you’re on the go from sun up to sun down and yes, sometimes they may be in the car seat or stroller. Nap times may be a bit off and that's fine, as long as your child is not overtired when it is time for bed. It’s easy for family and friends to want to pass the baby around and keep playing until baby is screaming from being overtired. If you know it’s time for a nap, it’s ok to put baby down to sleep. And if your cousin wants to keep baby awake to play longer, ask if she wants to play with a happy baby or a screaming, overtired baby…I think you’ll know the answer. I hope you have a good time on your vacation! With a few adjustments, you’ll all sleep comfortably no matter where you are…ok...so the fold-out couch at Grandma's might not be your comfy mattress at home, but it’ll do for a short-term stay. And if your baby or child isn’t sleeping well now, contact me at www.sleepsolutionsbychristine.com and let’s chat about your situation. We can work together to have restful nights now, and learn more ways to make sleep on vacation much for enjoyable for your whole family!  Time to Fall Back and Say Goodbye to Daylight Savings Time
According to the calendar, this weekend we’re supposed to get an extra hour of sleep as daylight savings time ends…tell that to our kids!  Walking through a large store last weekend with my daughter, she asked to go through the Halloween section. I’ll admit I was a bit surprised but also excited that she’s starting to enjoy one of my favorite holidays! We turned down the aisle and she ran right past the candy, the girly costumes, the silly masks… then stopped cold in her tracks in the face of a creepy looking clown thing that you hang up on your front porch to greet trick or treaters. The look on her face said it all… Yikes!
In this exclusive online webinar, you will learn my 5 Simple Solutions to Help Your Baby Sleep. This is perfect for you if you spend night after night dreading bedtime, feel frustrated that your child wakes so quickly after you get them into their crib and worry that your child will never sleep through the night.
You will learn:
 I’m here to make a confession. Yes, I’m a sleep coach but I too have rough nights of sleep.
It doesn’t happen often but I know how you feel. It’s 3am and you’re staring at the clock. You have a few hours before you have to get up for work and you’re worried how you’ll get through the day on so little sleep. You feel like your nights are on repeat…falling asleep but not staying asleep. Or you’re the opposite…you lay in bed and can’t seem to fall asleep no matter what you do. So what can you do to make your nights more restful? Do these 4 things to help you drift off to sleep faster and feel more rested in the morning. |
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