With changing seasons, parents are wondering how best to keep baby warm for sleep, while not overheating! The best way to check if your little one is the correct temperature is to put your hand on their chest. Does their chest feel comfortable and warm? It should not be hot or cool to your touch. Touching your baby’s hands and feet is not a good way to determine if they are warm enough – it’s all about the core! Never dress baby in a hat for sleep, as this can cause overheating.  If baby is showing signs of sweat on their forehead or their chest feels warm, take a layer off. Never dress ..read more

This is the scene: You’ve finally convinced your baby to fall asleep in your arms after much rocking, feeding, shushing, and pacifier-replacing. You gently transfer them to the crib, and tiptoe out of the room like a ninja. Forty-five minutes goes by, and… your baby is awake again. Gotcha, Mom and Dad!! Many parents refer to these wakings early in your child’s evening, shortly after you’ve put them down for the night, as “false starts.” Here’s why they happen: Too much awake time before bed: If a baby is overtired when going down for the night, they will very often have trouble getting in, a ..read more

Alone, on their Back, in a Crib – this is what we call the ABCs of safe infant sleep, and it’s how the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends babies sleep, for the safety sleep possible for babe. 1. Alone: Baby should sleep alone, rather than in the same sleep space as a parent/caregiver. Note: The AAP does advise the safest place for baby to sleep is the same room as their caregiver.(Also, keep the room cool and smoke-free!) 2. On their Back: Baby should be placed on their back for sleep. 3. In a Crib: The AAP recommends use of a crib or bassinet that meets current safety s ..read more

It’s 2 a.m. and your 18 month old is awake. It’s 3 p.m. and your 7 month old is refusing to nap in her crib. Do you go in right away so he doesn’t get more upset? Wait a few minutes to see if he’ll maybe go back to sleep on his own? Rock him? Stay with him? Check on him and leave again? If you’re a parent struggling with difficult naps or nighttime wake ups, and you’ve been looking into sleep coaching methods, you might already be overwhelmed. There are so many versions of strategies, some similar and others wildly different, when it comes to managing your child’s challenging sleep. I’ll expl ..read more

Swaddling can be very helpful for newborns to help calm their Moro reflex (often referred to as the “startle reflex” – you know, the one that causes your baby to hit himself in the face and wake up very annoyed? Yeah, that one.). Swaddling is not a sleep prop, but something that can really help some babies to sleep well during those first few months when those limbs are flying all over the place! However, many parents wonder when to transition from the swaddle. Do this if: Baby is consistently breaking out of the swaddle on their own (the swaddle not really working towards its goal at that poi ..read more

It’s not always crystal clear when your baby is ready to make certain sleep transitions, and determining when to increase awake times can be one of those uncertain periods. Let’s start by looking at average awake times by age (remember, every baby is different, and some may be ready for more awake time a bit earlier or a bit later than others!): 0-3 Months: 45-60 minutes 4-5 months: 1.5-2 hours 6-7 months: 2-2.5 hours 8-10 months: 2.5-3 hours 11+ months: 3-4 hours Once we know these average awake times, we can watch for signs around these ages that baby is ready for more awake time ..read more

Sound machines have become a popular sleep tool for parents with young children. There is a lot of mixed information, though, about the right way to use a sound machine, and whether to use one at all! Here’s what to keep in mind when considering a sound machine for baby: Do keep in mind, you don’t HAVE to use a sound machine for your child to learn to sleep well. Many children sleep fine without white noise. But, in most situations, I am a big proponent of a sound machine. Here are some great examples of when a sound machine and white noise can be so helpful to your baby’s sleep ..read more

This is the scene: You’ve finally convinced your baby to fall asleep in your arms after much rocking, feeding, shushing, and pacifier-replacing. You gently transfer them to the crib, and tiptoe out of the room like a ninja. Forty-five minutes goes by, and… your baby is awake again. Gotcha, Mom and Dad!! Many parents refer to these wakings early in your child’s evening, shortly after you’ve put them down for the night, as “false starts.” Here’s why they happen: Too much awake time before bed: If a baby is overtired when going down for the night, they will very often have trouble getting in, an ..read more

If your baby was not premature, you may have never heard the terms “Adjusted Age” or “Corrected Age.” But, if your baby was born early (earlier than 37 weeks), calculating baby’s adjusted age can be very helpful for sleep!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Adjusted age is your baby’s age based on her due date, rather than birth date. We take your baby’s chronological age (how old she is from the day she was born) and subtract how many weeks before her estimated due date she arrived.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ E.g. if a baby is 12 weeks old, but was born 8 weeks early, her Adjusted Age is actually 4 weeks ..read more

Related to naps, the concept of “crib hour” is this: if baby wakes up at any point under an hour from when they were put down, you leave them be. This is a popular option among some for lengthening a baby’s short naps… But, here’s why I don’t subscribe to crib hour.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Certainly, if a baby is consistently having short naps (e.g. 30 minutes, every single time! Who can relate?! So frustrating!), giving baby a bit of time at the end of the nap might be a great way to at least give him a chance to go back to sleep on his own. But, if it’s been more than 10-15 minutes, we’ve got a ..read more