It's just about time to Spring Forward in 2023. So how do you actually adjust your baby or toddler's sleep to Daylight Saving Time? I think I speak for everyone when I say YAY to sunlight after 5PM as we Spring Forward. As a reminder (because I always get confused), Spring Forward = the new 8PM will feel like the old 7PM. Check out my favorite ways to manage the time change for Spring Daylight Saving Time. Daylight Saving Time FAQ Because Daylight Saving Time confuses the heck out of me, let's cover the basics. 1. Toddler/Preschooler: Skip Nap This is a good way to adjust to daylight savings ..read more

Hold up. You are reading a guide about pumping at work. Do you realize what that means? Yes, that's right. It means that you are still feeding your baby breast milk! Whether your baby drinks 1 ounce or 30 ounces of breast milk a day, this is a huge win. And you deserve major kudos for the many hours of nursing and pumping (both day and night!) you have put in thus far. Our bodies were made for breastfeeding, but that doesn't mean that it is easy. As you plan to return to work, you may feel a little nervous about maintaining the milk supply you and your baby have worked so hard for. And rightf ..read more

So many health fads, and just as many questions about their effectiveness. I am all about natural health and wellness. However, I am also kind of a skeptic. I tend to employ more of a "skeptic until proven effective" point-of-view. Years ago, I dug into the research on probiotics for kids hoping to find a solution for my daughter's eczema. Spoiler alert. Probiotics can't treat eczema. During my dig, however, I found some research that convinced me to begin giving a daily probiotic to my kids! Whether you want to understand the benefits of probiotics for kids, are considering adding a daily pr ..read more

About to brave a road trip with toddlers? Remember the days when... You used to only have to pack for one person when getting ready for vacation? Vacation meant that you got to stay up late doing something fun and sleep in the next day? Go out to fancy dinners? Walks on the beach? Ha! And now it means driving instead of flying because of all the stuff you have to lug along. Falling asleep at 8PM with your kids in a hotel room. Eating dinner with the old folks at 5PM because your kids are hangry and you need them fed and in bed ASAP! Sigh. I still LOVE vacation. Just the like the rest of life ..read more

"How do you get two kids to sleep in one hotel room? Woof!" I love this question! Probably because it took us some time to figure this one out ourselves. My goal with this is to make bedtime feel a little more like home. If your kids don't normally share a room (or a bed!), it can be distracting and uncomfortable to have someone else present when falling asleep, on vacation. Here are big strategies that help make bedtime feel a little bit more like home. Toddler/Preschooler Vacation Sleep Tip # 1 Separate the kids You can separate them into separate beds just to fall asleep at bedtime and tran ..read more

When I was a new mom to Roberto (my oldest, now almost 8 years old ) I had heard about sign language for babies. I remember wondering, however, if sign language was just something "good" to teach your baby or if it had actual real life relevance. I mean, eventually he would be able to talk, so was it worth the effort? If I taught him sign language, would it deter him from actually talking out loud? Funny how we remember such specific worries, questions, feelings about our babies. I also remember reading an article talking about how it didn't delay verbal language, so I decided to give it a tr ..read more

Are you on Team Pacifier or No? Who me? You want to know what I think? I am pro-paci. For me, it's simple. Independent tool that my baby likes. Safe to use until age 3 years according to dentists. Helps my kids fall asleep and back to sleep independently and easily. Check, check check. Yes, please. Both of my kids used pacifiers for sleep until their 3rd birthday. Thankfully, weaning them away was much easier than I anticipated. However, there is a caveat to my recommendation. And while I am at it, I'll share a few tips on how to handle pacis that fall out of the crib (accidently or intention ..read more

I love what I do. I am a sleep coach, but really I am in the business of helping parents who are feeling hopeless, helpless, exhausted, overwhelmed. The business of sharing kindness and empathy. Two words almost every parent I talk to says they are feeling are "exhausted" and "overwhelmed." "I have no clue how to fix this, or even where to begin... I need someone to tell me exactly what to do." So here I am. If you have a child who wakes overnight or needs you overnight. I am going to tell you exactly where to start. Where to begin? Bedtime. Bedtime sets the tone for the rest of the night. It ..read more

Have you ever heard of "time in"? If you google the term "time-in", you will likely see it used as an alternative to time out. Time-In vs Time-Out Instead of the child sitting by him/herself as a punishment like what is done during a time-out, he/she would sit with a parent/adult to help him through his feelings. I think this version of a time-in is great. It is a way to reset, to calm down, to model appropriate ways to calm down, to be sensitive to the child's feelings, to move on without a huge to-do. It can stop the unwanted behavior in the moment. Similar to a time-out, time-in can be a n ..read more

Actual text from my brother this past weekend... "So Claire can climb out of her crib. She showed up in our room butt naked during time time." I vividly remember the day Roberto learned how to climb out of the crib. Mostly because it was the beginning of the end for me. He learned how to climb out and refused to go back in, we transitioned him to a big boy bed, and our awful, ever consuming sleep challenges began. This is a story for another day (I share a bit of it here if you want to commiserate) , but I quickly want to share some tips on how to handle the day your kiddo learns how to climb ..read more