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Labor Day weekend is quickly approaching here in the United Statesm which is often considered to signal the end of summer. Family vacations and summer reunions are done for another year and kids start heading back to school. Historically, Labor Day has been a day to stop and recognize the work force. For many dads (and some moms!), Labor Day also marks the official start of football season. Here at The Baby Sleep Site, we know that, for moms, labor is more than just a job.

Labor, as part of the birth process, is merely the first part of the process of becoming a mom. Many moms would probably agree that the real labor starts after baby is born. Moms and Dads know that being a parent is a full time job. A job that we cherish and relish and which brings a great amount of joy and love to our lives, but it’s still a job and raising a child is hard work!

So, we decided to celebrate the job of parenting with a Baby Sleep Site Giveaway. With this in mind, we’ve tried to come up with some prizes to help make our jobs as parents just a little easier. Of course, this means we’ve included some prizes to help with baby sleep because as we well know, when baby sleeps better, we sleep better.

Take a peek at our list of prizes and then read to the end to find out how you can enter to win in The Baby Sleep Site Labor Day Giveaway. It only takes a few seconds of your time.

GRAND PRIZE:

Dyson Handheld Vacuum Cleaner (Only U.S. residents are eligible to win the Hand Vac. A Grand Prize winner located outside of the U.S. will win a $100 gift card from Amazon, instead.)

One lucky Grand Prize winner will win a Dyson Handheld Vacuum Cleaner. The Dyson Hand Vac is perfect for those quick pick ups including cereal off the floor, crushed cookies in the carpet or cracker crumbs off your computer keyboard. It is lightweight and cordless which makes it easy to grab and clean in just minutes. As you may already know, Dyson is one of the best vacuums out there for sucking power and durability. This hand vac includes lifetime, washable filters so no bags are necessary and includes a lithium ion battery that charges up to three times faster than others.

RealSleep CDs

Six winners will receive one of the RealSleep CDs. RealSleep is a CD you play while you or your child are going to sleep. Created by a neuroscientist, it uses nearly-inaudible sounds embedded in music to help you or your child go to sleep faster and stay asleep longer. RealSleep has generously given us six copies of their RealSleep Children’s CD to giveaway to Baby Sleep Site readers. This version is optimized for children’s higher hearing range and can help balance the mechanisms to help children go to sleep more quickly and stay asleep longer. While not a substitute for teaching a baby or toddler how to fall asleep on their own, the RealSleep CDs sounds can help trigger the body’s natural processes for falling asleep and staying alseep. Read more on their website about RealSleep CDs.

Gift Certificate to My Baby Pajamas

Everyone knows that comfort is one of the key elements to a good night’s sleep and this includes what we wear to bed. My Baby Pajamas has some of cutest and snuggliest pajamas around. And not just for babies! They have pajamas available for kids up to age 14 and for adults as well. My Baby Pajamas wanted to be able to provide parents with a place where they can find cute, cuddly, durable pajamas at a reasonable cost. You can shop for a boy or girl, by age or by brand. We have a $30 gift certificate to use on MyBabyPajamas.com for one lucky winner. You can check out all the pajama cuteness at www.MyBabyPajamas.com

Babble Soft- Baby Insights Day Tracker

Ditch the notebook, pitch the scraps and scribbles, and reclaim control over your time. The Baby Insights Day Tracker™ gives you one central place to store information about your baby’s care. These tools provide everything you need to give your life that perfect level of structure whether you are needing to schedule your day or are a mom returning to work and need to coordinate with the nanny or caregiver. The new solids and mom’s food tracker helps track down food sensitivities in breast milk or new foods given to your baby.

Baby Insights gives you instant round-the-clock web and mobile access to your baby’s daily schedule log, so no matter where you are, you can quickly update and review: breastfeeding or bottle feeding sessions, the time and amount of feeding, sleep time and durations, solid feeding, mom’s food, diaper changes, medication dosages and developmental milestones. (Also works as a great baby shower gift!)

Two winners will get a FREE three-month subscription to Babble Soft to track baby’s sleep, feedings, pumping, medication doses, etc. You can find more information about Babble Soft at www.babblesoft.com.

And, last, but not least:

The Baby Sleep Site^TM

After sleep coach and owner, Nicole Johnson, overcame her son’s sleeping issues in a way that complemented her own parenting style, and after such a happy success, she knew it was her mission to help other tired parents “find their child’s sleep.” Your baby’s sleep shouldn’t be stressful and The Baby Sleep Site strives to provide a strong, non-judgmental, support network to help you and your family sleep better. Our website has helped countless families through free online articles, step-by-step e-Books, and private and personalized sleep consulting services.

Two (2) people will win the 2 e-mail sleep consultation package to help with your sleep struggles. You’d be surprised how far you can get in just two e-mails! If you already have an account, your account will be credited.

Deadline to enter is Monday, September 6, 2010, 8:59 p.m. EDT.

Here is how you can enter:

(*Please note that all shipped prizes are available to US residents only.)

1. Leave a comment below, preferably a brief story of the labor of one or all of your babies! – 1 entry

2. Stumble this post. – 1 entry (Leave a comment that you stumbled)

3. Follow one of our sponsors on Twitter. The following sponsors are on Twitter (and you can receive one (1) entry per sponsor followed):

BabySleepSite, BabbleSoft, BabyPajamas.

4. Tweet about this giveaway with a link back to this post and the tag #parentingrocks. The tag will allow us to track and locate your tweet entry. – 1 entry (You can enter as many times as you wish! Tweet daily!)

Sample Tweet: “I just entered the Labor Day Giveaway by The Baby Sleep Site™! http://bit.ly/9pWvai #parentingrocks”

5. Subscribe to this blog, the Babble Soft blog or My Baby Pajamas blog. One (1) entry for each blog subscription. Please post in the comments which blogs you subscribed to.

Baby Sleep Site Blog via RSS or via E-Mail, Babble Soft Blog via RSS or via E-Mail, My Baby Pajamas via RSS Feed

6. Connect with any of the sponsors on Facebook and get one entry per Fan Page you join. Please post in the comments which Facebook Fan Pages you belong to.

The Baby Sleep Site Facebook Fan Page

Babble Soft Facebook Fan Page

My Baby Pajamas Facebook Fan Page

7. Blog about this giveaway on your blog. Include a link to this giveaway post in your blog post. Please post a link to your blog post in the comments. Blog posts must be posted publicly and not on membership sites to be entered. – 10 entries

Good luck!

When you were pregnant, you probably took great care in designing your baby’s nursery and carefully selected the best items for your baby registry. One of the most important things in the nursery is your baby’s crib. After all, she will sleep in her crib for 2 to 4 years, right?

Unfortunately, for some of us, sleeping in the crib is just a nice dream. After you had your baby, you might have purposely decided to keep baby in your room in a co-sleeper bassinet and imagined transitioning her to her own room and crib around 6 months old when she was sleeping through the night. When she turned 6 months, you might have learned it’s not that easy to transition baby to sleep in her crib and I’m here to help!

One thing I want to emphasize is that only some people can sleep anytime, anywhere. My husband happens to be that way (as I’m typing this, he just started snoozing on the couch next to me). Only some of our babies will sleep in a stroller (my boys are NOT among them!) and only a few will transition to sleep in a crib without a hitch. For three days my younger son slept in a Close and Secure Sleeper in our bed and then we put it into the crib and it was an easy transition. My older son (who inspired this site) was not so adaptable, which is why I did make a whole site about baby sleep.

When your baby is a newborn, she might not sleep in her crib because it’s far away from anyone who she seeks comfort from, mommy and daddy. And, it might seem too big compared to the womb, especially if she isn’t swaddled.

Months later, now your baby won’t sleep in the crib because it’s the equivalent of you going to sleep in the guest room. It is only her bed because you said it’s her bed. Your nursery might be beautiful, but to her, she may as well be in a different house when she’s trying to sleep in “her room”. Some adults can’t sleep well in a hotel (even the nice ones) for the same reason: It’s not your bed.

Once again, sleep associations come into play in how your baby knows how to fall asleep. Does she need to move to sleep (via rocking chair, bouncing ball, or bouncy seat)? Does she need to suck to sleep (via pacifier, nursing, or bottle)? And, is she in a comfortable place to sleep? Up until now she hasn’t slept in her crib, so why would that be a comfortable place today just because she turned 5 or 6 months old?

How to Get Your Baby to Sleep in the Crib

The #1 goal in helping your baby sleep in the crib is to make it feel like HER room and HER bed. Here are a few tips you might consider:

• Consider putting YOUR bed in HIS room for a few days.
• Make sure you spend non-sleep time in HIS room
• Have him sleep on his own crib sheet for a few days, so it has his scent
• YOU sleep on his crib sheet for a few days, so it has YOUR scent
• Give it time. Don’t expect it to go perfectly the first day. It might take a few days to a couple of weeks, but the first few nights will most likely be the most difficult. Expect it to be rough and he might just surprise you, but do expect it to take work. Only some will have an easy transition.

One thing you want to do is make sure your baby knows how to fall asleep on his own, FIRST. Otherwise, you are simply going back and forth from your room to his all night, instead of reaching over a foot or two (or if you are co-sleeping, maybe just a few inches). Even if your baby is sleeping great in your room, if she has trouble adjusting, make sure you are sensitive to the fact that this is a new place for her and don’t just let her cry it out. Some babies actually sleep BETTER, immediately, once they are in their own space, not smelling Mommy’s milk or hearing Daddy’s snoring all night long.

If you need help in getting your baby to sleep, please consider our 3-Step System to Help Your Baby Sleep e-Book (plus bonus materials) or our baby sleep consultations, where I will work with you on a personalized sleep plan that you can feel good about for your unique baby and your unique situation.

How Did You Get Your Baby to Sleep in the Crib?

It’s so easy to get stuck in a rut. It’s so easy to let fear of the unknown of what the next step will look like that keeps us doing what we do every day, even if it means sleeping in 2-hour fragments. After all, sometimes working on your baby’s sleep is like blindfolding yourself and walking down 50 stories of steps.

When big changes in our house happen, I can bank on my sons’ sleep being affected. I could probably go to Vegas and, if they’d give me odds, I could win some money, even. When my son was a baby, a routine change would set us back a week, MINIMUM.

This week a big change in our life is happening. The boys had a nanny and now it’s time to move onto school. It is a big transition, especially for my youngest. It was not a decision taken lightly and I knew there would be adjustments…for all of us. We will miss her dearly and hope she finds another family quickly. God bless her that she’s helping us transition the boys slowly, so we can ease them in. If anyone needs a nanny, I’d gladly refer her.

On top of this big change, *I* need a change. I sit at my computer no less than 10-12 hours a day. I don’t get enough exercise and my once ultra-healthy diet has turned into semi-healthy, sometimes. I don’t weigh too much more than pre-kids, but it’s what’s IN my body I don’t like. I need exercise, but where to find the time?

So, I made this nifty, nerdy calendar using Google Calendar that makes it easy for me to see a whole week at-a-glance and color-code it into family, work, “me” time, exercise, cleaning, etc. Yes, it’s a little crazy, but I’m visual and needed to “see” where I could fit in the time. My husband laughed at me, but hey, I need to do what I need to do, right? Know what time I found to exercise? 5:30-6 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday plus a class I’m taking with my friend on Sundays 2-3 p.m.

Last night, both boys woke up in the middle of the night, one with a nightmare (which isn’t too uncommon even on a normal day) and one, twice, just because. I KNEW it would come this week. After all, I logged my sons’ sleep for months. I know them. And if you think getting up with one is hard, it is. Getting up with two is downright brutal! But, being the great mom that I am, I cuddled each of them knowing a) that this is a phase, a big transition going to school (yesterday was their first day) and b) I have learned well how to avoid making this into a long-term habit (since I’ve been through these things so many times now): Be loving and encouraging, but draw the line somewhere. Oh, and try not to co-sleep, unless I want to do it every night.

When my alarm went off at 5:25 a.m., I hit snooze. Then, I opened my eyes. I got up. I tried to talk myself OUT of exercising. I put on my exercise clothes and told myself “Just do 10 minutes.”

I walk down the stairs and I hear chirping. Are those the baby birds we’ve been watching for the last couple of weeks outside our bathroom window? Today was the first day I heard them chirp (they just opened their eyes a day or two ago). I peek out and I see the mommy bird feeding them worms and the whole family looked so happy. It melted my heart. If mommy bird can fly around at the crack of dawn to find worms for her babies, then I can exercise! And, just like that I did 20 minutes on the treadmill, thought of this article and typed it up, all before 6:30 a.m.

So, this message is for you to go out and find YOUR motivation today to tackle your baby’s sleep (or make any change in your life you’ve been putting off). It might not be the 12 hours a night you’re looking for, but start with 10 minutes. You might surprise yourself and get the 12 hours anyway.

What’s YOUR motivation to tackle on your baby’s sleep?

Did you know Father’s day is celebrated the third Sunday in June in 55 of the world’s countries.  It is believed that the first Father’s Day was June 1910 which makes this year the 100th year of celebrating fathers and parenthood. With Father’s Day coming up, we wanted to have a special giveaway as a way to celebrate all the awesome dads in our lives. We all have those moments we hold dear to our hearts about our own dads and the dad of our children.  For this giveaway, it seemed only fitting to hold a giveaway that included a grand prize that dads would love as well as the opportunity for more sleep!

So, with that in mind, we will be giving away a new Flip Video Camera to one lucky winner to give to or share with the dad in their life. What a great opportunity to be able to capture all of life’s special moments or even quite possibly create the next YouTube video sensation. (Have you seen the video this kid’s dad made of him after a visit to the dentist? Over sixty million views! A very patient dad, indeed.)

The Flip Ultra Camera is a compact, easy to use hand held camera that can capture up to 120 minutes of video on 4 GB of built in memory. This camera not only makes it easy to capture video of kids and family in action with just the push of a button but it makes it simple to download onto your computer and share with friend and family. The Flip Ultra Camera comes with a flip USB arm that plugs directly to your computer automatically launching the FlipShare software. This software lets you easily manage and share your videos by email or uploading online.  There is a large 2 inch screen on the back for immediate playback.

*Please note that the Flip Camera prize is available to US residents only.

Of course, we want to ensure that Dads (and Moms!) are getting good sleep so we will also be offering the following Baby Sleep Site ™ prizes:

Mastering Naps and Schedules e-Book- We will be giving away two copies of the Mastering Naps and Schedules e-book. If naps are a struggle or if you have questions about how much and how often your baby or toddler should be napping, then this is the book for you. This book covers how to help your child learn to nap longer, why naps are so important for nighttime sleep, how to break baby’s dependence on you to fall asleep, how to help your early riser learn to sleep later, and includes over 40 sample schedules…plus much more!

Help Your Child Sleep- A Step by Step Guide- There are also two copies of this e-book up for grabs. This book helps you design a step by step a sleep coaching plan that works for you and your family. It also includes a quick reference guide with age-specific sleep guidelines and sleep log for tracking your child’s sleep patterns. Whether you are interested in co-sleeping, crying it out, setting schedules, night weaning or feeding at night, this book covers it all!

3 Month Membership to our Members Area- Two more lucky winners will each receive a 3 month membership to our Members Area which is packed with premium content. The Members  Area includes access to all three of the Baby Sleep Site’s e-books, (including the two mentioned above), access to a member’s only chat room (with weekly expert advice), quarterly tele-seminars with a Q&A Session, and archived tele-seminars. With membership to the Members Area, you will also be eligible to purchase baby sleep consultations at 20% off!

Deadline to enter is Sunday, June 20, 2010, 8:59 p.m. EDT.

Here’s how to enter:

You can enter using all the methods and enter multiple times per day by tweeting about the giveaway.

1. Leave a comment telling us what’s special about the dad in your life and why you would like to see him win.

2. Follow us on Twitter (@babysleepsite) and tweet the following:

Baby Sleep Site Father’s Day Giveaway! Enter to win a Flip Ultra Video camera for Dad. http://bit.ly/flipdads #babysleep

3. Subscribe to The Baby Sleep Site on YouTube.

4. Join The Baby Sleep Site on Facebook AND leave a comment on our Facebook page letting us know you joined.

5. Click on the Facebook Share button below and post this giveaway as a status update on your Facebook profile. This button lets us keep track of how many people shared on Facebook, but be sure to also leave us a comment below letting us know you shared it on Facebook with all of your Friends.

6. Subscribe to receive updates from us via RSS Feed or by email: Baby Sleep Site Blog via RSS or via E-Mail

7.  Blog about this giveaway on your blog. Include a link to this giveaway post in your blog post. Please include a link to your blog post in the comments. Blog posts must be posted publicly and not on membership sites to be entered. – 10 entries

Two of my neighbors and my best friend all had babies within just a couple of weeks of each other less than 8 weeks ago. All of them have commented on the sleep deprivation that goes along with having a newborn and one asked me when my babies started sleeping through the night. First, I always need to ask what that means to someone because, for some, they mean to have a baby sleep through the night, including feedings, and others mean sleep straight through 10-12 hours, with no feedings.

What does it mean to have your baby sleep through the night?

For me, “baby sleeping through the night” meant my baby sleeping 10-12 hours without feedings. It was around 4 months old, with both breastfed sons, that they started sleeping pretty much straight through with two feedings at night, so I couldn’t really expect much more than that. Sleep was not perfect (particularly with my eldest son because why else would I have a whole website about baby sleep?), but it was ten times better once I changed their sleep associations with needing to breastfeed to sleep or be rocked to sleep all night long. Of course, that’s the trickiest part of this crazy thing about getting babies to sleep and why it’s never a simple answer or silver bullet (oh how I wish it were! I’d e-mail everyone my silver bullet RIGHT NOW!).

One thing I know for certain is regardless of whether you think of “sleeping through the night” is with or without feedings, it can feel like your baby will never do it. If it’s not one thing it’s another. If it’s not a feeding, replacing a pacifier, or rocking her to sleep, it’s cold in her room. If it’s not cold, maybe it’s hot. If it’s not temperature, your baby is now teething. Later on, with your toddler or preschooler, it might even be night terrors or nightmares. You will think of a million reasons about maybe WHY she isn’t sleeping through the night and you might seriously start feeling like it’s a pipe dream that will ever happen.

When Will Your Baby Sleep Through the Night?

Obviously, I can’t really look into my crystal ball to tell you when YOUR baby will sleep through the night (I save the crystal ball for winning the lottery, but for some reason it’s on the fritz right now), but I can tell you that I’ve heard it all when it comes to doctors telling parents when their baby shouldn’t need anymore night feedings and should be sleeping all night. I can also tell you that parents who are skeptical that their 3-month old breastfed baby can go without any feedings for 12 hours per night, you should be. 12 hours is a LONG time, even for many adults and if your baby is breastfed, she will likely need to eat at night a bit longer than her formula-fed friends.

But, when I hear about 12 to 18-month old toddlers who still need a bottle (or 2 or 3) per night or aren’t sleeping all night, then I say there is action to take IF you want a baby who sleeps through the night. If you are fine with co-sleeping or feeding your toddler at night, then there is nothing much to worry about except the effect on the teeth without brushing and how it can lead to bottle mouth syndrome, in some cases.

The short answer is that NO ONE goes off to college needing a bottle in the middle of the night (at least that I know of), so don’t worry about it “never happening” (same for potty training, by the way, as I never saw anyone in the dorm still wearing diapers).

The not-so-short answer is that if your definition of sleeping through the night is with feedings, your baby can sleep fairly well through the night by 4 to 6 months, usually, on average. If you mean straight through without feedings, most can be night-weaned by around 9 months, sometimes as late as 12 months or beyond. The “experts” all vary:

• Dr, Sears (The Baby Sleep Book) says night feedings are normal up through 18 months or more.
• Pantley (The No Cry Sleep Solution) agrees.
• Weissbluth (Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child) says it’s normal for babies to need 1-2 feedings up through 9 months, and can then be night-weaned.
• Kim West (Good Night, Sleep Tight) agrees.
• Ferber (Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems) says a baby can go up to 8-10 hours without feeding by 3 months.
• Baby Wise agrees.
My pediatrician and yours would probably say something different, too.

This is why reading all of these different opinions made my head spin and I wrote my own book on baby sleep (to save other parents time and money). No, I don’t have THE answer. I actually keep the option open that YOU have the answer! Surprise!

If you think your baby or toddler is waking out of habit, then he probably is. Even if you think he is truly hungry, you might have the confidence that if he would just eat more during the day, he’d be able to sleep all night (I recommend at least an attempt at night-weaning once you feel this way). If you believe your baby or toddler “needs” to eat just to fall asleep and not because he’s hungry, then teach him how to sleep without eating. You know your baby best and the key is not to have the answer (believe me, there is not ONE answer for all of us), the key is to have the tools to teach your baby to sleep independently and when you have your tools, sleeping through the night will naturally follow when your baby is truly ready.

When did your baby/babies sleep through the night?

Swaddling your newborn to sleep can be very beneficial. Many people wonder if they can ever swaddle their baby like the nurses did at the hospital. I admit, my husband was better at making our little burrito than I was until we bought The Miracle Blanket. This article is your swaddling how-to, including deciding when to stop swaddling and how to stop swaddling.

Why Swaddle Your Baby?

The reason why you swaddle your baby is to make her feel like she did when she was in her mommy’s tummy. She didn’t have room to stretch out and, for months, found comfort in being tightly “held” in your belly and the movement, when you walked, lulled her to sleep. Harvey Karp in The Happiest Baby on the Block suggests that babies actually need more time in the womb (a fourth trimester), but if they had that time, they’d never get through the birth canal because their head would get too big, so swaddling extends the womb feeling for them. When they are first adjusting to this big, cold world (compared to your belly), swaddling helps a lot to keep them calm and relaxed (especially when they haven’t outgrown the moro / startle reflex where their limbs “jump” uncontrollably).

What if Your Newborn Doesn’t Like Being Swaddled?

Sometimes it appears your baby doesn’t like to be swaddled. This could be true, but sometimes, they are just so overtired and wound up that they resist the swaddle only because they are agitated and fatigued. It does not necessarily mean he doesn’t like it. After you swaddle your newborn, try swaying him and soothing him to see if he will calm down. My son loved to be swaddled, but at first he’d still cry once he was swaddled. Contrary to the video you’ll see down below, he did not calm down instantly once he was swaddled (just his personality). But, he did sleep better and longer once he did fall asleep and he was swaddled. If your baby just never calms down or if swaddling used to work and now it doesn’t, it might be time to stop swaddling. More on that later.

How to Swaddle Your Baby

It is pretty difficult to describe, in words, how to swaddle your baby. Some people call it wrapping up a burrito and if you’ve ever made a burrito, it is a little similar. You want to fold the bottom of the blanket over her legs and then wrap up the sides, so the “contents” don’t fall out. Better yet, let’s just watch a couple of videos on how to swaddle your baby:

Miracle Blanket Video

How to swaddle your baby video #2 -

When to Stop Swaddling

From my research, it does not harm your baby to swaddle them for months and months unless they are not getting free play time during the day. They need to be able to move their limbs to grow big and strong, so you don’t want them swaddled all day and night. But, swaddling while your baby sleeps until 6, 7, 8, and even 9 months is not unheard of and if your baby likes it and hasn’t learned to break free, this should be fine (check with your pediatrician for any doubts you might have about your own baby). Once your baby starts breaking out of the swaddle very often and especially when it becomes a hazard where she might suffocate with the blanket, it’s time to stop swaddling. The average age seems to be around 5-6 months. Again, all babies are different. We stopped swaddling sometime around 4 months with both boys, when we taught them to self-soothe.

How to Stop Swaddling

The most common method to transition away from swaddling is to swaddle with legs out, then one arm out, then to stop swaddling all together. Some swaddle one arm out, then both arms out and then stop swaddling. A baby who was once sleeping through the night may not do that while adjusting to sleeping without the swaddle. Keep in mind that it might take a week or two for her to get used to not being swaddled and getting used to having her limbs out. If her moro or startle reflex hasn’t stopped, it might be especially difficult and you might swaddle her again and try again a few weeks to a month later. Babies change very fast in the first year that something that didn’t work at one time might work great just two weeks later. You must be patient and give your baby time to adjust.

Can you sleep train while baby is swaddled?

A common question is whether you should sleep train while your baby is swaddled. It never hurts to try to let your baby fall asleep unassisted, even while swaddled. Some babies simply will fall asleep within a few minutes when they are put down awake. Other babies (like mine) will not. So, in general, I do NOT recommend sleep training while your baby is swaddled, especially if you are using a variation of cry it out. Your baby needs to find a way to self-soothe whether it’s sucking on her fingers, thumb, or holding on to her sleep sack. But, if you put down your baby and he fusses or cries for 5 minutes or less and he’s swaddled, it appears you have a very good self-soother and you can continue swaddling and when he’s ready, you can probably stop swaddling fairly easily.

What if stopping the swaddle is not easy?

You’re in luck! This whole site is dedicated to when things don’t come easy when it comes to your baby’s sleep! Make sure you get your FREE guide and helping your baby sleep through the night, check out our forum, or consider our baby sleep consulting services, where you can get a custom sleep plan for your family that you can feel good about.

How long did YOU swaddle your baby and how did you stop swaddling?

Spring is here and Mother’s Day is quickly approaching. Mother’s day for me has never really been about presents or taking the day off from kids and family. For me, it’s always been a day for me to reflect, appreciate and be extremely grateful for the opportunity to be a Mom. There’s nothing I’d rather be doing than spending the day playing and relishing time with my family. And now that Spring is here, Moms everywhere are gearing up for Springtime activities with kids, maybe some gardening (my sons and I just planted flowers for the porch 2 weeks ago), spring cleaning and taking in the sights of flowers blooming. What Moms may be missing out on though is more sleep, better sleep, or just some plain old splurging on herself. We want to help change that so we’ve put together this Mother’s Day Giveaway! Join us in this celebration of Moms everywhere for all that we do and for the heaps of unconditional time and love we give to our children and families.

Mother’s love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved. ~Erich Fromm

So, for this Mother’s Day Giveaway, come celebrate with us and enter to win some fantastic prizes. Directions for how to enter follow the prize list.

Grand Prize- $100 Gift Certificate to Target OR Amazon

We considered what the grand prize for our Mother’s Day Giveaway should be. A spa gift package? A gift card out for dinner? In the end though, we thought that rather than pick something out for mom, we’d let mom pick out something for herself. So, take the money and run! Splurge on just you for your special day. Choose your gift card from Target or Amazon.

Good Nite Lite

The Good Nite Lite is the perfect nightlight for helping toddlers get into a healthy sleep pattern. This nightlight features a nighttime moon light that is set at bedtime to give off a soft blue glow that provides enough light to soothe your child but is not too bright as to inhibit sleeping. Parents can then set the light for a specific wake-up time and the sun lights up letting your baby or toddler learn and understand that until the sun lights up, it is still sleep time. The Good Nite Lite is a great visual cue for young children to begin moving from waking up too early and interfering with getting a full night’s rest. You can find more information and ordering this product at www.goodnitelite.com. A Good Nite Lite will go to one lucky winner.

Little Keeper Sleeper

This product has been referred to as the “sanity saving sleeper!”  It’s really called the Little Keeper Sleeper & it’s designed to prevent unwanted removal of sleepers & diapers.  Too many parents go into their kids rooms in the morning to find their kids undressed and/or the crib & walls have been decorated – and not with beautiful paint! This sleeper is unlike any other with 3 key features to keep the little Houdinis in these jammies.

The winner of the Little Keeper Sleeper will get to select the style and size of their choice. Check them out at www.littlekeepersleeper.com to see product photos and read incredible testimonials from parents of toddlers & those with special needs.

Beautiful Creatures CD- Music from South Africa

Beautiful Creatures was formed in South Africa by Alan Glass, Ed Jordan and Paul Choritz who felt there was a need for “Parent Friendly” children’s music.

In a fast paced world where parents and children have limited quality time, Beautiful Creature’s mission is to bring families together offering a uniquely South African brand with an educational and positive message. We were able to listen to this CD and loved it! These songs are catchy with great drum beats that quickly get everyone moving and singing along.  This album would be great for an afternoon dance off or for long car drives.

Beautiful Creatures will be giving away 10 copies of this album to our readers. Take a look at their website for more information about their music and to listen to samples.

Tot Yoga

Looking for something fun and healthy to do with your baby or toddler?  Tot Yoga DVDs focus on yoga for children 10 months old to 3 years old.  The DVD includes three distinct sections. The first two sections help parents learn to utilize playtime, increase exercise and reduce stress to help encourage wind down for peaceful napping. The gentle stretches and poses also help parents to warm up for a more complete yoga work out after their child has laid down. The first section of the DVD is designed to help parents learn the natural movements of their child for stretches and poses. The second section focuses on the parent helping engage the child in relaxing movements and is followed by the third section which is a more vigorous yoga for the parent. You can find out more about Tot Yoga on their website and watch sample videos.

One winner will receive a copy of Tot Yoga.

Babble Soft Baby Insights Day Tracker™
Ditch the notebook, pitch the scraps and scribbles, and reclaim control over your time. The Baby Insights Day Tracker™ gives you one central place to store information about your baby’s care. These tools provide everything you need to give your life that perfect level of structure whether you are needing to schedule your day or are a mom returning to work and need to coordinate with the nanny or caregiver. The new solids and mom’s food tracker helps track down food sensitivities in breast milk or new foods given to your baby.

Baby Insights gives you instant round-the-clock web and mobile access to your baby’s daily schedule log, so no matter where you are, you can quickly update and review: breastfeeding or bottle feeding sessions, the time and amount of feeding, sleep time and durations, solid feeding, mom’s food, diaper changes, medication dosages and developmental milestones. (Also works as a great baby shower gift!)

Two lucky winners will get a FREE three-month subscription to Babble Soft to track baby’s sleep, feedings, pumping, medication doses, etc. You can find more information about Babble Soft at www.babblesoft.com.

And, last, but obviously not least:

The Baby Sleep Site^TM

After sleep coach and owner, Nicole Johnson, overcame her son’s sleeping issues in a way that complemented her own parenting style, and after such a happy success, she knew it was her mission to help other tired parents “find their child’s sleep.” Your baby’s sleep shouldn’t be stressful and The Baby Sleep Site strives to provide a strong, non-judgmental, support network to help you and your family sleep better. Our website has helped countless families through free online articles, step-by-step e-Books, and private and personalized sleep consulting services.

Two (2) people will win the 2 e-mail sleep consultation package to help with your sleep struggles. You’d be surprised how far you can get in just two e-mails! If you already have an account, your account will be credited.

Deadline to enter is Sunday, May 9, 2010, 8:59 p.m. EDT.

Here is how you can enter:

(*Please note that all shipped prizes are available to US residents only.)

1. Leave a comment below. – 1 entry

2. Stumble this post. – 1 entry (Leave a comment that you stumbled)

3. Follow one of our sponsors on Twitter and tweet about it. For example: Just followed @littlekeeper for @babysleepsite Spring Fever Mother’s Day Giveaway #babysleep. (Be sure to include the tag #babysleep in your tweet so we can track it!)

The following sponsors are on Twitter (and you can receive one (1) entry per sponsor followed):

BabySleepSite, BabbleSoft, LittleKeeper, GoodNiteLite, BeautiCreatures, Tot Yoga

4. Tweet about this giveaway with a link back to this post and the tag #babysleep. The tag will allow us to track and locate your tweet entry. – 1 entry (You can enter as many times as you wish! Tweet daily!)

Sample Tweet: “I just entered the Spring Fever Mother’s Day Giveaway by The Baby Sleep Site™! http://bit.ly/atTr9V“

5. Subscribe to this blog, the Babble Soft blog or the Beautiful Creatures blog. One (1) entry for each blog subscription. Please post in the comments which blogs you subscribed to.

Baby Sleep Site Blog via RSS or via E-Mail, Babble Soft Blog via RSS or via E-Mail, Beautiful Creatures Blog

6. Connect with any of the sponsors on Facebook and get one entry per Fan Page you join. Please post in the comments which Facebook Fan Pages you belong to.

The Baby Sleep Site Facebook Fan Page

Beautiful Creatures Facebook Fan Page

GoodNiteLite Facebook Fan Page

Tot Yoga Facebook Fan Page

Little Keeper Sleeper on Facebook

7. Blog about this giveaway on your blog. Include a link to this post in your blog post. Please include a link to your blog post in the comments. Blog posts must be posted publicly and not on membership sites to be entered. – 10 entries

Good luck to everyone and thank you for celebrating MOMS everywhere!

Sometimes it can feel like you’re in a race. Your friends have babies sleeping through the night and you want one, too. The pressure mounts as your baby gets older while well-meaning friends and family ask the same question every time they see you: “Is she sleeping through the night yet?” You know that if you don’t answer “yes”, you will hear it again: “Just let her cry. Worked for me.” or, in my case, it was: “It’s because you’re breastfeeding.” You might be tempted to say “yes”, even if she isn’t sleeping through the night, just to spare yourself the torment. You feel like all your friends got a hare and you got a tortoise.

As a parent, it’s sometimes hard to have that confidence to know that there is nothing wrong with your baby AND there is nothing wrong with your parenting. All babies are different and just because your neighbor’s baby was sleeping all night at 3 months old doesn’t mean yours can too. And, just because my son can count to 20 (mostly) at two years old doesn’t mean all two year olds can. Just like my four year old can’t really draw a picture of a person, some of his friends can. Where my older son excels in reading and math, he needs to work on his fine motor skills. And, just like your 10 month old might still need a night feeding, some of your 4 month olds don’t.

What makes your baby a tortoise or a hare when it comes to sleep?

In my experience with my clients, there are four main family types:
• Slow to Adapt baby (tortoise) with hares as parents
• Highly adaptable babies (hares) with tortoises as parents
• Slow to Adapt baby (tortoise) with tortoises as parents
• Highly adaptable babies (hares) with hares as parents

What do I mean by this?

First, let me say, there is no judgment here. You are what you are and there is no right or wrong. Second, there is a lot in between a tortoise and a hare. There are fast tortoises and slow hares. Sometimes a baby’s temperament meshes with a parenting style and sometimes it doesn’t. This is to help you see if there is a mismatch or not.

A slow-to-adapt baby is generally going to take longer to learn to self-soothe and sleep well. That is going to be generally be true regardless of chosen sleep training method. Why? Because they get used to a certain routine and they don’t give it up easily. If they are persistent, they will really fight hard to keep status quo.

A highly adaptable baby who can self-soothe, but just hasn’t had the opportunity will generally learn very quickly, regardless of method, too. They go to sleep one time without a bottle or breastfeeding or a pacifier and voila, they figure out how to do it between sleep cycles (that we ALL have) and start sleeping in longer stretches.

A parent who is a hare is usually one who doesn’t have hours upon hours to spend with a baby to help him learn to self-soothe. They might be working parents trying to fit in the various chores that need to be done, get dinner on the table, etc. They might have older kids and just can’t ignore their other kids to spend three hours putting the baby to sleep at night. Or, they might be people who just recognize they just aren’t that patient to spend hours or that their baby missing three hours of sleep is not good for them. Whatever the reason, these are parents who decide that faster is better in the big picture.

A parent who is a tortoise is usually one who feels a slower approach is better for everyone’s sakes. They are okay with taking weeks (or sometimes months) rather than days. They figure it’s been this long, what’s a few more weeks? They have the time and patience to spend with their baby and feel it’s the best way to approach it.

I have been told I have the patience of Job, but one of my current clients has really shown me what patience is. She has a two year old who was nursing all night and we have come a loooong way, using a very slow approach. Her patience has been tremendous and I really admire her. Her son is slow-to-adapt and her patience is paying off with as few tears as possible. Their personalities are really meshing, but this is not always the case, unfortunately.

When you are a tortoise and your baby is a hare, you might spend weeks and months, unnecessarily, working on his sleep because you’re taking the slow approach when your baby might just need the nudge and be left alone. I don’t mean cry it out, necessarily. I have parents literally wait five minutes during night-wakings and their baby just goes back to sleep! They are shocked! They’ve been getting up at night for months, but their baby simply needed to be left alone for a few minutes. By going in, they were only perpetuating the very wake-ups they were trying to get rid of. Their baby is highly adaptable and actually a good self-soother, they just didn’t know it.

When you are a hare and your baby is a tortoise, you might be more apt to take a faster approach, like cry it out, and your baby will likely respond fairly quickly, but have backslides where you need to “redo” it over and over, especially after illness or vacation or just because you start slipping back into old habits (very easy to do with a tortoise). You and your baby will be getting more sleep than ever, but it might be frustrating to have those off nights where you feel like you’re starting all over. Consistency is very important for tortoises, especially.

When you are a tortoise and your baby is a tortoise, you, my friend, are going to work extremely hard, I’m afraid. Slow approaches will be even slower. Remember the mom I mentioned above? She’s been working on her two year old’s sleep for a couple of months, at least. Her patience is definitely paying off, but she’s working REALLY hard. She should get a medal! The beautiful part about her is that she knows this is a slower approach and knows what her expectations should be. She is not expecting to take this slower approach and expecting changes in days. She’s expecting them in weeks and months and that’s okay for her. I nudge her when she needs a nudge to move on to the next step and she checks in to make sure she isn’t stalling out of fear of the next step, but that it’s a good idea.

How do I know if you have a tortoise or a hare?

I typically look for clues in e-mail. You might mention something that seems irrelevant, but it gives me a clue about your baby’s personality. Clues about your personality are in there, too. That’s when I develop a plan that suits both your personalities and sometimes that takes time to figure out when your personalities aren’t meshing (when it comes to sleep! not your relationship with your baby).

I say it all over the site, but make sure you make a sleep training plan that meshes with both your personality and your baby’s temperament. Just like the picture above, you might be able to speed your tortoise to the finish line, but if not, as long as you have appropriate expectations, we will all get there, eventually, just like my son will eventually learn to write his name.

What do you think? Do you have a tortoise or a hare?

It is 11:42 p.m. as I start to write this. I’ve been working some pretty late nights, lately (some of you know this because you have received some late e-mail from me in the Sleep Helpdesk), and over the weekend I started thinking about this article. I started thinking about how my late nights and 7-day work weeks (weekends limited) might be affecting my abilities to be a good great mom. Am I doing my kids a disservice pushing so hard? The mere fact I consciously thought about it actually made me persevere and be a better mom this past weekend than I probably have over the few weeks prior.

I am one of the lucky few that can function on less sleep than most, but still, it does affect me. Most of the time, I start out great on a Monday (Sunday is my day to sleep in, so that might be why. Ha!), but then here I am up late and by Friday, I’m exhausted again. It’s all worth it because although this is tiring, I can’t tell you how rewarding it is to help others with sleep after the rough road I had with my son (and NOTHING has been harder than waking every 1-2 hours with him way back when). I LOVE helping all of you and wouldn’t change it for the world. Not to mention, that I’m also working on Babble Soft and helping parents transition easier to parenthood.

We all know why sleep is important for your baby, let’s look at how being tired makes me (and maybe you) a worse parent:

Fun, patience, and Energy

Besides the obvious, that sleep deprivation makes us CRANKY, being tired simply makes me less fun of a mom, sometimes. Even when I’m not cranky (I can fight through it much of the time, with a smile on my face), I’m definitely not as fun and I definitely don’t have as much energy. When my son wants me to play tackle or basketball, I just don’t feel like it all the time.

I might lack the energy to cook a really good dinner and opt for take-out. I sometimes don’t have the energy to talk in Toddlerease and use timeout when I might have avoided the meltdown had I had the patience to work through the issue (not to mention that sensitive kids will pick up on your energy level, too). My patience level drops, sometimes. It takes a lot of energy to parent my spirited son!

When my son wants to play cars for the second hour, I have to admit, there has been at least one time I started falling asleep on the floor! This past weekend, I did make sure I played cars over an hour nurturing their imagination (without falling asleep), played hokey pokey with lots of energy, and refrained from turning on the TV to give myself a break (Dora or Diego are shows that let me take a little nap on the couch, sometimes, and at least the kids are “learning Spanish”, right? ).

Focus and Concentration

My absolute favorite part of the day is cuddling with my sons in bed before they go to sleep. My older son LOVES to snuggle (Daddy won’t do) and we chit chat about our day and talk about what our favorite part of the day was (I like to end the day thinking about the positive). It is a wonderful time of night.

HOWEVER, one of the main things my son loves about this time is that I tell him bedtime stories (that I make up). This, by far, is very important to him and some nights I am soooo tired. One night (I think it was 6 months ago) I kept falling asleep in the middle of the story! I pause, say “ummm”, can’t think of what comes next. He keeps saying “Tell the story, mommy!” and I stutter and take 20 minutes to tell a 10 minute story and I feel horrible. Of course, there have been nights I start dozing in bed with him, too, after I’ve said “Okay time to sleep.” and put an end to the chit-chat (because if I don’t, he won’t stop ). It is very hard for me to focus when I’m too tired (don’t worry, I will edit this article one more time in the morning before I publish it).

Safety

Luckily, I work at home and don’t need to drive too much, but I do know of parents who run stop signs (with baby in the car) or need to pull over by the side of the road because they just can’t go on (if you need to choose one, choose the latter, and know your limits). I’ve had my husband come in and tell the boys not to do something that I was dazed and allowing them to do right in front of my eyes. I just hadn’t considered the “down side” of jumping off that big pile of pillows or whatever. Some days, I’m definitely happy to have another set of eyes helping me watch over the boys when I just can’t seem to snap out of it.

Teaching

My boys are smart and I’m very happy about that (I won’t bore you but one was reading at 4 and the other could count by 2 and knew his colors, too). I attribute some of this to the fact that I’ve kept them getting enough sleep, even when I don’t. But, I know that I can do more, at times. Sometimes it’s my focus and concentration that doesn’t think about how I might add to a conversation about caterpillars and their transformation to butterflies, for example. Other times, I might not have the energy to do artwork because I know then I’ll need to clean it up and I’m being lazy. Whatever the reason, I don’t feel like I’m as good a teacher when I’m too tired.

All of us will have a different definition of what a “great parent” is, but I think we can all agree that being tired doesn’t always bring out the greatness. I had a mom e-mail me once that both her kids outgrew their sleep problems around two and she said that, to her, it is just a “season of sleep deprivation” that will go away, eventually. She implied there wasn’t much of a reason to “work” on it, if it will end on its own, anyway (even if it’s years later). My challenge to her is that yes, SOME will have kids that outgrow these issues, but tell that to the parents with a five year old in their bed. Yes, eventually, perhaps even that five year old will outgrow it. But, whether it’s 3 months, 12 months, 2 years, 5 years or 8 years, how many missed opportunities will you have to be a great mom or dad? Sometimes I look so forward to bedtime and I kick myself because I know they won’t be this little forever. One day they will be too busy with their friends to bother with mom (sniff sniff). I want to cherish it. Don’t you?

How does being tired make YOU a worse parent?

Now that the time has changed and the time has moved forward one hour, some of you still might be struggling. This is most commonly due to baby being overtired from the time change.

I’m not sure about you, but I was EXHAUSTED on Monday. When my husband’s alarm went off at 6 a.m. (old 5 a.m.), I was so tired! I dragged the whole day. I ended up having to wake my boys at 8 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. to try to get back to an earlier bedtime that night. My older son (who inspired this site) was SO cranky being woken up, but once he got going, he did okay. My younger son, though I woke him “late” at 8:15 a.m., he went down for his nap at his normal time (and fell asleep faster than ever) around 12:30 p.m.! We got back on track within just a couple of days, thankfully.

Unfortunately, those with younger babies or those more sensitive to over-tiredness like my eldest son USED to be, you might still have a cranky baby who might be napping less or having more night-wakings or waking too early in the morning or fighting naps or all of the above. Here are some tips to recover from Daylight Savings:

• Offer naps earlier than usual for a few days. Even 15 minutes can make a big difference, but if your baby is really struggling try even 30 to 45 minutes earlier to get back on track.

• Try putting your child to bed earlier, too. I can’t say it enough that night-wakings and waking too early can be caused by over-tiredness at bedtime.

• If you were hoping Daylight Savings was the answer to your 5 a.m. wake-up call and you really don’t want to go back to early bedtimes and early naps, see if your baby or toddler will take an extra catnap during the day to take the edge off of the over-tiredness and get her back on track at bedtime. Yes, even if you have to take a car ride, it won’t hurt to do it this one time.

• If you haven’t gotten back on track, yourself, try to ask your partner, friend, mom, dad, or hire a babysitter and take a nap yourself! You deserve it!

If I haven’t covered your unique Daylight Savings challenge, leave a comment below and I’ll try to address it.

Without further ado, I wanted to announce the winners to the contest! I got sick this week *AND* my computer died, so I wasn’t able to keep up with the Sleep Helpdesk and read through all of the entries, so this is a little later than I wanted, but hopefully still in time to help your families in need! As a bonus, I personally addressed each one a bit more than I originally intended, in hopes that it will give some guidance, hope, or encouragement in your next step to better sleep.

You will get an e-mail if you are a winner (if you haven’t already), so please check your in-boxes. If you don’t claim your prize by Monday, March 22, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. I will choose another winner.

Once again, here is a list of the prizes:
1. A one-week unlimited e-mail consultation package (Value $79)
2. A five-email consultation package (Value $49.95)
3. A copy of Mastering Naps & Schedules – (Value $24) (Giving away two!)
4. A copy of Help Your Child Sleep, a Step by Step Guide – (Value $27) (Giving away two!)
5. A 3-month membership to the Members Area, which includes access to all e-Books, case studies, tele-seminars, and much more! (Value $24) (Giving away two!)

Here is a list of all entries, recommendations and winners. I hope this is helpful and I encourage everyone to take the next step to better sleep! And, remember, even if you didn’t enter the contest you can always e-mail me with your details and I’ll recommend your next step, too!

1. Holly – Big changes do affect sleep, but waking every two hours is exhausting! I’d recommend two or five e-mail consultation package to help your little one to better sleep.
2. (WINNER! Help Your Child Sleep) Elaine – You didn’t mention how old your granddaughter is, but I’d venture to guess pretty young, so I’d recommend Help Your Child Sleep, a Step by Step Guide
3. Tara – Oh no! Backslides are common. I’d recommend two e-mail follow up consultations.
4. Asheley – I would need a little more detail, but I’d have some recommendations for you. I’d recommend a two e-mail consultation package.
5. Gina – I hope you’re faring well this week! I’d recommend the two or five e-mail consultation package, but 10 months is a very common time for sleep problems to crop up.
6. Amy – 18 months is a long time to be getting up multiple times per night! I’d recommend a five e-mail consultation package to get your family more sleep!
7. (WINNER! 3 Month Membership) Mila – I know all too well how sleep deprivation makes you cranky. I’d recommend a 3-month membership or five e-mail consultation package to help your son sleep better.
8. Jaime – Just when you get going on something, they seem to change! I’d recommend a one week unlimited package, so I can provide the support you need and keep you accountable for sticking to it!
9. (WINNER! Five-Email Package) Alishia – Oh how you must be exhausted being pregnant with triplets! I’d recommend a five e-mail consultation package.
10. Kelly – This is a common age for toddlers to test their limits with one caretaker and not the other(s). I’d recommend a two or five e-mail consultation package to get her napping more consistently for you.
11. Erin – You probably don’t need any help. You just need to be consistent with letting her go back to sleep on her own and not get her up before at least 6:30 or 7 for two solid weeks and she will “get it.”
12. (WINNER! Mastering Naps & Schedules) Amber – I’m glad your twins sleep well at night. I’d recommend Mastering Naps & Schedules to improve naps for your son.
13. Claudia – ((HUGS)) I do know your story. Sorry she is still struggling. Now that she’s a bit older, we might need to try some new things. Please do contact me.
14. (WINNER! One Week Unlimited Package) Pamela – I’d recommend a one or two weeks unlimited e-mail package so we can get him sleeping before you go back to work!
15. Abby – Help Your Child Sleep, a Step by Step Guide, but if you don’t have time to read (since it sounds like you’re strapped for time), I can develop a sleep plan for you and I’d recommend the two e-mail consultation package.
16. Tanja – It sounds like it could be a schedule problem him taking so long to fall asleep. You might tweak his schedule. For getting through the night, you just need to be 100% consistent about him staying in the crib and you sitting next to the crib like you do at the start of the night. It might be a few rough nights, but well worth it in the end. If you’d like me to develop a more detailed plan, a two e-mail consultation package would do it and it would be well worth it!
17. Lisa – I’d need more information, but it is probably a schedule problem, so I’d recommend just two e-mails.
18. Kathy – Some babies are quite noisy in their sleep. I’d have to know exactly how he’s “crying” but if you have a monitor, you might turn it down. I know I had to do that when I’d wake up with every little noise.
19. Angela – It sounds like your son is doing fairly well. I’d have some suggestions for you and recommend a two e-mail consultation package.
20. Julia – Tricky because it’s not “that” bad, but could be better. He might be a baby who just needs a nudge, so I’d have some small things we could try to get your baby sleeping all night, so I’d recommend just two e-mails.
21. Melissa – Because you have two, I’d recommend a ten-email package or one-month unlimited e-mail package so we can tackle issues with both kids. You must be EXHAUSTED!
22. Shannon – I remember those days! I’d recommend a five-email package, so we have a few to use when your newborn starts going through changes.
23. Melissa – We might be able to work on night-weaning the girls at this age. I’d recommend just two e-mails to get going!
24. Victoria – Transitioning to two naps is normal at this age. You can most definitely night-wean down to one (or no) feeding and an earlier bedtime would probably help. A two- or five-email package could set you well on your way!
25. Jennifer – Oh boy! I do relate in that when you have two kids and two animals (in our case it’s dogs), it can definitely have more ups and downs than when you just have one child. Hang in there!!
26. Ritika – Have you tried an earlier bedtime? I would definitely have a detailed day-by-day plan that I could set up for you. I’d try a two-email package, so I can type it up!
27. (WINNER! Three Month Membership) Dahlia – Three month membership, so you can read about both nights and naps. It would help a lot!
28. Cindy – I’d need a bit more information, but have some things you can try. I’d recommend just two e-mails to get started.
29. Challene – Ear infections definitely cause abrupt sleep problems. Molars also throw toddlers for a loop. Hang in there!
30. Michelle – That’s great Liliana is sleeping well at night! Have you tried the afternoon nap at a different time? If it’s been going on for less than a week or two, I’d give her a little more time. It is probably not the teething if she’s napping fine in the morning and sleeping fine at night.
31. Carol – You are not alone! This is common. I’d recommend two e-mail, so I can give you a detailed plan on how you can get your son sleeping all night.
32. Lily – Thank you so much for being a loyal reader! It’s great he’s sleeping so great!
33. Melissa – I’d recommend a five-email consultation package, so we have a few for later issues, too, such as nap transitions.
34. Lorie – I don’t blame you for not wanting a repeat. I’d recommend you read Help Your Child Sleep, a Step by Step Guide to come up with a plan.
35. Allison – Your story sounds very familiar. I’d recommend a two e-mail consultation package to improve sleep in your house!
36. Mg – You said 15 year old, so I know you’re tired. I’d recommend two e-mails to get you your bed back!
37. (WINNER! Mastering Naps & Schedules) Lauren – Mastering Naps & Schedules or two e-mail consultation package
38. Melissa P. – Oh I hear your exhaustion! I’d recommend a two- or five-email consultation package to help your daughter sleep better.
39. Yvette – Oh my! You must be SO EXHAUSTED!! I’d recommend a five-email package.
40. Penny – I am guessing reading a book would be too tiring, too. I can make a detailed plan for you to follow. I’d recommend a two-email package.
41. Sara – Now, YOU, must be EXHAUSTED! A five e-mail package would definitely let us make some headway on both nights and naps.
42. Sue – Short naps are common, but I’d recommend Mastering Naps & Schedules, which will be very helpful as your 3-month old gets older.
43. Melissa – Two e-mail would definitely get us going on your 5-month old.
44. Adrienne – Wow on 5 years! I do try to tell people that it’s very unpredictable when a child might outgrow issues, IF they do. For what it’s worth, your 3 1/2 month old sounds normal and 2-4 feedings is normal at this age. I’d give her more time and definitely contact me if things go downhill!
45. Kelly – Woohoo!!
46. Margarita – Oh wow! There are definitely safety issues at play here and you must not sleep deeply at all! I’d recommend a five e-mail consultation package.
47. (WINNER! Help Your Child Sleep) Kjirsti – 4 to 6 wakings is definitely a lot at this age. I’d recommend either Help Your Child Sleep, a Step by Step Guide or two e-mails.
48. Lissette – This is common to replace one sleep association with another. I’d recommend five e-mails to make more headway.