Getting a baby to sleep can be tricky, can't it? Contrary to what many first-time parents-to-be assume, most babies do not simply fall asleep when they are tired and wake when they are rested. In fact, lots of babies go from sleepy to fussy to exhausted to overly-tired to flat out screaming (sometimes, in a matter of minutes!); there is just no "falling asleep naturally" at any point in that sequence. Similarly, not all babies wake up when they are rested and refreshed. By contrast, far more
baby sleeping problems
10 Tough Baby Sleep Problems, and How To Solve Them
Solving your baby's sleep problems can be tough enough, but finding the solution to YOUR specific problem can be even tougher. After all, the sleep training plan we would recommend for parents who want to transition away from cosleeping would be very different than the sleep training plan we would recommend for parents who want to stop rocking their baby to sleep. So how can you solve YOUR unique sleep challenge? Well, I can't give you personalized advice here on the blog (you'll need to
How Tara’s Express Sleep Plan® Saved Her Sanity
Poor Tara...her little girl was sleeping through the night beautifully, right up until the moment Tara and her family moved to a new home. After that, everything fell apart. That's when Tara turned to The Baby Sleep Site®'s Express Sleep Plan® for help. Read on to find out what happened! Thanks for sharing your story with us, Tara! First, can you tell us what prompted you to purchase the Express Sleep Plan®? My little one slept thru the night up from 3 to 8 months until we
How Rigid Should Your Baby’s Nap Schedule Be?
We talk a lot here at the Baby Sleep Site™ about how all babies are different (that's why we don't believe in any one-size-fits-all solutions for baby sleep problems!) Here's something else we believe: parents are different, too! Talk to 10 different sets of moms and dads, and you'll likely uncover a variety of parenting methods and philosophies. It's our belief that this diversity is a good thing. It keeps life interesting! These differences among parents often extend to the
Is Sleep Training Selfish? Here’s Your Checklist
Sometimes I will get a critical e-mail (occasionally hate mail) in my Inbox saying that sleep training is selfish. This tends to get me riled up a bit. While I'm sure there are cases of some parents sleep training out of pure selfishness, the majority of families we speak with EVERY DAY only want the very best for their babies and families. Sleep deprivation is not a form of torture for nothing. It is effective in making even the most put-together human being unravel at the mere thought of being
How My First 5K and Baby Steps Can Help You Sleep Train Your Baby
When you're a sleep coach, many other things in your life tend to remind you about babies or sleep training or sleep training babies. On November 5th, I ran my first 5K race. It was a race where a portion of the proceeds would be donated to The Honor Flight for World War II veterans to fly to Washington D.C. I can thank my son (who inspired this site) for the inspiration (I guess he inspires me a lot!). He ran his first 1K over a year ago and wanted to run in another race. Back then, I was out
Why Support Is Important In Sleep Training
Families surprise me every day. About two months ago, I received a sleep plan request with a tough situation. Here's a mom with very little support at home to sleep train AND her in-laws live with them! Talk about being under a microscope. She was all alone in wanting to help her son sleep better. Neither her husband or in-laws thought it was a good idea to disrupt the status quo. As many families do, they wanted to wait for the child to "outgrow" their issues or perhaps what's an issue for
The 10-point Checklist You and Your Baby Are Ready For Sleep Training
My team and I do quite a few Personalized Sleep Plans® every week, but we can give you the best of plans and it doesn't mean anything if you and your baby are not ready for it. Here is a 10-point checklist to determine if you and your baby or toddler are ready for sleep training. 1. Your baby has preferences. Babies will learn early that some things feel good (e.g. being in mommy or daddy's arms) and what doesn't (e.g. dirty diaper). They instinctively learn to cry to get a clean diaper
Sibling Series Part 1: Do You Have Another Baby After a Horrible Sleeper?
"Should I have another baby?" is a question that spins through a lot of parent's minds, but when your first is a horrible sleeper, it gives it a whole other meaning. Can you go through this again or, worse, what if the next child is an even worse sleeper? For some of you, that might not even seem possible. This article will be part 1 in a sibling series that will explore how you might make the decision to have another child or not and sleep tips for handling more than one child, multiples, or