Readers, we have a treat for you today! Stephanie Parker, owner and creator of the Zipadee-Zip and mom to two cutie-patootie kiddos, is sharing some scheduling tips with us today. Specifically, Stephanie shares some of the benefits of creating a flexible schedule, as well as tips on how to create a basic eat-play-sleep schedule that will work for even the youngest of babies. And that's not all - Stephanie has graciously offered to give away a Zipadee Zip to two Baby Sleep Site readers. Be
putting baby to sleep
How to Manage Your Baby or Toddler’s Naps During Holiday Traveling
Here in the United States, we are right on the verge of one of the busiest traveling seasons of the year! In another day or so, lots of us in the U.S. will pack up and travel to see friends and loved ones and to spend the holidays with them. Of course, while all that traveling can be fun (provided we don't have any weather delays - fingers crossed!), it's by no means relaxing. And if you are traveling with a baby or a toddler in tow? Not relaxing at all. In fact, your holiday weekend may end
Is There a “Perfect” Bedtime Routine?
When you have an inconsistent baby or toddler, every day is different. When that happens, it's easy to want to try to find the right "recipe" for good sleep. I remember trying to recreate exact days when my son, who inspired The Baby Sleep Site, slept well the night before or napped well. A successful bedtime routine is definitely something that is effective for many babies. In fact, if your baby is slower to adapt (i.e. not very "go with the flow") having consistency definitely helps a lot!
5 Common Baby and Toddler Bedtime Mistakes You May Be Making
You probably know by now that one easy way to help maximize your little one's sleep is to create a predictable bedtime routine. Routines help our children know what is coming next, so a bedtime routine signals to your baby or toddler that it is time to wind down, and to get sleepy. This can help greatly in getting your little one to fall asleep quickly. However, not all routines are created equal! And if there are problems with your bedtime routine, then it may not help your baby or toddler
3 Tips to Help Your Partner Put Baby to Bed
In our work with families over the years, we’ve discovered that often, one parent handles the baby’s bedtime routine. One parent does the rocking, one parent does the reading, one parent does the tucking...you get the idea. We’ve also discovered, however, that most parents would welcome some help from their partner at bedtime! And many partners would welcome the chance to tuck their little ones in on a regular basis. After all, bedtime provides the opportunity for some quality,
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
5 Things To Do BEFORE Sleep Training
You just can’t take it anymore. The exhaustion, the bleary eyes, the waking-up-more-times-each-night-than-you-thought-humanly-possible...you’ve had it! “Enough is enough!” you’ve said to yourself. It's time to take action. It's time to reclaim your nights. This, readers, is the point at which many parents first visit the Baby Sleep Site. They’re beyond exhausted. They know their babies are waking more frequently than is necessary, but they just don’t know how to make the night waking
5 Ways to Help Your Baby or Toddler Nap While Traveling
So many of us LOVE vacation! Whether you’re off to a tropical resort, to a cabin in the woods, or just to your parents’ house, vacation offers you the chance to escape your real-life and spend a few days or weeks relaxing. Unless that is, you’re vacationing with a baby or toddler. If that’s the case, scratch the “relaxing” part; your vacation might feel like a whole lot of work! As this Momastery.com post puts it, “DUDE. Vacation is hard. Everyone came WITH me. And they all need the
Should You Let Your Baby Cry It Out?
When parents contact the Baby Sleep Site for the first time, they often say the same thing: "Are you going to tell me I have to let my baby cry? Because I can't handle that!" No parent enjoys the sound of their baby wailing in distress. That's why the cry-it-out methods advocated by Ferber, Weissbluth, and Ezzo are so controversial. Some parents feel like cry-it-out is a form of cruel and unusual punishment, but others are quick to point out that cry-it-out methods are fast and