sleepspaceau

If you’d like someone on your team that won’t judge or question your values and beliefs here are some things I would love to help you with;⁣
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🌙 When you’re both ready, how to move your little one to their own sleep space⁣
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🌙 How to set up a sleep space and routine for YOUR unique baby or toddler⁣
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🌙 Securing your attachment and how to deal with separation anxiety ⁣
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🌙 How you can optimize naps⁣
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🌙 How to deal with some common sleep challenges, red flags to look out for, and what to do should they become sleep issues. ⁣
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👩🏼‍💻DM me to discuss which package may suit you and your family best or hit the BOOK NOW button for a list of my services. ⁣

And if no one has told you today, YOU’RE DOING AN AMAZING JOB!!

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Normal is not necessarily okay.
Normal does not necessarily mean it is healthy for you.
Normal is subjective and almost always relative.

Normal for others does not necessarily have to define normal for you or I, or anyone else and…
Just because something is "normal" doesn't mean it's easy.

Does being told "it's normal" bother you or make you feel less alone in your struggles?

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There are some pretty big developmental transitions during the first 12 months that can see sleep go wonky.

The integration of skills such as rolling, scooting, crawling, sitting and standing will almost always disrupt sleep.

So what can you do to help support your little one through these natural stages in development?

Swipe left to find out more 👈🏻

Is your little one potentially waking cold?

I get it, it can be so hard to know what to dress your baby in at this time of year. Often we have heating on prior to bedtime so rooms are quite warm. The fear of initially overheating creeps in so we dress them on the cooler side then they wake 27 times between midnight and morning as the temperature drops.

Swipe left for some signs that your baby may be cold and how you can best dress them for the winter months.

Weaning your baby out of the swaddle can be tough. You can expect a few bumpy nights of sleep (or lack there of) when making this transition!

As soon as your baby begins to show signs of rolling it's important you remove them from the swaddle to ensure safe sleep.

This transition can often be easier before they begin to roll as this will give you time to do things slowly.

Most babies will start showing signs of rolling between 14-16 weeks of age.

A gradual approach of one arm out at a time is a great way to gently move through this transition.

If you make this transition using this approach (or have done already) I’d love to hear how you went. Let me know in the comments below 👇🏻

What’s happened to your baby’s sleep?

Has your little one gone from sleeping well to now waking frequently overnight and resisting naps and bedtime?

Are they clingy and crying during awake times? Stick to you like a little barnacle?

This is all very normal behavior at or around 12 months. You’re not doing anything wrong. This is a natural stage in your little one’s development.

Swipe left 👈🏻 to read about what’s going on and how you can help to support your toddler through this blip in sleep.

This can be a bumpy one so hold tight and remember this too shall pass. Breathe 🧘🏼‍♀️ (and swear if you need to)

Sleep shaping is simply gently setting your child up for positive sleep habits over a period of time. You can do this from around 6-8 weeks of age.

You’ll often hear people talking about day night confusion with newborns. Your baby is not confused 🫤 they just weren’t born with an established circadian rhythm.

Your baby’s body clock is a physiological pattern that tells the body when to sleep and when to wake and runs best with regular sleep habits.

So to help your baby’s body clock to establish there are a few things you can do in the early weeks and months to shape their sleep!

🌤 Safely Expose your baby to broad spectrum daylight from morning to night. For example during the hours of 7am-7pm (or whatever 12 hour period suits you and your family)
🌚 Keep nights dark. During bedtime routines dim lights and close blinds. During night wakes use red based lights where possible and turn lamps off for sleep.
📢 There’s no need to minimize household noises, smells or lighting. When establishing the body clock it’s best to sleep your newborn in a light room (contrary to what you may have been told)
⭐️Begin to implement a predictable and consistent nap and bedtime routine. Your baby will pick up on this quickly and these patterns will become one of their strongest sleep associations!
😴 Learn your baby’s unique early sleep cues. Putting a tired baby down is much easier than one that is overtired.
🤱🏼 If you have any signs of feeding difficulties have these seen to early on. Don’t hesitate to seek help from your chosen health provider. Feeding and sleep are so closely intertwined.
🤫 Begin to practice at least one independent sleep a day.
👶🏼 Offer your baby a range of sleep associations, rather than just one or two.

“How can I support my baby to link their sleep cycles?”

So your baby is waking at exactly the same time each nap or night and you’d like to help encourage the consolidation of their sleep.

One technique you can try is the Wake To Sleep method - Sounds crazy right?!

It’s not as scary as it sounds I promise!

Have you tried this method? Did it work for you? - let me know in the comments below 👇🏻

Babies thrive on the repetition and pattern of routines and will feel safe and secure knowing what’s coming next.

Keep in mind though that until your baby’s sleep cycles have matured and they’re able to consolidate their naps some by the clock routines are unrealistic.

Swipe right for some flexible routine options to help you better navigate your days.

How many of you before having babies thought that ‘sleeping through’ the night meant sleeping from bedtime till morning uninterrupted?

I know I can put my hand up 🙋🏼‍♀️

When we’re referring to infants, sleeping through the night means they sleep at least six uninterrupted hours. This does NOT mean they haven’t woken. They may wake briefly, but are able to return to sleep on their own without your help.

So next time someone excitedly shares with you that their little one is sleeping through the night already, remember they’re probably sleeping 7pm-1am or 10pm till 4am. Don’t let ‘sleeping through’ make you feel like you’re failing.

Hands up who’s little one is still not ‘sleeping through’?

I’m so pleased to announce that www.sleepspace.com.au is NOW LIVE!

Go take a look around.

This is extremely exciting for me because it allows me to offer more resources for you all, quick guides that are honest, easy to digest and that will make sense even through the worst sleep fog.

Watch this space, more coming later this week.

Let me know below if there’s a particular guide or resource you’d love me to launch next 🚀

Homeostatic Pressure or Sleep pressure is simply the gradual build up over time of the need for sleep.

Swipe right to find out why it's an important driver for sleep.

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