The Baby Sleep Teacher

Going back to work? Tips for managing your baby’s sleep & schedule!

Are you dreading heading back to work because you are worried how you are going to balance your baby’s sleep needs and your professional career? This is a common anxiety felt by many mothers, so if this is you, know you are not alone. ❤️

I’ve compiled a list of baby sleep tips to help Mums & Dads with getting back to work. Check out the above carousel for these tips.⏫⏩

Having anxiety about going back to work is very common but that still does not make the feelings any less easy to deal with. If you are really struggling about heading back to work, speak to your GP or public health professional.

For more information on sleep training methods, and questions and answers surrounding those methods, head to the link in my bio and click “Understanding Sleep Training Methods”.

What do you find is the most challenging with balancing work and your baby’s sleep schedule? 💤👶

Starting Daycare & Managing Your Baby’s Sleep

In Australia, the months of January and February are a common time of year for babies and toddlers to start attending daycare. Daycare centres across the country are welcoming thousands of new families into their centres and many parents have lots of questions on how sleep works in daycare settings.

Running a family daycare, I have lots of knowledge on baby and toddler sleep in daycare settings and the regulations surrounding “rest time” that is set out by the Australian government so I thought I would write up a post specifically on daycare sleep. My key points for all parents with daycare sleep are listed in the attached carousel.

For more information, I have devoted an entire blog covering tips and tricks for settling your child into daycare. To have a read, head to the link in my bio and click “Steps to Settle Your Child into Daycare”.

How are you feeling about your child attending daycare? 💞





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The truth about sleeping through the night 🌚💤

The truth is…NO ONE sleeps through the night, not even you! We sleep in cycles and each time we transfer sleep cycles; we briefly wake.  These awakenings are so quick, we do not remember them in the morning. During these brief awakenings, we use our senses to assess how we feel. If how we felt falling asleep, is what our senses feel when we briefly wake, we quickly go back to sleep. These awakenings happen soooo quickly we do not even remember them in the morning.

Babies also make this same assessment each time they transfer sleep cycles. Using their senses, a baby will assess if they feel the same way as they did when they last fell asleep. If something feels different, for example, the baby is not being held anymore, they will quickly wake themselves up instead of linking their sleep cycles.

If you would like your baby to sleep through the night, look at how they are falling asleep, or what maybe causing them to wake throughout the night. Keeping in mind, young babies may need a feed overnight, especially until they are well established on solids. 

Do you ever remember waking briefly when transferring sleep cycles? 😴 ⬇️

The midnight scream your baby makes is called a sleep arousal. ⭐️ 👶

Around 3 hours after your baby goes to sleep, do they ever let out a sudden scream? Then when you go to them, your little one is completely asleep or seems disorientated. What your baby is experiencing is called a sleep arousal. Sleep arousals are a component of baby and toddler sleep and happen at a time in the night when a baby transfers from a deep phase of sleep into a lighter one.
Many parents feed their baby at this time, thinking their little one has woken because they are hungry. Sleep arousals are not caused by hunger but are a normal part of the structure of baby sleep. The problem with feeding your baby at this time is, parents will unintentionally wake their baby as they are feeding, and then their little one falls back to sleep feeding. A few hours later when transferring sleep cycles, their baby will briefly wake again and look for that same action of feeding to fall back asleep. 

When sleep arousals occur, you are best to try and leave your baby until the sleep arousal has finished. Your baby may be crying but they do not know they are crying because they are sleeping. Sleep arousals last anywhere from a minute to 5 minutes.

Has your baby had a sleep arousal?





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WHY NEWBORNS WAKE ONCE PLACED INTO THEIR BASSINET?

I recently did a post to help parents understand why their baby will only sleep in their arms and then wake up once in their bassinet. Many parents found the post useful so I thought I would post more on the topic. ❤️💤

When a newborn baby is born, family and friends all want to cuddle the baby and newborns rarely get the opportunity to experience being put down. As important as it is to hold and touch your newborn, your baby needs to experience what it feels like to lie on their back on the floor or a soft surface. Afterall, this is the position your little one will be in once in their bassinet. From a newborn’s perceptive, the experience of being held is a very different experience compared to lying flat on your back. When a newborn feels comfortable and safe lying on their back when awake, they will then feel comfortable and safe when placed on their back in their bassinet to sleep.

Once you have fed and burped your baby, place them gently on a playmat and allow them the opportunity to experience what it is like to exist on their back and out of your arms. Your newborn may surprise you and like being put down. Or your baby may need a gentle touch to reassure them they are okay to lay on their back. Make play time on a mat a part of your routine. The more consistent experience your newborn gets on their back, the more comfortable they are going to feel being in this position when both awake and asleep.

How much time does your newborn spend in your arms and on a playmat? 🤱🛌






 

PROS & CONS OF USING A DUMMY

A common debate around baby sleep is whether to introduce a dummy to your little one. I firmly believe parents need to let their baby decide. If your little one is soothed by a dummy, then use the dummy when needed.  Parenting is hard enough and any tool that will help soothe a baby when they are upset, I feel is a win.

Here is a list of the pros and cons for using a dummy:
✅ The sucking motion helps soothe and relax an unsettled baby
✅ Dummies help reduce any anxiety a baby maybe feeling when at daycare or left with a sitter
✅ When managing multiple children, dummies help in moments of chaos
✅ Parents are not always having to settle their baby as the dummy helps little ones settle
🤔 Dummies help aid babies to sleep but they do cause babies to wake up
❎ Babies can become dependent on their dummy to fall asleep
❎ Dummies fall out of babies mouths when sleeping
❎ Dummies make falling into a deep sleep more challenging 
❎ Dummies can cause delays in speech and problems with oral development when used too much

Like everything in life, there are positives and negatives. Dummies work for some babies but not all. If your baby does not want to use a dummy, don’t force the dummy on them. Instead, explore other ways to comfort your baby. 

Are you for or against your baby using a dummy? ❎✅

Help, my baby will only sleep in my arms!! 
Will your baby happily fall asleep in your arms only to wake once placed in their cot or bassinet?
This common frustration is experienced by many parents. 🤦‍♀️ Why a baby wakes once in their bed is a combination of two things, a baby’s senses, and their understanding of how to fall asleep. 🖐 💤

When a baby falls asleep continually being held, the baby learns that being held in their parent’s arms is where they fall asleep.

Falling asleep being held provides babies with a sensory experience that they quickly learn to associate with sleep.  The smell and security of their mother (or father), the feeling of protection being held, and the familiar sounds of a parent’s heartbeat, form the sensory experience that a baby learns to associate with sleep.

Once placed in the cot, a baby’s senses are completely different. There are no familiar smells or sounds and the feeling of being cuddled in a parent’s arms is gone. The difference between being held and lying flat and alone are enough to wake a baby up.  Once awake, a baby looks to fall asleep in the same way they know…in their parent’s arms.🤱

There is nothing wrong with cuddling your baby to sleep. If you would like your little one to stay asleep try these two different things…
❤️ Wait until your baby is sleeping very deeply before moving them into their bed.
❤️ Cuddle your baby as part of your bedtime routine in place of cuddling them to sleep. Then place your baby in their bed before they are asleep and support them falling asleep by sitting beside their bed.

For more information on how babies learn and it’s connection sleep go to the link and my profile and click on the blog titled “The Connection between Childhood Sleep & Learning”.

What is your favourite thing about cuddling your baby?⬇️ ❤️

Hands up if you are over listening to crying and whinging from your baby or toddler this week? I will include myself! 🙋‍♀️ 😭

Yes, babies and toddler can cry a lot, but it is important to remember that when your child cries it does not always mean your little one is hurt, sick or in pain. 🤒 🩹

Beyond being hurt, sick or in pain, babies and toddlers cry for a number of reasons. Here are a few:
🍎 Hungry
💤 Tired
🙃Bored
😝Jealous
😡Frustrated
🤯Angry
😤Letting of stream
😬Anxious

Since babies and young toddlers are preverbal, crying is their main means of communication and is integral to their development that children feel they are safe to express their emotions. When your baby is crying and you have figured out what caused the crying, verbalise that source (hungry, tired, etc) to your little one so when your child’s language starts to develop, they understand the vocabulary that goes with what they are experiencing. Start with the basics, hungry, sad, mad and happy.

What types of cries are you experiencing in your house? At my house, frustration 😡 from my 2 year old leads to a lot of crying. ❤️

How does a child actually learn? Have you ever wondered how your baby or toddler learns new skills or gains new knowledge? 🧠

When a baby learns a new skill, the process of learning that skill happens in two parts. For example, when a baby is learning to shake a rattle, they first practice shaking the rattle when awake. The second part of the learning happens when they are sleeping. After practicing shaking a rattle, a baby would then think about this activity when sleeping and their brain consolidates all the new knowledge into their long-term memory.

Good quality sleep is great for our children’s health and their overall development. To read more information on sleep and its connection to how children learn head to my bio and click on the link titled “The Connection between Childhood Sleep & Learning”.  💤❤️👶

What new skill your baby or toddler trying to master?⬇️

BEDTIME ROUTINES

Do you have a predictable bedtime routine for your baby or toddler? Kids of all ages thrive on routines. Following a routine gives children a sense of calm because they know what to anticipate next.

The following is the bedtime routine I recommend for children over 4 months old…
🍽 Once dinner is finished, have some play time!! After a long day of work, daycare or school, playtime helps both kids and parents feel connected. Have the tv turned off during this time.
🛁 Bath time! A nice warm bath for about 15-20 minutes. During this time and for the rest of the routine any play needs to be calm. Sorry Dads, no horse play!
👐Massage! If you want to give your baby a massage, after the bath is a great time.
🥰 Next pyjamas!
🍼 Milk feed! If your little one is about 10 months plus, I would give them a big milk feed shortly after dinner and then a top up feed about 15 minutes before bed.
🪥 Time to brush teeth! Brushing a baby’s teeth using an infant tooth brush will remove any milk residue, smell or taste left in their mouth.
📚 Read two short stories or play quiet games (this time should only take about 7-10 minutes).
🚽Toilet or one last check of the nanny.
🤫 Wind down time - either a quick upright cuddle or song only lasting about 30 seconds to a minute. Note, if you have a toddler sleeping in a big bed, it is advisable not to get into their bed to have a cuddle.
🐻 Time to prepare for sleep! Put the sleeping bag or swaddle on, turn on the white noise machine and close the blinds.
🌙 In bed and sleep time!

If you are looking for help establishing a consistent bedtime routine please send me a DM. ❤️

What is your favourite part of the bedtime routine, is it engaging in a story or cuddle or is it saying good night and having some me time, either is perfectly okay 👍 ☺️

Ever wondered about BRAIN DEVELOPMENT & SLEEP?

The human body is a remarkable thing, and the brain is no exception. The brain is the only organ not developed at birth and this is the reason why many scientists and doctors feel the brain is the most fascinating organ in the human body.

The speed of growth for the brain looks like this…
🧠 25% - At birth, the brain is 25% the size of an adult brain.
🧠 50% - At 1 year of age, the brain is 50% the size of an adult brain
🧠 80% -At 3 years of age, the brain is 80% the size of an adult brain
🧠 90% - At 5 years of age, the brain is 90% the size of an adult brain

Read through the carousel of photos to find out when a child’s brain actually grows. ➡️

To read more about sleep and how babies learn, head to the link in my profile and click on the button titled “The Connection between Childhood Sleep and Learning”.

What fact about the human body do you find the most fascinating? ⬇️
 

NEWBORNS & SILENT REFLUX

Typing the title Newborns & Silent Reflux gives me goosebumps! I hate the fact that sooo many newborns and infants suffer from reflux or silent reflux.  I recently worked with a family whose newborn has been diagnosed with severe silent reflux.

Meet Connor, the little champion coping day to day with silent reflux.  Connor’s silent reflux, or ‘not sooo silent reflux’, as his parents prefer to call his condition 😭 , landed Connor in the hospital with a feeding tube. 🏥 Connor’s silent reflux was sooo severe that feeding by traditional means was no longer a viable option after a very looong and drawn-out process. 🍼 ❌

If your little one is suffering from reflux or silent reflux, read Connor’s story! You will be inspired by his Mum’s mission to find solutions and manage her newborn’s pain by focusing on his sleep.👶💤

To read Connor’s story, click on the link in my bio and then the button “Connor’s Silent Reflux Story”. 👆

What has helped you manage your little ones reflux or silent reflux? ❤️👇