Bonnie Wee Dreamers Sleep Consultant

It might just be the answer to all your problems.

Simply put, little ones get their deepest and most restorative sleep before midnight. This means that the earlier the bedtime, the better rested they will be.

Some little ones are okay with going to bed at 9pm and they will sleep until 8 or 9 am the next day and wake up rested. Chances are that they are not following this page. They are also not the norm.

Children tend to have a natural wake up time of between 5:30am and 7am. Yes, 5:30 can be normal if they are waking happy (sorry parents).

This is why your child will seem to wake early no matter how late you put them to bed. Overtiredness at bedtime also leads to night wakings and less overall sleep (this includes poor naps).

So, if you are having issues with night waking then try an earlier bedtime.

Early morning waking? Try an early bedtime.

Short naps? Try an earlier bedtime.

Bedtime battles? Try an earlier bedtime.

Whatever the issue, try an earlier bedtime and see what happens. It just might work!

You've got this!

You will read about wake windows everywhere. What might not be so clear is that wake windows are GUIDELINES ONLY.

Do not compare your child to another. Watch your child for sleepy signs and put them down to seep when you first see them.

The amount of time that your child can stay awake between naps and bedtime can vary day to day and sleep to sleep depending on the quality of their previous naps and night sleep.

This is why strict adherence to wake windows does not work!

Use the guidelines to help you determine if your little one is staying up for too long. For example, if your 7 month old has been up for 4 hours then it's a good idea to help them get some sleep.

You've got this!

#6 month old

It can be hard to figure out if your child is over or undertired. I get it. I would say that the majority of times a child is likely to be overtired though. I'm always cautious about taking away sleep.

If you are concerned though, the main rule is that if your child is taking a long time to fall asleep, waking in the night and waking early in the morning but seems CONTENT, then they are likely undertired. They do not have enough sleep pressure to help them get a good nap or to stay asleep. This is easily corrected by lengthening the time they are awake between naps and bedtime.

An overtired child will usually be fussy, hyperactive and difficult to soothe. This is due to the cortisol (stress hormone) in their system.

Remember to always watch your child for their sleepy signs and put them down once you see them. If you go by wake windows, this can actually be a big cause of a child being over or undertired.

You've got this!

You will read about wake windows everywhere. What might not be so clear is that wake windows are GUIDELINES ONLY.

Do not compare your child to another. Watch your child for sleepy signs and put them down to seep when you first see them.

The amount of time that your child can stay awake between naps and bedtime can vary day to day and sleep to sleep depending on the quality of their previous naps and night sleep.

This is why strict adherence to wake windows does not work!

Use the guidelines to know that if your 5 month old has been awake for 3 hours and 'seems fine', they are probably not and it would be a good idea to help them get some sleep.

You've got this!

Eye rubbing
Ear pulling
Fussiness
Tantrums
Staring into space
Losing interest in playing
Red eyebrows
Yawning
Shaking head from side to side
Chewing and sucking
Clumsiness

Which of these do you recognize in your little one?

Can you add any to the list?

While all babies have similar wake times, they are definitely not all the same. Use these guidelines to ensure that you are not keeping your little one up too long.

At this age, your little one will still sleep quite a lot without too much input from you. Naps are all over the place and day/night confusion is common.

Naps can be long or short.

Try to be aware of how long your little one has been awake. If you have been parenting other children, showing off your little one to family or running errands you may not realize that the stimulation has kept them awake.

If they are 3 weeks old and staying up for two hours at a time, then you will know that this is too long and can adjust. Look for your little ones sleepy cues to determine when they are getting sleepy, then put them down for their nap.

More ages and wake times to follow!

https://emilyoster.substack.com/p/new-study-on-sids-is-not-what-the?s=r

New Study on SIDS Is Not What the Media Says It Is Suggestive study, horribly misleading coverage

Crying is your child's form of communication. Changes in routine can make them frustrated. It's okay to feel frustrated sometimes. Learning new skills can be hard, but that's the job of parents! We teach life skills to our little ones to set them up for the future. Healthy sleep habits are just as important as healthy eating habits for your child's current and future health.

Well done!

Naps.

They can be so tough.

So how do you know if your little one has had a good nap?

For children under 4 months, naps are all over the place. Some are as long as 3 hours, some as short as 20 minutes. This is normal.

Once your little one is around 4 months, you should see a solid morning nap emerge. This nap should be at least an hour in length.

Next you will see a regular afternoon nap emerge. This should also be at least an hour.

The third afternoon nap is just a catnap. Around 45 minutes.

When your little one moves to one nap, this nap should also remain at least an hour.

If the naps are at least an hour, they are consolidated (no waking or crying between sleep cycles) and your little wakes up happy... you've cracked it!

Well done!!

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful Mama's out there!

Sometimes it's hard to see past our own tiredness, that's okay. Sleep deprivation will do all sorts of crazy things to your mind and body. Just try to remember that if you are feeling miserable and tired, your little one will be too.