Getting Baby on a Healthy Sleep Schedule Early On
The most common question we get asked by new moms is: When do I start my newborn on a sleep schedule? If baby is healthy and eating well, the answer is right away! Keep reading for 4 tips on how to start a sleep schedule early on. 1. Establish E/W/S early on E/W/S = Eat Wake Sleep. This pattern allows baby to begin to recognize what her day will look like. This consistency is extremely comforting for a new baby that, after 9 months, has just been evicted from the warmth and comfort of her first home! It is important that a baby gets a full feeding at each meal, so keeping your newborn awake while you nurse or bottlefeed is key. If, from the early days, you are able to help your newborn disassociate feeding and sleeping, it will be one less (often challenging) habit to break down the road. 2. Learn your newborn’s [...]
Toddler Sleep Decoded
Toddlers. The world’s most complicated humans. From mealtime to bedtime, getting your toddler on your page can be, well, challenging. We’ve worked with hundreds of toddlers over the years, keep reading for our tips on how to handle naptime and bedtime with these little ones. Toddlers and Naps Some toddlers may try to convince you that they are ready to stop napping long before they actually are ready to stop napping. Don’t give up naps too soon. Although your toddler may fight naps for even up to a week, they usually are not ready to stop napping until they are older than 3 years of age. Once naps start to interfere with their nighttime sleep, that’s when you know they are getting close to not needing one every single day. Toddlers and Sleep Skills Despite what they may show you to the contrary, a toddler does not “unlearn” how to go to sleep. They may [...]
When Physical Milestones Interrupt Naps
Over the years, we have noticed that almost all babies react differently to developmental milestones and for many of these little ones, their sleep is the first thing to be affected. Now, we don’t mean a complete regression. We do mean interrupted naps (baby has to practice crawling somewhere! ;)) and earlier wake times. But for the sleep learned baby and his family, not much changes. After all, you are not going in to check on baby or soothe him back to sleep at first peep! For the first year of life, baby is growing and developing at a rapid pace. From immense physical changes to cognitive ones, this is an exciting and busy time in baby’s life! Keep reading to learn how to support baby during these physical milestones while also encouraging and fostering the healthy sleep habits you have created. Progression of physical milestones While again, every baby is different, the general progress [...]
Naps: How Many Per Day Per Age?
Naps. Never has something been so loved and hated among mothers. After all, a solid nap allows mom some downtime (and maybe the chance to drink a hot cup of coffee!) but a nap spent crying – well, it’s enough to pull your hair out. As we’ve discussed in other posts, there are a number of reasons your child (baby or toddler) may be fighting his naps. However, it is important to note that just because he doesn’t want to nap does not mean he is ready to drop a nap. Keep reading to learn more about how many naps a baby should have per age and why. 0-8 weeks At Sleep Shop, we believe you can start baby on a routine very early on. At this age, it means feeding baby at set 2.5 – 3 hour intervals. Side note: if baby is hungry, feed him, regardless of how long it has been since [...]
