Toddler
Emotional Wellbeing and Sleep
Sleep and emotional well-being are synonymous. If our children are feeling insecure, overwhelmed, misunderstood, or they have been unable to express their feelings freely in the moment by day, it’s almost a guarantee you will see this behaviour ‘play out’ in sleeping difficulties at night: bedtime refusal and/or stalling, screaming, crying, tantrums at bedtime, dependence on mum…
Read MoreTransitioning from Daylight Savings to AEST
Introducing the bottle
Whether you wish to introduce a bottle to give mom some flexibility (or a much-needed break); or decide to introduce formula feeds, the following suggestions may help you make a smooth transition. To continue breastfeeding: Wait until your baby is at least one month old and breastfeeding has been well-established – to avoid nipple confusion.…
Read MoreWhat you can REALLY expect: babies and sleep in the first year
Pre-kids, I had no idea of the magnitude that sleep (or the lack thereof) would impact my life. There is a plethora of information at our fingertips, telling us when our baby should be sleeping through the night; and if we don’t meet these expectations, then we somehow feel like a failure of a parent – or something must be wrong…
Read MoreWhy won’t my toddler sleep?
There can be many reasons why sleep time may be a challenge for you and your toddler. From my experience, here’s the top 10 reasons why: 1) Overtired: Catnaps (or no naps at all), late bed times, early rising, being awake for too long, and overstimulation can all lead to your toddler becoming overtired. When our toddlers become overtired,…
Read MoreMaking the transition from cot to toddler bed
I have many parents asking me: when is the right time to make the transition from cot to big kid bed? My recommendation is to wait until your child is at least two years of age, or they begin to climb out of the cot (whichever comes first!). However, every family circumstance is different, and I…
Read MoreGetting into a routine
Routine provides children with predictability and security – essential to their ability to self-settle, fall asleep with limited resistance, and sleep for longer. Children feel more confident and secure when they know what they can expect – from having structure in their day i.e. meal times, nap times, bed times and play times; to our…
Read MoreAcknowledging your child’s sleep cues
Finding the optimal awake window for each individual child can be nothing short of a science. As we all know, put them to bed before they’re tired enough, and they don’t sleep. Put them to bed when they are overtired, and they don’t sleep either. Being overtired is one of the biggest contributors to frequent night wakings, short…
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