Better Little Sleepers Ltd

21/03/2022

Just a reminder that that clocks are going to 'spring forward' by an hour this coming Sunday 27th March!

Depending on your child you may want to try one of the following approaches to help them adjust to the new timings:
1) 4 days before the clocks change, bring your child's naps and bedtime forward by 15 minutes and do this every day until the clock changes. This will re-set their body clocks to the new time.
2) 2 days before the clocks change bring their naps and bedtime forward by 30 minutes each day, so they are at the new time by the day the clocks change.
3) Go big bang and just put them to bed an hour earlier on the day the clocks change.

(Waking them earlier in the morning will help re-set their body clocks and mean they’re tired by the earlier bedtime too).

If you haven't already got black out blinds in their bedroom, now is a good time to get some put up before the Sunday as it will be lighter in the mornings and the evenings too.

Make sure they get lots of fresh air and exercise to help their bodies adjust to the new timings. Remember it takes about a week for our bodies to adjust to a clock change.

On the plus side, if you have an early riser, it may help as 5am will be 6am instead!

For any other questions on sleep or routines, then please do get in touch. xx

14/02/2022

Do you believe in routine and mantras?

I do! Every night in our house we have a little phrase that we say at night to say a final good night and do you know how long we've been doing it? Yep since they were tiny babies!

Why? Well us at humans love a bit of repetition and routine as it sets up up for a familiar process which for little ones feels warm and snuggly

All you need to do whilst you are trying to settle your little one is to have a mantra( think night night, sleepy time, don't let the bedbugs bite etc) and say that as you finish your routine. I'd also say to use it whilst you are trying to settle them, especially if they are upset as it's a great comfort to hear familiar words and even better that it's from a familiar voice.

If you do this already, what's your night time mantra?

08/02/2022

Fill your children’s love tanks!

It’s normal to miss the people we love. When we are apart from special people, our ‘love tank’ runs dry. When kids have a dry love tank, they instinctively act to get it filled up. It’s like a thirsty person searching for water – you’ll do anything to get a drink. Children will play up, act up, seek attention – whatever you want to call it. But really, this is a cry for love just as real as a cry for water. Our children have emotional needs that are as real as physical needs.

There are two main ways to fill a child’s love tank. Trickle charge, or super charge. Have you seen those electric power points for electric cars that super charge your car battery? They’re not the same as the charging points where the car charges slowly. Trickle charging is like quantity time. Super charging is like quality time. In an ideal world, kids need both. In many families, however, this is simply not possible. Maybe a parent works. Maybe they are deployed. Maybe they are hospitalised. Whatever the reason, there is no positive gain from feeling guilty about what you can’t do. Instead, embrace what you CAN do. If you can’t trickle charge your child’s love tank, then super charge it. 20-30 minutes of unhurried, child-led, focused, undistracted quality time will boost your child’s love tank and almost certainly improve sleep, behavior and connection.

02/09/2021

I love sleep but let's not obsess over it....

Babies love and thrive on a predictable routine but you don't have to live your life tied to your house!

Having consistent routines in place to cue your baby into knowing that it is sleep time, is perfect for when your day just doesn't quite go to plan.

Naps on the run happen from time to time, the odd one here and there isn't going to ruin your good sleeper.

Keep it flexible mama, you need to get out and about too.

02/09/2021

You may or may not know that naps tend to be very unpredictable in younger infants.

Babies under about 4 months can be very erratic in their nap patterns, and it’s very common for a pattern to not emerge until after 4-6 months.

By about 6 months, most (but not all) babies have established a 3-nap per day pattern. Part of the reason for this is that younger babies are still developing circadian rhythmicity.

Sleep is controlled by two mechanisms – the circadian rhythm and homeostatic sleep pressure. When the circadian rhythm matures, more sleep occurs at night, under the influence of those circadian hormones, melatonin and cortisol.

Until circadian rhythmicity is achieved, naps occur throughout the 24-hour period, with frequent napping and feeding a common feature of early infancy.

The earlier an infant develops circadian rhythmicity, the earlier they seem to achieve a more predictable pattern of sleep. So, some good general advice is to spend as much time outside, in broad spectrum daylight, as possible, to help the infant organise their circadian rhythm.

24/06/2021

Holistic sleep coaching takes in to account the child’s developmental stage, sleep biology, family dynamics and relationships, the sleep environment, any stresses and strains such as illness in the child or parent, the emotional and psychological needs of the child and the need for rest and sleep of the parents.

If you need some help with your child’s sleep. Then please get in touch!

22/06/2021

You're going to want to save this post!!

Is it hunger that is waking your baby??

It's so hard to know, right, but automatically we assume that every night wake up is because baby is hungry.
Here are my ❓ for you to help you decide...

❓ Do they only take a small feed and then fall asleep
❓ Does your little one eventually get back to sleep if they aren't fed
❓ Are they waking up within 2 hours of being fed

If you have answered yes to either of these it could be that your little one is waking and then needing that feed for sleep purposes not because they are hungry.

Has this given you some food for thought❓

17/06/2021

Is your little one struggling to sleep in this heat?? Then try some of the below:

1)Run them a cool bath before bedtime.

2)Keep your child's bedroom cool during the day by closing blinds or curtains. You can also use a fan to circulate the air in the room.

3)Keep nightwear and bedclothes to a minimum. If your baby kicks or pushes off the covers during the night, consider putting them in just a nappy with a single well-secured sheet that will not work loose and cover their face or get entangled during the night.

4)A nursery thermometer will help you monitor the temperature of your baby's room. Your baby will sleep most comfortably when their room is between 16C and 20C.

5)Don’t panic if your little one is normally a great sleeper but they are struggling during the heat to sleep, once the temperature cools down, things will improve again.

Sent from my iPhone

15/06/2021

If your little one is waking up multiple times throughout the night, here is a quick and simple trick that you can try out...

Put socks on them! 🧦

Feet and hands regulate the core body temperature so preventing a drop in temperature may prevent a wake-up or two, especially in the early hours of the morning.

Let me know if you try this tip out!

11/06/2021

Good enough parenting is good enough. It’s an often-trotted out phrase, but I wonder if we really understand what this means? It’s not about easing the guilt over the times we know we mess it up. It’s not about thinking in terms of percentages of the day when we nailed it versus the times we screwed it up, got impatient or weren’t entirely emotionally present.

It’s an actual shift in attitude that acknowledges the realness and rawness of parenting.

Your child doesn’t need a perfect parent. It’s not just that they can *get by* with less than perfect parenting. It’s not that they are resilient enough to cope when you (and I) get it wrong, but would be better if we got it right more often. It’s bigger than that.

In essence, children really do not need us to be perfect. They just need us, in all our fallen, broken glory. Just as you are.

Sure, if it helps you to know that your child will be ok if you don’t hit perfection, that’s great. But please also absorb the truth that your children need authentic parents who know they mess up, know that it’s normal, and know that we can have a do-over.

When you learn that, you’ll teach your kids a bigger lesson than if you *did* achieve the never-before-achieved-perfect-parent-status: You’ll teach them about failing, and getting back up again. Saying sorry. Meaning it. Doing better. Trying harder. Persevering.

Kids don’t need perfect parents. They need real parents. Pass it on.

07/06/2021

I often say that trying to address a sleep challenge during an acute developmental stage is like trying to redecorate when you’re in the middle of building work. If you paint, you’ll get dust in the paint and it might need sanding down afterwards. It’ll be messier and more difficult and take a lot longer. Sure, you can keep the dust and mess to a minimum by vacuuming regularly, but don’t do major work.

I’m not a huge fan of being specific about when babies go through ‘leaps’ – some babies stick to these timelines like it was designed for them, but for other babies it’s way out. The truth is, whenever your baby is learning a new skill or working on new learning, sleep seems to take a hit.

If you think about it, it makes sense. When we learn new things, or have a lot on our mind, when we’re processing something, or dealing with a big situation, we may a) have disrupted sleep, and b) need more comfort. We may eat more chocolate, be more irritable, reach for a glass of wine, or need to offload on a partner.

When babies are doing big stuff – crawling, walking, rolling, sitting, standing, babbling, starting to eat – you name it, they may be more unsettled. Often, once the new skill has been learnt, the sleep spontaneously improves.

The most common time for parents to reach out for help is during one of these phases when sleep seems to be seriously going to sh*t. But honestly, sometimes just waiting another month for the dust to settle, means that not only is your baby in a better place to rethink sleep, but also, you may not be starting from such an acute point.

03/06/2021

Honestly, sometimes all it takes is a few tweaks and your little one could be sleeping well.

If their day sleep isn't quite right then this will impact their nights, sleep promotes sleep.

Check your little ones sleep environment, is it super dark, with no distractions, not too hot not too cold, if these things are bang on then this is going to help promote longer naps.

Check your little ones awake times, are they overtired or under tired going down for their naps? Either or can make it harder to achieve longer naps.

Check that you have removed all sleep associations, anything external that your little one is using to first fall asleep is going to determine whether or not they can link sleep cycles with your assistance.

If you feel that you have got all this covered but sleep still isn't happening for your family, book an advice call and let's dive deeper!

12/05/2021

I've never been one to cap naps, as the saying goes "never wake a sleeping baby"
But, there is always an exception and this would be if that nap is going to derail your 7 pm bedtime. So that means if the last nap of the day goes too long and it's going to push your bedtime past 7pm then this is where I would recommend that you wake your little one.
My reason behind this is we want the bulk of a little ones sleep happening while their body is producing their sleep hormone melatonin, this happens right as the sun starts to set and their body will continue to produce it right up until midnight! By having that 7 pm bedtime they are going to get more of that quality sleep that is vital for their growth and development.
Do you ever wake your baby from a nap?

13/04/2021

How do you like to put yourself to sleep? Do you like a certain pillow? Do you like to sleep in a certain position? Light on or off? Glass of water beside your bed?

We all have our own way in which we like to go to sleep at night – these are our sleep preferences, and believe it or not your baby has them too!

So, whenever we make any changes to anyone's sleep preferences it is always going to be met with some push back or protest, the same will be true for your little one.

Often, we are asked "if I create a dark sleep space will that only mean my baby will only sleep in the dark?" or " will my baby become addicted to white noise?"

By providing your little one with a sleep space to promotes optimal rest you are giving them the best chance to wake up feeling refreshed and ready to learn, you are not creating a negative sleep association.

Little ones need the right conditions to promote great sleep, by providing this you aren't stopping them from being able to sleep anywhere else, their body will still have a need for sleep wherever they are, it does however just mean that when these conditions are right that sleep that they are getting it going to be out of this world amazing!!

22/03/2021

Just a reminder that that clocks are going to 'spring forward' by an hour this coming Sunday 28th March!

Depending on your child you may want to try one of the following approaches to help them adjust to the new timings:
1) 4 days before the clocks change, bring your child's naps and bedtime forward by 15 minutes and do this every day until the clock changes. This will re-set their body clocks to the new time.
2) 2 days before the clocks change bring their naps and bedtime forward by 30 minutes each day, so they are at the new time by the day the clocks change.
3) Go big bang and just put them to bed an hour earlier on the day the clocks change.

(Waking them earlier in the morning will help re-set their body clocks and mean they’re tired by the earlier bedtime too).

If you haven't already got black out blinds in their bedroom, now is a good time to get some put up before the Sunday as it will be lighter in the mornings and the evenings too.

Make sure they get lots of fresh air and exercise to help their bodies adjust to the new timings. Remember it takes about a week for our bodies to adjust to a clock change.

On the plus side, if you have an early riser, it may help as 5am will be 6am instead!

For any other questions on sleep or routines, then please do get in touch. xx

16/03/2021

Now spring is here the mornings are getting lighter, which is wonderful, but this can lead to little ones waking earlier.

Super early mornings can be a parent's worst nightmare, it can leave us feeling like we are starting our day off on the wrong foot.
Hands up if this is you right now??

Early mornings are the first thing parents come to me wanting to fix but they can be the last thing that will fall into place when I'm working with families.

Light, food and social interaction can cause our little one's body clocks to set and think that 5 am is the time that everyone gets up to start their day.

First up, I'd get you to address the darkness of their room, we don't want any light creeping in during the wee hours of the morning as this speeds up the production of their awake hormone.

Another tip is to make sure your little one isn't too cold; it is the coolest part of the morning so make sure they are dressed suitably.

If your little ones day times are a little out of whack this can cause early rising, so ensure that they are following age-appropriate awake times during the day and that they are going to be overtired or under tired.

In regards to feeds, try not to feed them as soon as they wake up to start their day, feeds at this time can encourage these early mornings.

If you are in the midst of early mornings I hope this helps…if not you may want to save this post for future ref!

16/03/2021

Safer Sleep Week runs from the 15th to the 21st of March and throughout this week The Lullaby Trust will be sharing life-saving safer sleep advice.

This year, the focus is on dads!

Dads play an important role in the care of their baby, so it’s crucial that they understand how to sleep their baby safely and reduce the risk of SIDS.

To follow along with their advice throughout the week, follow them at The Lullaby Trust or head to the link below to access all of their safer sleep advice ⬇

www.lullabytrust.org.uk/safer-sleep-advice/

Reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) for your baby by following our safer sleep advice. The advice is based on strong scientific evidence.

09/03/2021

To keep your child's body clock working well, it's important to get them into natural light during the day, and keep those inside lights as dim as possible at night.

Outside play is extremely important. It helps them to regulate their Melatonin production, the hormone that regulates their body clock. Melatonin is used for inducing sleep and sustaining sleep, and is naturally produced by their body from roughly 8 weeks of age.

As always if you have any questions about your child's sleep, or lack thereof, then please send me a message, I would love to help you!!