Sleep Well Sleepy Blog

How many naps a day should my baby or toddler be taking?  If you have young children or babies you probably have asked this question.  The biggest factor that helps determine how much sleep your child needs is her age.  Here is a breakdown of naps and sleep needs based upon a child’s age: Babies ages 0-3 months need about 16-18 hours of sleep per day.  The usually need about 4 ...

All parents of toddlers have witnessed the full body flailing of their enraged child.  Kids definitely don’t hold back when they’re angry or upset!  This can be disconcerting to the parent, but even more disconcerting is when your baby or toddler repeatedly bangs her head against the wall or the sides of her crib or the floor—for apparently no reason at all. According to paren ...

During my years as a sleep professional, I’ve gotten used to people asking me what the “secret” is to getting a baby to sleep through the night. Of course, there is no ONE secret. Teaching a child healthy sleep habits is a combination of lots of different things. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some shortcuts, either! With that in mind, today I’d like to share with y ...

I want to talk a bit about the bedtime routine.  Now, if you go to any baby site on the Web, search “my baby won’t sleep,” or whatever you’re looking for in regards to sleep, almost every single site will tell you about the importance of a bedtime routine.  So will I. Even adults have routines.  We all do things in a very similar order before bed every night.  Without them, we ...

Today I want to ask you a very important question.  Are you addicted to your monitor? It might sound silly, but this is really an area of concern for me. I think what happens for a lot of us is we get dependent upon this monitor.  You’ve got it right beside your ear.  I’ve had clients who even sleep with it in their hand through the night so that they can hear their babies. ...

I was recently interviewed and featured in a survey of sleep consultants and experts. The questions related to one’s ability to fall asleep at night, more specifically: reasons for sleep deprivation, when one should stop drinking coffee during the day, when is the latest one should eat at night, what are the worst foods to eat before bed, the potential effect of a full moon, do ...

When you’re planning a family holiday with a baby or young child, an important thing to consider is how your travel plans are going to affect your child’s sleep routine.  You’ll have a much more enjoyable vacation if you organize your trip in a way that allows for as little disruption as possible to your little one’s sleep schedule.     This will help ensure she gets the res ...

Hands up if this sounds familiar… Your fussy baby finally falls asleep for her afternoon nap and you sit down for a much needed moment to yourself only to hear a car with a broken muffler roaring down the street.  Just like that, Sleeping Beauty is wide awake and mad… NOT a good combination. Or maybe you live in the country and you’re awoken at dawn by a wailing infant who ha ...

Halloween is here once again. Time for your little one to dress up in her favorite costume and show your neighbors her best manners for some yummy treats.  Halloween is an evening activity and although it is a lot of fun, it can make sleep that night a little more challenging.  Here are a couple of tips to make your Halloween go a little smoother this year. Halloween Bedtime T ...

Congratulations if you are expecting your next child to join your family!  If you have a young child or children that are about to become the older brothers or sisters, you have likely thought about the many upcoming changes and maybe have even begun preparing your child for the newest family member’s arrival.  One thing to consider while you are making these preparations is ho ...