TIPS AND TRICKS
It is important for babies and young children to be on a schedule. A circadian rhythm is the body's way of telling you when you should be awake and when you should be asleep. As adults we know how to change our body's circadian rhythm as necessary. For example, when your schedule changes to begin an hour later, you start sleeping in and your ability to wake up at the time you did for your earlier job eventually becomes a lot harder. Our bodies get used to what we want them to do. As parents and caregivers it is our job to help our children establish and schedule their circadian rhythms. That is where I, as a sleep coach, come in to help. Every infant is different and requires a sleep training guide made to fit their own unique needs to establish their circadian rhythm. Consistency is extremely important in the sleep training process. Not just consistency at bed time, but for nap times and even feedings. Your baby may have slept really well when they were younger, but around four months sleep regression will typically set in. When your child reaches this stage, that is the ideal time to sleep train your baby. It is not impossible to train older babies, however, it does generally take longer.
First rule of sleep training - consistency.
Babies should be fed every 3-4 hours. I recommend scheduling feeding times to accommodate sleep times.
Babies should be going to sleep between 6:30-8:30 at the very latest. The reasoning behind this is, most babies wake up at the same time every day regardless of what time they go to bed, and you don't want to set yourself up for failure by sending them to bed too late. Additionally, getting them on a late night schedule makes changing the schedule earlier and earlier as the child grows much harder. Once your child starts school you will have no choice but to put them to bed earlier, or they'll simply be too tired to thrive in school.
There should be a steady night time routine to set your child's circadian rhythm in motion. If your child nurses or takes a bottle before bed, it is important to avoid feeding to sleep, because they will not always be feeding to go to sleep and you're setting yourself up for something else to break later. If the baby is still awake read a couple of books or sing a couple of songs, or both.
PARENTS WITH MULTIPLES - it is extremely important and will make your life much easier to get multiples on a schedule as soon as possible.
Night training your baby is much easier if they're on a relatively strict nap schedule.
If focusing on a nap, feeding, or night schedule one at a time; start with nap.
A dark bedroom is perfectly fine for night time, but for day time naps I suggest having a little bit of light in the room as you don't want a child who can only sleep in complete darkness.
I also suggest not changing your daily routine to be more quiet during nap times, as you also don't want a child who needs absolute silence to sleep. Noise machines are a good idea.
8-12 week old babies generally take 45 minute naps 3-5 times a day (approximately 4-5 hours of sleep during the day)
FOUR MONTH SLEEP REGRESSION IS REAL, and can happen anywhere between 4-7 months (approximately), but baby should still be sleeping an average of 3-5 hours during the day
Once baby hits 8 months, they should be down to two naps a day (a short am nap, a long afternoon nap) and this should continue until about 18 months.
Based partially on age, partially on weight, baby can safely sleep through the night (without needing to eat) around 4 months or 15 pounds.
Avoid putting baby to bed over tired, as it's nearly impossible to get them to successfully put themselves to sleep.
Avoid rocking, patting, soothing completely to sleep.
Avoid a bottle in bed.
Make sure to stick to your routine.
Leg sweep - as you’re laying baby on his belly, gently push down on his back as you sweep his legs out from under him slowly, as he lies down start patting his back or bottom to settle him.
Potty Training: Potty training seems incredibly daunting when faced with it. It is important to remember that every child will not be potty trained at the same time. While some children may be potty trained at 18 months, others won't be until 3 years old (give or take), THAT IS OK. It doesn't mean absolutely anything if your child isn't potty trained as young as your friends child, she's simply moving at her own pace. Potty training is not quite as hard as you think, and it really doesn't take that long. You could have a fully potty trained child in as short as a weekend. YOU CAN DO IT.
Stay consistent. Don't use underwear for most of the day and put a diaper on for convenience, more likely than not your child will go to the bathroom while the diaper is on.
There is a watch called the potty watch. It is not terribly expensive, and it's very effective. The watch will go off and remind your child to go try and use the restroom. You can change the amount of time between alarms, I suggest 30 - 45 minutes.
PANTSLESS - Unfortunately I can almost guarantee a couple of accidents. However, your child will not like the feeling of going to the bathroom without any sort of bottoms on, and will learn to hold it while pantsless. She may not tell you she has to go to the bathroom, which is another reason the potty watch is beneficial, as it reminds her to go to the bathroom and helps prevent her from holding it for too long. https://www.amazon.com/Potty-Time-Watch-Toilet-Training/dp/B003L7QCSI/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1516941362&sr=8-3&keywords=potty+watch
Bedwetting: First, bedwetting is extremely common. It's not your childs' fault, he's sleeping and his muscles simply relax just a little too much. While on the more expensive side, if you're desperate for your child to be potty trained I recommend the training underwear with the alarm, in my experience they work like a charm. https://bedwettingstore.com/rodger-wireless-bedwetting-alarm.html?gclid=CjwKCAiAnabTBRA6EiwAemvBd47z1kkBGHFjESBVlZYgL2K--KN1AszMEgqd6VqSnzvMuzcU6z7fBRoCBMQQAvD_BwE
Pacifier Weaning: Cut off the tips. This way you're not the bad guy, baby just won't like the pacifier once the tips been cut off. Then let her throw them away, remind her she's a big kid and how proud of her you are!
Separation anxiety: Separation anxiety is actually worse for you than for baby. Most of the time your child is crying for your benefit. They don't want you to leave, they know if they cry you'll feel bad, and they're hoping you'll give in and stay or take them with you. Just walk away. The earlier you realize drop off and walk away is the easiest on baby, the faster it will be to ease the separation anxiety.
Inconsolable infant: Try RUNNING WATER, its an amazing trick to have in your back pocket!
**THE ABSOLUTE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER** - YOU are the parent. And the sooner you implement good habits, the easier it’s going to be to sleep train your baby.