August 27, 2012

Window Crayons

We purchased Crayola Window Crayons the other week and I’ve been excited to share them with my preschooler.  We found these at Michaels, but most places that carry a comprehensive line of Crayola products should have them.

My daughter enjoys being creative, but is hardly the kid who will sit down to colour for more than 5 minutes anymore.  These kept her busy for an entire hour!  She was thrilled to share her artwork with me when I went to end her quiet time.

Here’s some tips for trying these at your house:

Carefully outline the rules: “The crayons are just for the windows.  If they’re used on anything but the windows, we’ll have to put them away.”  If your child is too young to understand and follow those rules, consider finding another more age appropriate <a href="http://pinterest.com/sleeperific/terrific-quiet-time/" onclick="__gaTracker('send', 'event', 'outbound-article', 'http://pinterest actos drug.com/sleeperific/terrific-quiet-time/’, ‘Quiet Time’);” title=”Terrific Quiet Time” target=”_blank”>Quiet Time activity.

Help for little hands: Provide a little tray for them to keep the crayons together when they’re not in use on the floor. It might not be realistic to expect your little one to uncap and recap the crayons after use (especially since the caps are not easy to get on and off).

Clean up: Any type of window cleaner will do the trick. I recommend using a cleaning cloth first, to get rid of the majority of the crayon. Your child can help with this part and will likely be happy to do so.  Tidy up with your usual window cleaner. Make sure your budding Picasso is done with their artwork. We had to save ours to show her Dad.

 

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August 20, 2012

#backtoschool
The shelves are stocked with back to school gear. Clothing, shoes, backpacks, lunch bags, binders, pens, pencils, and the list goes on. But, one of the best back to school tools a parent can provide their child is completely free – a healthy sleep.

A good night’s rest has been shown to improve mood, attention, focus and overall academic performance.

Back to School Sleep Tips

These tips are for parents and caregivers to help your child move on from those lazy summer days and get prepared for school.

Start Early – Most kids adopt later sleep schedules in the summer. But late nights and sleep ins don’t make the grade in September. Begin adjusting your child’s bedtime about 1-2 weeks before school begins. This is how long it takes for our biological sleep rhythms to adjust to their new time. Phase in the new bedtime and wake times; 15 minutes per day offers a gentle transition.  You may find you need to enforce the same transition on the other end of their night with enforcing an earlier wake-up time.

Consistency – Don’t forgo healthy sleep habits and abandon schedules on weekends. With younger children, more consistency will be necessary, but older children might have a “weekend” bedtime that applies to Friday and Saturday nights. Do your best to avoid extremes: late nights or late morning sleep-ins.

Avoid Caffeine – Sodas, energy drinks, coffee (even coffee flavoured items like ice cream) have high amounts of caffeine. Intake of these should be avoided, especially after noon.

Wind Down – Exercise and socializing should be part of every child’s healthy day, but try to avoid both of those activities as bedtime draws near.  Follow an age appropriate soothing routine.

Goodnight iPad! – Turn off the television, iPad, computer, phones or any other electronic devices at least ½ hour before bedtime, ideally 2 hours prior to bedtime.  Blue light from these devices can limit melatonin production, which limits the onset and restful quality of sleep.

While following these tips will be helpful, it’s still important to watch for signs of tiredness or sleep debt.

Watch for signs of Tiredness

Be mindful of the following as your child starts their academic year:

Wake Time Battles –  Trouble waking in the mornings, more than 3 days per week, means more your child needs MORE sleep.  Make bedtime earlier or evaluate other circumstances which may be affecting sleep (night wakings, long latency to sleep, loud/excessive snoring, etc…)

Seek input – Check in with teachers to ensure your child is alert during class. If your child is showing signs of sleepiness, take steps to improve sleep quantity.

With healthy sleep habits, your child will be feeling refreshed and ready to tackle a new school year. Get out on the right foot with sleep habits. Establishing healthy sleep now is easier than breaking any bad habits later on.

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August 18, 2012

As a sleep consultant, I always suggest maintaining “Quiet Time” when naps begin to ebb.  It encourages independent play, but it also allows them to rest and even nap if they wish.

As a parent, I NEED Quiet Time.  A few minutes to myself to “regroup” is enough to recharge my parent batteries.

When I can keep my daughter interested in something interesting, quiet time is much more successful.

Felt boards are fun and quiet.  It’s a great way to foster imaginative play.  We have super girlie and very pink/purple ballerinas.  There are lots of options from Creatology, which they carry at Michaels.  We always seem to get flyers that include coupons for 40% off (check the front of the store for flyers, or if you can’t find one, I believe you can join a email list and they’ll offer you the deal).

There are a tonne of options available from Etsy as well!

 

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August 17, 2012

Product Review: The Baby Roll Asleep

I thought this was a joke.  But it’s real.

It’s a wagon.  For your infant.  So you can roll them to sleep.  For more hilarity watch Mom’s Using Roll Asleep.  I promise, it doesn’t disappoint.

Under no circumstances should you buy this product.  None.  Nada.  Nyet.

I can think of many other fab ways to invest $79.95.  Like, I don’t know, maybe a sleep consult?!

For the love of Pete, contact me if you think this is a clever product.

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Really?  How did you get started in this?  Why are you doing this?  Seriously – sleep consulting for kids?

These are just a few of the questions I’ve been asked since pursuing children’s sleep consulting.  Here’s the long winded answer.

This all got started for me because we really struggled with my son and his sleep.  REALLY struggled. My older daughter was easier to manage.  Don’t get me wrong. It’s never easy and we worked hard there too. I’ve always prioritized sleep for her (the happy by-product of which was sleep for tired parents). But implementing a few basics made all the difference.

My son was a different story. We welcomed Gus on a chilly January morning in 2011. He was big. He was beautiful. His arrival brought immense joy and immense change for our family.

He had emergency surgery at two weeks old (which I literally feel saved his life! Dr. Braga at McMaster Children’s Hospital – you are a hero to our family). But as a result of his rough start, we got into some terrible habits. He was eating every couple hours (doctor’s orders!). I knew he needed to be fed with this frequency; his weight was so low for the first month, he was doing some catching up. But by the time he was ready to slow down with his growth, and our pediatrician gave the thumbs up to let him guide the frequency of feedings, he didn’t know how to sleep longer than 1.5 hour intervals. AND, he developed what everyone else was calling “colic.” He was eating all the time, and within minutes of eating, was spitting up and crying inconsolably. So feeding every 2 hours meant 20 minutes of eating, almost 140 minutes of back arching, writhing discomfort, loud-enough-to-wake-my-sleeping-toddler crying, and repeat.

As a result, I was a zombie. A cranky, short fused, couldn’t-even-put-my-pants-on-the-right-way mess. I was starting to spiral towards depression. I couldn’t console my baby; I couldn’t help my baby sleep; I remember admitting to my husband that I didn’t love our son the way I loved our daughter; I started to understand why some parents shake or abandon their children, which only made me feel more inadequate and incompetent. What kind of parent was I? I’m no saint. I had meltdowns. Each meltdown served to make me and everyone around me feel worse. I clearly remember sitting and crying with my son and daughter on many occasions.

It’s an understatement to say I was running on empty. I knew I wasn’t being a good parent. Actually, I wasn’t good at anything when I was that sleep deprived. My relationship with my husband was suffering, my toddler was unhappy, even my gentle, loving dog steered clear of me. I knew Gus wasn’t sleeping enough for him to be happy and healthy. I knew there had to be a better way.

But when I tried to find resources, there didn’t seem to be many options for mothers looking to educate themselves on sleep. When my son was sick and losing weight as a newborn, we were initially diagnosed with a “feeding issue.” I had about 10 nurses, lactation consultants and physicians watch me breastfeed in the span of two weeks (which I now find mortifying, but my modesty was checked at the doors of the hospital when my baby was not well). I went along with all the professional suggestions and advice, even though I felt confident in his eating ability and in what I was doing.  After all, I had exclusively breastfed my older daughter for 6 months, which is right about the time she grew out of her infant car seat – rated to 21 lbs (that means she was pretty much a giant). So I had to do something right?! My point is that information about breastfeeding is about 10x more accessible. But when the feeding stuff was taken care of, I didn’t know who to turn to for real, tangible advice about sleep. Sure there were forums out there which offered support from other parents. But hearing “It’s ok, it’s completely normal for your baby to wake that many times” or “that’s just colic. . . it will get better in a few more months” only made me sink deeper into despair (ok, admittedly it was more like yell, cuss and slam doors first with despair coming second).

So what did I do? I researched the crap out of sleep (and this mysterious “colic” that everyone kept talking about). Even though I was exhausted and regularly fell asleep with a book on me, I perservered. Turns out, I actually found this sleep stuff fascinating.  So anything I could get my hands on about children’s sleep, I read it. I implemented pieces from here and there, based on what I felt like was in line with our family and our parenting style. We figured out the “colic” bit too. GERD along with a dairy allergy.  Who knew? Antacids and cutting out dairy did the trick to make him more comfortable.

It wasn’t until I started following some rules and strategies to optimize his sleep that I started to see improvement. The results of our efforts were life changing!  Our son was sleeping better!!!  He was exponentially happier!!  I don’t doubt his sleep has helped his health as well. With better sleep, I regained my sanity and sense of well-being.  I was able to reconnect with my husband, making us a stronger foundation for our young family. I restored my relationship with my daughter. Even my dog and I called a truce when I found the energy to run with her again.

And who doesn’t love a happy, well rested cutie?!

Gus is now 19 months. He’s funny. His giggle is infectious and makes my heart swell. He’s adventuresome. He’s taught my 3.5 year old a lot about climbing and jumping. He’s affectionate. Myself and our dog are frequently the lucky recipients of his generous hugs and kisses. He’s got this whole charming thing going on that makes it hard not to smile, even when he’s poured his spaghetti on the floor and is wearing his bowl on his head. His sleep is still something we work hard to maintain, but I know it’s well worth the effort.

I got a bit more serious about my enthusiasm for children’s sleep and I completed my certification as a Children’s Sleep Consultant with the Family Sleep Institute. My instructor has been doing this for almost 20 years. She’s an amazing mentor and friend to have.

I love sharing the power of sleep. I love working towards a common goal with awesome families. I love when families get better rest and begin to feel and do better. I love the opportunity to create positive change.

I’m thrilled to have a job I feel passionate about.

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August 3, 2012
Traveling - Sleeperific Sleep Consulting

Happy Long Weekend!

Some tips for all you travelling families this weekend.

– Car/stroller naps happen, but recognize it may not have been as restorative as a crib/bed sleep.

– Be respectful of your child’s sleep needs; overtiredness leads to bedtime battles.

– Keep up with same the soothing routines and similar (dark, quiet) sleep environment as much as possible.

– Don’t forget the lovey and baby monitor!

 

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