What to know before you begin sleep training

March 24, 2016

I’m fortunate to work with the families who seek me out. If you’re looking to hire a sleep coach, it’s probably because you’ve already chatted with your sister, mother, friends, Google and possibly even strangers on the internet, in search of sleep solutions. The families who ultimately hire me are ready and highly committed to see change.

If you’re considering sleep training, whether on your own or with a sleep coach, this is the kind of thing you want to do once, do right and never have to worry about again. After working with hundreds of families over the years, these are some of my top considerations before proceeding with sleep training.

Give it time – Poor sleep habits did not develop overnight. It’s not reasonable to expect a complete change in habits in a single night. Give sleep training a fair shot before evaluating success or failure.
Commit and be consistent – There is no “kinda sleep train.” You’re in or your out. If you have an awareness that you can’t commit, you’re not ready or it doesn’t feel like the right move, that’s ok too. Don’t embark upon sleep training until you’re absolutely ready.
Be healthy – Illness can limit sleep quality. An underlying health issue (something more acute, like colds, flu or ear infections) warrants holding off on sleep training until baby is well. More complex chronic issues like allergies, digestive issues or even heart conditions, could warrant some special instructions from your child’s paediatrician. Check with your doctor before beginning.
Set age appropriate goals – Goals are an important way to measure success. A four month old who sleeps through the night without feeds or a 4 year old with a nap and an early bedtime might not be appropriate. Understand what a reasonable quantity and allocation of sleep should look like for each age.
The small stuff IS the big stuff – I’ll let you in on a little secret… sleep training ISN’T about crying it out or what sleep training method you choose. Great routines, awesome timing, an ideal environments – these are what can make or break your success.
Right method for your family – Choose a strategy you can be consistent with. It doesn’t have to be cry it out. If you can’t follow through, it’s not the right method.
Have a plan – Discuss bedtime, night waking and nap time scenarios with your partner, consider options, agree to a plan and then follow through. Sleep sabotaging decisions are made at 2AM when fatigue and emotion takes over. Stick to the plan!
Engage all care providers – The more consistency you can offer, the more likely you’ll achieve success. Child care provider(s) can help in working towards those goals.
Support network – Maybe this means you and your partner, maybe this means putting a good friend or relative on standby, maybe this means hiring a sleep coach. If sleep training were easy, we’d all have sleeping babies, I wouldn’t have a job and you wouldn’t be reading this post. You’ll need a support network in place. Friends or family who are not supportive can and should be avoided.

Alright parents, what’s your best advice to share with other families?

xxoo

Krista

About the author:

Krista is a mother of 3 (+1 dog who believes she’s people), a wife to a wonderful husband, and the owner and founder of Sleeperific. Even though she’s been in the sleep consulting biz for 4 years, she still gets excited when she’s hired by a sleepy family.

Day 3 Giveaway Wee Urban Sleep Bag

December 3, 2015

On the third day of Christmas, my sleep coach gave to me:

Sleep Bag from Wee Urban

Made with organic bamboo and cotton, right here in Canada, Wee Dreams™ Sleep Bags feel like a very cozy sweatshirt. We love sleep sacks because they’re a safe way to keep babe covered, especially in winter months. We’ve also found them to be breathable enough to wear in warmer seasons. Super cute prints, beautiful colours and generous sizing options make these sleep sacks a must have for every nursery!

Enter below from now until December 12.

Winners will be announced here on December 14th, 2015.

Contest available only to residents of Canada.

<a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/48e09ddc5/" onclick="__gaTracker('send', 'event', 'outbound-article', 'http://www generic actos.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/48e09ddc5/’, ‘a Rafflecopter giveaway ‘);” id=”rcwidget_jd2ef0d8″ class=”rcptr” rel=”nofollow” data-raflid=”48e09ddc5″ data-theme=”classic” data-template=””>a Rafflecopter giveaway

Missed our previous Days of Christmas?

Visit Day 1, and Day 2 to enter while you can!

Day 2 Giveaway Teeny Tiny Bakery Cookies

December 2, 2015

12 Days of Christmas from Sleeperific - Day 2

On the second day of Christmas, my sleep coach gave to me:

25 Mini Cookies from The Teeny Tiny Bakery

Each of these cookies is beautifully handmade and iced in The Teeny Tiny Bakery kitchen in Toronto, Ontario. 25 means you have enough for an advent calendar, if you can stop yourself from eating them all in one sitting.

Jackie and her crew create beautiful custom cookies for every occasion. We’ve been lucky to enjoy many of Jackie’s creations over the years, and they’re always impeccable and always delicious.

Enter below from now until December 12.

Winners will be announced here on December 14th, 2015.

Contest available only to residents of Canada.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Missed our previous Days of Christmas Giveaway?

Visit Day 1 to enter while you can!

Night Terrors

September 20, 2015

Night terrors are not bad dreams. You might not even know that what you’re seeing from your child is a night terror the first time it occurs.

Typically occurring in children between 3 and 12 years of age, an estimated 1 to 6 percent of children experience terrors[1].

Some characteristics of night terrors include:

Timing: Early after onset of night sleep or in early morning when coming out of a deep sleep (Night terrors occur in non-REM stages of sleep)
Yelling, screaming, shouting
Thrashing, kicking, pushing away you or objects that aren’t there
Child appears anxious, fearful or panicked
Sweating, increased heart rate
May appear awake but will not be responsive
Most significantly: child has no memory of the event (if your child recalls the event, it was not a night terror)

Risk factors

Overtiredness and fatigue
Variable sleep schedule
Significant changes or stressors in a child’s life (beginning childcare, new school, change in family arrangements, new sleep environment, etc….)
Illness or fever
Family history of partial-arousal parasomnia ie: sleep walking

How to manage?

If your child has a terror, don’t disrupt them. Ultimately, going sleep will end the terror. Speaking to or touching your child unnecessarily will prolong the terror. Stay with your child, keep him or her safe, guide back to bed as necessary, but try to keep intervention which might disrupt sleep, to a minimum. If your child is getting up and walking around during their terror, consider a gate at their door or the top of stairs, and ensuring exterior doors are not easily opened.

Prevention

The majority of night terrors are caused by overtiredness. That means if we can get the child MORE sleep, we can often prevent the terror from occurring. The easiest way to achieve more sleep is with an earlier bedtime, as little as 15 minutes can do the trick. Be diligent about following regularity in your child’s schedule until the terrors have stopped.

If terrors occur with regularity at a particular time of day, you can gently rouse your child (just enough so they might sigh and roll over and go back to sleep) in the 30 minutes prior to the regular terror. The goal of this strategy is to disrupt the sleep cycles just enough to prevent the terror.

If terrors persist, and recur at least 3x per week, talk to your child’s doctor. There could be contributing factors to the night terrors, like sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome.

References

[1] Rosenberg, Robert S. Sleep Soundly Every Night, Feel Fantastic Every Day. New York: Demos Health, 2014. Print.