Crib Coach

|Newborns wanting to be held for allllll their naps... Do you have a little one who will only nap if they are in your arms? Or who will nap on you for a solid 2 hours but the second you place them down, they only nap 20, maybe 30 minutes? We know how completely exhausting this can feel. But please know, this is COMPLETELY normal! We always say there is no such thing as spoiling a newborn. Babies go through so many changes during the newborn stage and their sleep changes whe...n they hit that 4 month regression. Naps typically begin to consolidate around 4 months, and often babies benefit from some gentle sleep training in order to get there! If you’re looking for some things to try to get some more independent naps happening in the meantime, here are a few tips: Introduce an eat, play, sleep schedule Sort out their days and nights by making daytime more interesting and evening more relaxing Keep wake windows short to avoid having your baby overtired! 30-90 minutes max at this age (shorter end for younger babes and longer end for older babes) Introduce a nap routine and an ideal sleep environment for naps (dark, cool room, white noise) Watch for sleepy cues to indicate your baby may be ready for a nap soon (blank stares, turning their head, eyebrows turn pink/red, looking away, yawning, rubbing eyes) Extend those short naps! If they wake after sleeping 20-30 minutes on their own, go in and pat/shush them, pick them up, bounce/rock them back to sleep and put them back down or even have them finish their nap on/with you! Baby wearing for those days your baby is not wanting to be put down! The first few months are pure survival. Do what you need to do to get everyone some sleep! Things will get better. Know that you are not establishing any bad habits or sleep crutches. Soak in all those newborn snuggles!|

Sam is 19 months old. He struggled with acid reflux all his life, but when it became progressively worse, he began to form an aversion to his bed. Laying down is always uncomfortable if reflux is not properly controlled. In November 2020 he was diagnosed with GERD. Over time he fought his bed more and more, especially when waking up in the middle of the night. His stomach pain and reflux made it very difficult for us to let him cry for long. He refused to go back to sleep...Continue reading

|Separation Anxiety and Sleep Separation anxiety often occurs between 8-12 months and can come and go through toddlerhood. You may notice that your little one is extra clingy all of a sudden, gets upset when you leave the room, or bedtime is becoming a struggle. There are some things you can do during the day to help reassure your child so they feel safe and secure come bedtime (and naptime!): Intentional time--This is a huge one! Spend some extra one-on-one, uninterrupt...ed time with your babe during the day in their room. This will help them build up their confidence in their space. Play games, read books, sing songs, and have a dance party! Making their room fun and a place they feel comfortable will make it easier putting them down for naps and bedtime. Extend your bedtime routine--By adding some additional time to your bedtime routine, it can make separating from you a bit easier for your little one. Simply start your routine 15-30 minutes earlier, adding in some extra bath time or storytime, so that you can keep your bedtime the same! Keep a consistent schedule and routines. Children thrive on routine and are comforted by knowing exactly what is going to happen next. When you do need to leave, make sure you let them know you are leaving. Say Goodbye and leave without making a big deal out of it. If you struggle to leave it will only make it harder on your child! Separation anxiety is a phase that will pass with time. Giving them extra love and snuggles, while building their confidence will go a long way!|

|2 years!... You guys- I smile and shake my head in disbelief most days that we have created this community together. Thank you for being here, for trusting us, for sharing us, for loving us. We would not be here without you! ... From the bottom of all our hearts- we thank you. Thank you for allowing us into your families, letting us celebrate all the victories alongside you. We want to give back to our amazing community. So we are going to give away a 5 Day Unlimited Support Sleep package! Head to our Instagram page (@thecribcoach) for details on how to enter. |

Our journey with The Crib Coach started very early on in Mason's life. My first baby didn't sleep through the night until well past one, I was beyond exhausted and knew that wasn't an option this time with a toddler to take care of. So I attended a Newborn Sleep seminar with the Crib Coach when Mason was just 6 weeks old and that really helped us to lay a good sleep foundation for Mason. It also helped me understand that all of the things he was doing were completely normal ...Continue reading

|Keeping that wake time active Things are different for everyone right now. Schedules and routines have changed, you may be working at home while your kids are home from daycare or school, your typical activities and play groups are cancelled, or you simply can’t go out and about as often as you may have before. It’s easy to feel like you’re doing the same thing over and over again, running out of activities to keep your baby or toddler busy and entertained. This can make ...it tricky for your little one to burn off all of their energy and be tired enough for their naps. You may even begin to question whether or not they are ready to drop a nap or stop napping altogether! If your baby or toddler is protesting naps and has you wondering if it’s time to drop one, first make sure they fall within the typical timeframe and that it’s been happening consistently for 2-3 weeks. Typical time for nap transitions are: 3 naps to 2: between 6-9 months 2 naps to 1: between 15-18 months 1 nap to Quiet Time: As close to school age as possible! Before you drop a nap, try to mix things up and get that energy out any way you can! Encourage lots of play and exploration during wake time. Not only does this allow them to work on any new milestones they may be mastering (which could also be impacting their naps), but it ensures they burn off all of that energy built up from their previous sleep. Otherwise they may protest and fight falling asleep since that sleep pressure is just not strong enough! I know it can be hard with the weather getting colder in many places, but if possible, bundle up and get some fresh air. Take a walk, go for a bike ride, play in the snow, or kick the soccer ball around the yard! Can’t get outside? There are lots of activities you can do inside the house too! Build a fort, have a dance party, bake something, play a game, or my personal favorite: indoor obstacle course! Keeping our kiddos active and entertained right now can be HARD but it really can make such a difference for those naps! Tell us your favorite ways to burn that energy!|

|The 6 month sleep regression can occur anytime between 5-8 months and occurs because you baby is experiencing something new! What causes it? It could be their first tooth, their learning to sit up or crawl, and a big one is their learning about object permanence which is when your baby starts to realize you still exist when you’re not in the room with them. ... What are the signs of a regression? Increased appetite or feedings. More frequent wakings at night Taking shorter naps or refusing to sleep during the day. Increased fussiness More clinging to mom and/or dad So how can you navigate your way through a regression? Keep consistent with your sleep training method through the regression. You don’t want to slip into unwanted habits and start cuddling or rocking your baby to sleep. If you suspect it’s separation anxiety then offer some additional one on one time during the day and before bed to reassure them that you are there for them. Consistency is key even through a regression. If you stay consistent you will keep your baby on track to sleep after the regression is over.|

|Where to start! Through this process of sleep training I have learned three things - well maybe more than three...but three things really stand out to me. 1) I have a VERY strong willed baby 2) I should trust myself more 3) progress is progress, no matter how small. Hayden didn’t have too many troubles with his night sleep - his naps however; a WHOLE different ball game. He was the king of cat napping, waking up grumpy, barely making it an hour and then doing it all over a...gain. I felt like all I was doing was spending the day in a dark room, listening to white noise and rocking him back and forth. I was going crazy! I finally decided to send a message to Jori and I am really glad I did! Now, I’ll be honest, we haven’t done a complete 180 degree turn with Hayden’s naps - he still has days where he only wants to nap thirty minutes - but he has had many more naps that have lasted over an hour and half - something I never thought the king of catnapping would ever do! When he does wake up after 30 minutes he is able to put himself back to sleep! I was so defeated after a couple of weeks - but with Jori’s motivation we kept going. I wanted to throw in the towel every step of the way because I felt like we were making no progress. But, Jori pointed out that in fact we WERE making progress. Even if it wasn’t 2 hour naps every day, every little step mattered. Once I switched my mind set to focus on the little wins and trusted myself, I found what I needed to keep going. Is Hayden the perfect napper? No. Can he put him self to sleep at naps times, connect sleep cycles and put himself back to sleep if he wake before it’s time. Absolutely. Thank you Crib Coach! - not only for giving me skills to implement when it comes to sleep, but skills to implement when it comes to navigating this whole mom thing!|

|FAQs about all things sleep We are back to answer another commonly asked question about your little one’s sleep! Should I follow wake windows or set nap times?... If your baby is under 4 months old, we recommend following appropriate wake windows. The average wake windows for 0-3 months is 30-90 minutes. Babies on the younger side (0-1 month) are more likely to stick to the shorter wake windows (30-60 minutes), while babies on the older side of this range (2-3 months) can usually handle the slightly longer wake windows (60-90 minutes). At this age, cat naps and short naps are very normal and sleep in general can be very inconsistent, so following those wake windows helps ensure your baby isn’t getting overtired throughout the day. When your little one is 4 months or older, we begin recommending following set nap times. Following a schedule designed for their age with nap times set at appropriate wake windows allows their natural sleep rhythms to sync and produce necessary sleep hormones at the set times of day. This consistency helps their body clocks set and allows for those good consolidated naps to happen! If you are constantly adjusting wake windows after short naps, this reinforces those short naps and doesn’t help your little one learn to lengthen them as their body clocks are constantly shifting. Instead, keeping those nap times consistent and working on leaving your babe for a set nap duration will help them stretch those naps out! Swipe over to see our handy nap chart, which will help you design the daily schedule suitable to your babe’s age!|

|When should you introduce a bedtime routine? There is no such thing as too early! You can start a bedtime routine as soon as your bring baby home! Introducing a consistent bedtime routine helps signal to your babe that it’s time to start winding down. It helps them know and expect what’s coming next. Introducing a bedtime routine early helps get you in the habit as well! ... An example of a bedtime routine is... bath, pjs, white noise on, song and into bed!|