the bedtime battles

Do THIS after your baby turns 12 Months… 👇🏼 ✨ Move the last feeding out of the Bedtime Routine ✨ Start transitioning from Bottles to Cups But why? After 12 months of age milk is NO LONGER the main source of nutrition. SOLIDS become the main source of nutrition and milk should start being offered with meals. Milk (bottles or nursing) should no longer be part of the bedtime routine. But why? If you continue to offer milk as your child’s main meal it will fill them up and they won’t want to eat their solids which they need as their main source of nutrition. You also want to move away from formula in bottles to cow’s milk in a cup. ❌ Don’t do this: Your baby gets a full bottle of formula (or cow’s milk) right before bed or at the start of their bedtime routine. That bottle can be a sleep association and make them sleepy. Sound familiar? ✅ Instead, DO THIS: Offer them their last bottle BEFORE starting the bedtime routine, in a common area. Tell them it’s their last milk of the night. In the next few days, start shifting the bottle to a CUP of milk with dinner as their last milk. But why? You want to break any association your child has with a bottle of milk and sleep. If you continue to give your child bottles of milk before bed they can hang on to that need to have milk before naptime and bedtime which makes the transition away from bottles even tougher. Just a note about breastfeeding: You can continue to nurse on demand as long as you wish, we just want any milk moved away from sleep. If you’re struggling with this transition… comment “12 months” below!

🎁 🎅🏼 🤶🏻 🎄Holiday Giveaway! ❤️💚⛄️ 🥳 Sharing my passion for Sleep and Baking this Holiday Season! Gifting some of my favorite sleep essentials!! 🥳 Sleep is my passion and I LOVE helping moms get more sleep! I also LOVE baking, especially during this time of year! So I’m bringing together my passion for baking and sleep in this giveaway! Enter to win: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 👶🏿 A Portable Dreamegg Sound Machine ($30 value) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 👶🏼 Container of Homemade Baked Cookies* (priceless) 👶🏽 A free 30 Minute Advice Call with Katie plus mini action plan ($200 value) *Katie is not responsible for any allergies as she cannot guarantee they are allergen free. You accept this risk when participating in this giveaway. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ To enter: 1️⃣ Like and save this post 2️⃣ Follow my account: @happilyeveraftersleep 3️⃣ Comment below why you want to win and tag another friend 👇🏼 (No bonus entries for extra tags) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 🌟Bonus entry if you share this post to your story and tag @happilyeveraftersleep (hit the paper airplane) ✨ Must not follow to unfollow✨ *Open to US and Canada residents only* Contest ends on Tuesday 12/23 @ midnight (EST) and the winner will be announced on Wednesday morning!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed or associated with Instagram in any way.

Why are the holidays the perfect time to sleep train? ❄️🎅🏼🤶🏻🎄 You may be thinking, why would I want to do that? There are 3 main reasons… 1️⃣ Sleep training takes time and consistency. Most families are able to take a few days off in a row together during the holidays. If you’re not traveling, take advantage of this time off together so both parents can fully participate without it all falling on one parent. Some babies are watched by family or in daycare which makes it harder to keep things consistent. Being home for naps will help them improve faster. 2️⃣ Sleep training can be stressful and exhausting. As I mentioned above, sleep training takes time and consistency which means you may lose more sleep initially. Most parents are already sleep deprived so this process can be stressful. If parents are off from work for a few days or have family around they can catch up on sleep without having to stress about work and other family members can watch the kids. 3️⃣What better gift than the GIFT OF SLEEP? If your baby or toddler hasn’t been sleeping well for a while now you’ve probably been running on little sleep and are both mentally drained and physically exhausted. Your little one deserves more sleep, YOU DESERVE MORE SLEEP. Why wait to make changes? Give yourself the gift of sleep this holiday season! Ready to make changes? So where do you start? Find an approach you’re comfortable with, follow an age appropriate schedule and track your progress! Overwhelmed? You’re not alone! Reach out for support, book a call with me. I will create a customized sleep plan just for your child and your family and I’ll support you every step of the way! Spots for December are filling up fast, only a few left! Book your call with me today! Comment ‘SLEEP’ below and I’ll message you a booking link!

My Top Sleep Tips for Surviving Thanksgiving 🦃 🧡 Car or Plane Travel Try to plan to drive or fly during your baby’s nap time. Do what you need to in order for your baby to sleep. Pack toys and snacks for the ride. Plan on being able to feed your baby (breast or bottle) as needed on the plane which will help relieve the ear pressure while flying. 🤎Sleep Schedules Respect your child’s naptime and bedtime to avoid overtiredness. Plan for some naps to be “home” and some on the go, balance. Try to stick to your normal bedtime or follow a later bedtime with a bounce back day. Offer a later nap if bedtime is going to be late. 🤍Bedtime Routine Bring your child’s comfort items with you. Books, sound machine, swaddles/sleep sacks and room darkening supplies. Try to keep their bedtime routine similar to when you’re home. 🧡Family Members How do you handle family members that may have differing opinions about your child’s sleep? Your family is going to want to spend time holding your baby. Be upfront with them about their nap times. Be prepared for some pushback. 🤎Sleep Environment Know and plan ahead of time where your child will sleep. Bring a pack and play or bassinet, somewhere your baby can sleep. Make the room dark and run a sound machine. Your child may not sleep as perfectly being in a new sleep space. Remember your child is adjusting. Respond to them how you usually would at home, trying to stay consistent. 🤍Room Sharing If your baby will be in the same room as you, it helps to plan ahead. What is the setup of the room? Is there a way to make a separate space? My favorite solution to this problem is the Slumberpod. It’s a privacy pod that goes over the pack and play, mini crib or toddler cot to create a separate, dark sleep space. You can put the baby to bed all while keeping the lights on in the room until you’re ready for sleep. Slumberpod site wide sale! Use code KATIE10 to stack savings! for 30-35% off at Slumberpod.com Lastly, enjoy your holiday! Save this post & Follow me for more helpful sleep tips!

Understanding Night Terrors & Nightmares 👻 🌙 Night Terrors 🌚 Occur within the first few hours after a child falls asleep, usually during Non-REM Sleep. 🌚Characterized by intense fear, screaming, sweating, kicking or thrashing, confusion, and even sleepwalking. 🌚These episodes can last from a few minutes up to 30 minutes and are most common in children ages 3-7 years old. 🌚A child experiencing a night terror is difficult to wake or comfort during the episode and typically has no memory of the event afterward. Night Terrors Can Be Caused By: 🌙 Sleep deprivation 🌙 Stress 🌙 Fear 🌙 Sleep Schedule Disruptions 🌙 Certain Medications 🌛Nightmares 🌚Occur during the second half of the night or early morning, usually during REM (rapid eye movement) Sleep, when we dream. 🌚They are a frightening dream that causes your child to wake up with strong feelings of fear, anxiety or stress. 🌚Nightmares are most common in children ages 3-12 years old, but peak between the ages of 3 and 6, as well as ages 5-9. 🌚Your child will remember a nightmare the next day and may continue to be upset by it. Nightmares Can Be Caused By: 🌛Overtiredness 🌛Stress and Anxiety 🌛Scary movies, books or shows 🌛 Traumatic events How You Can Help Your Child: ⭐️Maintain a Consistent Bedtime Routine ⭐️Ensure Adequate Sleep ⭐️Minimize Stress Specifically For Night Terrors: ✨Keep the Environment Safe ✨Scheduled Awakenings ✨Medical Intervention Specifically For Nightmares: 🌟Provide Comfort 🌟Talk About It 🌟Limit Scary Content 🌟Security Object Was this helpful? Follow me for more Baby & Toddler Sleep Tips! 😴

🌟3 to 2 Nap Transition Signs They’re Ready ✨Your baby was a super star napper, but nap lengths are getting shorter. ✨Your baby takes longer to fall asleep or has been able to stay awake longer between naps. ✨There’s not enough time in the day to fit nap 3 in without bedtime getting pushed back super late. ✨Some days your baby ends up fighting the 3rd nap and earlier bedtime is easier than squeezing that 3rd nap in. How to Make the Switch ✨This transition usually happens between 6-8 months. Baby should be showing these signs consistently for at least 2 weeks. ✨Full adjustment can take between 2-4 weeks and your baby may seem tired at their usual time. ✨Avoid car naps and stroller rides before the first nap of the day. A catnap before bedtime may be needed at the beginning. ✨Be prepared to move bedtime earlier during the transition. 1️⃣Start by moving the first 2 naps later by 30 minutes allowing your baby to sleep as long as they want. This will help remove the third nap. 2️⃣The goal is that each nap is 1.5 hours. Plan on moving bedtime earlier during this transition depending on how long your baby sleeps for these 2 naps. 3️⃣If the nap is under an hour, give your baby time to fall back to sleep, don’t just call the nap over. 4️⃣If your baby is an early riser, you may need to push Nap 1 back later (9:00 AM at the earliest). If this is an hour difference do this gradually (30 minutes every 3 days). 5️⃣If baby is having a tough time lengthening naps, you can still offer a short catnap before bedtime and then adjust accordingly. Avoid overtiredness! ✨In general, awake windows lengthen to 2.5-3.5 hours and your baby follows more of a set schedule. Final Tips ✨Your baby may experience some difficulties during this transition, which is normal, the schedule should regulate after 2 weeks ✨Once you decide to make the switch, don’t go back to always offering nap 3, earlier bedtime is the better option ✨Bedtime needs to be earlier to help with this nap transition, 6:30/7:00 pm is the time I recommend, can be pushed back once the transition is complete and naps lengthen Did this post help? Questions? Like, Comment, Share & Save this post!

🚨 Daylight Savings Reminder! We “Fall Back” Sunday, November 2nd Yes, it’s that dreaded time of year where we gain an hour of sleep, but… If you’re a parent, your child most likely won’t sleep that extra hour which can mean an extra early morning 🥱 Stay calm and keep reading! ⏰ No need to start early, just start Sunday morning of DST. Change the clocks once you wake up for the day. My advice is to “split the difference”, adjust by 30 minutes for 3 days and then on day 4 go back to the normal time. In about a week your child will be back on track. Now of course this strategy depends on the age of your child. For younger babies, just keep following awake windows. Still confused about “falling back”? I’ve got you covered! Head to my blog post where I go into more detail about how to make the switch along with sample schedules! 👇🏼 https://www.happilyeveraftersleep.com/daylight-savings-fall-back/ Comment “Fall Back” for a direct link! Make sure to like, save & share this post!

Spooky 👻 🎃 🏚️ Okay, had to jump on this trend. What’s your haunted house? 👇🏼

📢 Daylight Savings Reminder! We “Fall Back” Sunday, November 2nd! Yes, it’s that dreaded time of year where we gain an hour of sleep, but… If you’re a parent, your child most likely won’t sleep that extra hour which can mean an extra early morning 🥱 Stay calm and keep reading! ⏰ No need to start early, just start Sunday morning of DST. Change the clocks once you wake up for the day. My advice is to “split the difference”, adjust by 30 minutes for 3 days and then on day 4 go back to the normal time. In about a week your child will be back on track. Now of course this strategy depends on the age of your child. For younger babies, just keep following awake windows. Still confused about “falling back”? I’ve got you covered! I’ll be sharing a blog post with sample schedules as well as on my stories, so be on the lookout for that! Want my FREE Guide to “Falling Back”? Make sure you’re following me @happilyeveraftersleep then comment “Fall Back” and I’ll send you the direct link!