Sleep training can be LIFE SAVING for a sleep deprived mom. But, sleep training isn’t for everyone. I had a wrap up call with a client today and Mom shared how thankful she was that they had reached out when they did. They recently had some unforeseen circumstances pop up. Mom said that she literally wouldn’t have survived this hardship had they not been getting sleep. At the beginning of our time together, their 19 month old needed them to sit with her until she was asleep as well as for every night waking. Fast forward to a few weeks later and this now 20 month old is peacefully putting herself to sleep every night in her floor bed. The other night Mom heard her singing herself to sleep. That makes me so happy. ☺️ When a family reaches out to me for sleep help, it’s imperative that that family knows my approach to sleep training and that they feel comfortable. I am always transparent and honest with my families and truly want to help, but it has to be the right fit. Sleep training isn’t for everyone. But sleep training is LIFE SAVING for those that need it. If you’re struggling with sleep and you’re not sure what else to do, please reach out. Sleep training doesn’t have to be scary and overwhelming. I’m here to guide you through the process and help your family get their sleep back. Maybe you’ll decide you’re not ready, but maybe you’ll decide it’s just what you need. ❤️ Comment “sleep” if you’re ready to make some changes and get your sleep back! 😴

Happy Mother’s Day! Not the most glamorous picture of me and the kids but just relaxing and being silly enjoying the day! This past week I ran a 5K with my oldest, planned our Girl Scout meeting, organized teacher appreciation week at the school, went on the kindergarten field trip, took my oldest to her HR derby and then her Top cookie seller event…. On top of a full client load (sleep and doula families)! But I wouldn’t have it any other way! I work my butt off for these girlies 🩷 So today, I slept in, ordered out and relaxed! I hope you got to celebrate the way you wanted!!

Struggling with False starts at Bedtime? 😫 Don’t panic, I’ve got you covered. Yep, false starts are the worst. A false start is when your child wakes up shortly after falling asleep at bedtime. This can happen 40-60 minutes after you lay them down, usually one full sleep cycle.⠀ You then have to repeat the process that got them to sleep the first time- rocking, feeding, bouncing or replacing the pacifier. Sometimes it can even take longer to get them back down then it did initially at bedtime. False starts can be caused by: 1️⃣ too much awake time from last nap to bedtime (overtiredness) 2️⃣ not enough awake time or too much daytime sleep (naps) 3️⃣ drowsiness during the bedtime routine or too much assistance to sleep 4️⃣ built up sleep debt⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ How do you know what’s causing them? 👉🏻 Look at the big picture, how are naps during the day? 👉🏻 Does your child seem overtired (super fussy and clingy)? 👉🏻 Are they an independent sleeper? 👉🏻 Do you have the right bedtime? Too early? Too late? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Tips to resolve false starts: 1️⃣ Make sure you’re following age appropriate awake windows 2️⃣ Cap naps or transition to 1 less nap if needed 3️⃣ Early bedtime if poor nap day 4️⃣ Lay your child down awake for bedtime and naptime Struggling with figuring things out? Let’s chat, book a free call with me! Comment FREE CALL and I’ll send you a link! Bonus tip: Download my FREE Awake Window Guide! Comment Awake Windows and I’ll send you the link!

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… Book a free call or comment “12 months” below!

I often get asked… Why does my little one still wake up through the night and how can I fix it? First, let me start by saying it’s not always hunger. Yes, not every waking is going to be hunger. How is your little one getting to sleep initially at bedtime? Rocking, patting, feeding, cuddling, pacifier? This is important because… How your little one gets to sleep at bedtime is what they’re going to need when they wake in the night. They need this same sleep association each time they wake in order to get back to sleep. So what do I recommend? -Follow age appropriate awake windows -Make the feeding the first step of the bedtime routine, so baby stays awake -Lay your baby down AWAKE, not drowsy or asleep Ultimately, laying your baby down awake will help … Them learn to self settle and connect their sleep cycles. This will help them sleep longer stretches and take longer naps allowing you all to sleep better! But where do you start? Start by booking a free call with Katie so you can share your sleep struggles. Katie will share how she can help support your family achieve better sleep today. Comment “sleep” if you’re ready to start sleeping better now!

Q&A Monday! 🌞🌸🌷 😴 Bedtime battles? Night wakings? Early morning wakings? Chronic short napper? Struggling with a sleep regression or transition? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Wish you could ask a sleep expert for advice? It’s your lucky day! Ask away! 👇🏻Like this post then head to my stories and enter your question there. Please share some details along with your child’s age. I will tag you in my response.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Some questions may need more details or may be too complicated to answer. If you’re looking for more support, book a free sleep solution call with me and we can talk about what’s going on with your child’s sleep and how I can best support you. Comment FREE CALL below and I’ll send you a link!