Has your little one been waking up at night in a state of terror or extreme fear? If so then your child may be suffering from night terrors. If this is the case, you are not alone. It is estimated that about 4% of the population suffer from night terrors at some time or other.

I have to admit, I have been lucky and neither of my children have suffered from regular night terrors but I have come across other mothers whose children have suffered from them and I know from them that they can be extremely distressing.

Before jumping to conclusions though, I would like to tell you a little more about them so that you can best understand if they apply to you or your family. The following facts apply: Read the rest of this entry

Have you ever wondered whether or not you are being a neglectful parent if you do not immediately attend to your child’s crying? It’s a fair question after all. I bet there are times when you feel convinced that your little one is manipulating you? The problem is knowing if your little one really needs your love and attention or if you should leave them to “Cry It Out” for a while.

If you identify with this scenario, then I know exactly how you feel. I used to suffer from this exact type of dilemma myself. In fact, my husband and I had many disagreements on the best way to deal with the protests of our first child. When I use the word protest, I am somewhat understating Oliver’s heart rending wailing. Read the rest of this entry

Do you want your baby or toddler to sleep all the way through the night without waking up?

Of course you do. I know exactly how tiring it is when your little one wakes up and won’t go back to sleep again, several times a night.

The next day is hell and you can never seem to shake off the weariness that seems to have become a permanent feature in your life. Your little one is fractious and you feel sure that you could cope much better if you could only get a decent night’s sleep.
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So you want to know how to get your toddler to go sleep without any battles? Even better, would you like your toddler to sleep all night long and to wake up feeling refreshed and happy?

Let me first say, I know exactly how it feels when your baby or toddler sleeps badly. Each day is struggle and you feel as if you do not have the energy or will to make it through another day.

You feel sure that you could cope with the day if only you could get a single decent night’s sleep. Read the rest of this entry

If you don’t have a structured bedtime routine for your child, then you are making a mistake. Research has consistently shown that children with a bedtime routine fall asleep faster, experience fewer night wakings and sleep for longer. Both babies and toddlers benefit greatly from having a familiar set of activities that gently lead them step by step into a relaxed state. The same set of actions performed at the same time every night is comforting to a child and leads to a feeling of security that helps them sleep well.

If your child is a toddler, he or she will be continually testing the boundaries that you have set them and trying to assert their own will on every situation. If you are consistent in your routine then your toddler are far less likely to be battling you at every step. Read the rest of this entry

When you are completely exhausted and your baby or toddler has been driving you crazy all day, most of us will gladly try any non harmful tactic to help your little one fall asleep. Some of the things that many people try are:

• Pacifiers or dummies
• Walking, rocking or driving your baby to sleep
• Watching T.V. To sleep
• Nursing your baby to sleep whilst still on the breast
• Playing a specific tune or piece of music that your baby likes

In the short term, many of these techniques will work a treat but unfortunately they cause more problems in the long run. When your child becomes dependent upon a physical object or set of circumstances to fall asleep they will often wake up distressed if those circumstances are no longer available when they stir in the night.
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You may have heard of sleep training but are not sure exactly what it is and whether it is safe or appropriate for your little one. Sleep training is when you teach your child the skill of self-soothing so that he or she is able to fall asleep or fall back to sleep on their own. Before talking more about sleep training I’d like to point out that there are situations where sleep training is not appropriate. You should never sleep train your child if: Read the rest of this entry

When your child repeatedly wakes up during the night and consistently has problems going back to sleep, it can really tire you out. It can also be quite frustrating when you repeatedly hear stories from other people with young children whose babies are already “sleeping through the night”.

The first thing that I want to point out is that we all, both parents and children alike, wake up several times a night. We wake up in between sleep cycles however if we fall asleep again within a couple of minutes, there is very little chance that we will remember waking up at all. In fact, most infants experience 3-4 partial arousals every night. Read the rest of this entry

It is incredibly important to make sure that your baby or toddler is getting enough sleep over the course of the day. An overtired baby is likely to be fussy and hyperactive when awake and is less likely to sleep well at night.

0 – 3 Months
Your newborn will not have an established sleep pattern and may only be awake for 45 minutes at a time. Your baby will still be learning to differentiate night and day and it is highly unlikely he or she will be consolidating most of their sleep into the night time yet. After approximately 12 weeks, your baby will be starting to associate sleep with:

• Noise and Quiet
• Light and Dark
• Play time vs Quiet time

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