Well Rested Sleep Coach

Well Rested Sleep Coach Helping your little one sleep using a gentle approach
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Consistency is so important for sleep training. I was speaking to a mum this morning at swimming and she couldn’t unders...
07/09/2024

Consistency is so important for sleep training. I was speaking to a mum this morning at swimming and she couldn’t understand why her little ones sleep still wasn’t improving.

A little digging and it turns out they were making 2 mistakes
1) each parent was responding differently when their little one woke during the night
2) their night waking routine didn’t match their daytime routine

Both of which were sending mixed messages to their little one. I’ve advised they ensure consistency between them and also during each night waking. I know it’s hard when you’re tired (I’ve been there!) but honestly, it’s key

My little one is right on the cusp of switching over to 3 naps a day vs the current 4 she is on (she’ll be 4 months old ...
15/08/2024

My little one is right on the cusp of switching over to 3 naps a day vs the current 4 she is on (she’ll be 4 months old on Sunday)

What am I doing to prep for the 4 month regression?

1) ensuring we’re getting in 1 good length nap a day (1 hour 30 or 1 hour 45 - I do this ideally at the start of the day as it sets us up for a good day ahead)
2) monitoring her wake windows closely - I use an app called Baby Sleep Timer and this tracks her wake windows for me so I can review them each day without have to retain any info in my head 😂
3) starting to get a bedtime routine in place - she’s so much more aware right now, so having a simile routine each night means she is more aware bedtime is coming

Routine for a 4-5 month old 💕

- Remember this is a guide and wake windows can be shorter if you’re having an overly stimulating wake window.

- Keep an eye out for sleep cues especially when your baby is closer to 4 months and they start to stretch out their wake windows.

- Timings can vary depending on if your little one take a 1.5 hour or 2 hour nap for the first 2 naps of the day

- People often question the 3rd nap being at 4pm and wonder if it’s ‘too close to bedtime’. At this age, wake windows are only around 1.5 hours, so putting your little one down for a nap at 4pm for an hour and half is perfect if you’re aiming for a 7pm bedtime

Do you know the stage of your little one’s sleep cycle? Sleep cycles in children begin to develop around 4 months – whic...
16/07/2024

Do you know the stage of your little one’s sleep cycle?

Sleep cycles in children begin to develop around 4 months – which is the biggest driver of the 4 month regression.

Here is an approximate guide as to what stage of sleep your little one is in during their 40-50 minute cycle:

Stage 1) 0-10 mins
Baby starting to fall asleep

Stage 2) 10-20 mins
Baby falling into a deeper sleep

Stage 3) 20-30 mins
Baby heavily asleep

Stage 4) 30-40 mins
Baby coming out of deep sleep

Stage 5) 40-50 ish mins
Baby is in light sleep and is easy to wake

You may find that your baby is only napping for around 45 mins (for our little one, his sleep cycle was 47 mins to be exact!) which means they are sleeping just one cycle

There are things we can do to help little ones to connect their sleep cycles in a gentle way. Drop us a DM if you’re struggling to get your little one to sleep longer than 45 (ish) mins at a time

The 4 (ish) month sleep ‘regression’. What’s going on? At around 4 month old, your baby’s sleep will go through a very e...
26/06/2024

The 4 (ish) month sleep ‘regression’. What’s going on?

At around 4 month old, your baby’s sleep will go through a very exciting change!

Their biological clock is developing and sleep is transitioning from ‘newborn sleep’ to ‘adult sleep’. This means they are starting to sleep in cycles!

This is a big (and permanent) change for your little one and it can be a challenging time. Not only are they starting to sleep in cycles, but this is also a common age for a growth spurt AND they may also be starting to show signs of rolling, which is another huge development leap. That’s a lot right?

What might you see?

- Your little one will be starting to have shorter naps during the day and their wake windows will start to stretch.
- You may find that your little one wakes fully after a sleep cycle and struggles to connect their sleeps
- Which may means more night wakings than before
- Refusing sleep / more fussy when trying to sleep
- Normal sleep associations like rocking don’t work

Now is a really good time to focus on wake windows as we want to make sure your baby doesn’t become overtired. It’s also a great time to start working on settling techniques.

Need some support with your little ones sleep? Why not book a free 15 minute call with me to discuss infant sleep after the 4 month regression

Newborn sleep - what to expect during weeks 0-4Even though your baby is considered a newborn until 8 weeks, I’ve separat...
14/06/2024

Newborn sleep - what to expect during weeks 0-4

Even though your baby is considered a newborn until 8 weeks, I’ve separated newborn sleep into 2 separate posts

Here’s what you can expect for weeks 0-4
- Your baby will spend more time asleep than they will awake
- Wake windows are very short (maybe 30 mins but the time you get to 4 weeks) and will more than likely be used up by feeds and nappy changes
- Your baby will want lots of human contact as they still believe they are part of mum
- Skin to skin is one of the best ways to settle your baby at this age
- Your baby doesn’t know the difference between daytime and nighttime
- No real sense of routine at this stage. You can start introducing things like a ‘bedtime routine’ (bath/story etc) if you wish to start doing so
- Your baby is driven by their hunger

It might be slightly controversial…but I recommend for newborns 👶🏻 it’s normal for your newborn to want to be close to...
11/05/2024

It might be slightly controversial…but I recommend for newborns 👶🏻 it’s normal for your newborn to want to be close to you and to need you for comfort, especially in the first few weeks & months.

Here’s why I recommend contact naps…
1) first of all, this time passed SO quickly! If you want to make the most of the newborn cuddles - do. You cannot ‘spoil’ your baby by cuddling them too much
2) newborns only have 2 states of sleep - active and quiet sleep. Your baby can struggle to move between the two without some help, such as rocking / shhing / patting etc. You’ll see them squirm and wriggle and when you’re holding them, you naturally start assisting them, helping them move from active to quiet sleep and back again, extending the nap.
3) a well rested newborn is easier to settle than an overtired one. Sleep breeds sleep, so let’s focus on them getting the sleep and not how we get them to sleep in those first few weeks 💗

I say to all parents who reach out to me before 4 months to try and not get caught up on schedules and routines for newborns. This time can be tricky, and if you want to start working on a routine, focus on small things first such as a bedtime routine e.g. bath, story, sleep



Do you / did you do contact naps?

Nap trapped (noun): When an infant falls asleep on you and you are unable to move** **(I don’t think there is an ‘offici...
05/04/2024

Nap trapped (noun): When an infant falls asleep on you and you are unable to move**

**(I don’t think there is an ‘official’ definition of nap trapped in the dictionary…yet)

New blog is now live over on my page. It seems like everyone is struggling with nasty bugs at the moment, so I thought I...
22/03/2024

New blog is now live over on my page. It seems like everyone is struggling with nasty bugs at the moment, so I thought I’d pull together some top tips for getting sleep back on track after illness. Follow the link in my bio to go straight there

What is a split night? A split night is when your little one wakes during the night for over an hour and does not settle...
23/02/2024

What is a split night?
A split night is when your little one wakes during the night for over an hour and does not settle back to sleep.

They are WIDE awake and don’t appear to be tired at all. In fact, they usually want to party as if it’s morning time.

These will happen consistently over a period of time. Some littles can experience split nights during a development leap, but will return back to their ‘normal’ routine.

But what happens if they don’t?
- Check their bedtime vs their wake window. Are they going to bed too early and therefore don’t have enough sleep pressure?
- Are they having too much day time sleep and therefore filling their tank during the day?

New blog is now up! All about how to manage your toddler dropping their nap. This is a big transition for them and for y...
09/02/2024

New blog is now up! All about how to manage your toddler dropping their nap. This is a big transition for them and for you, so here are a few tips to get you through this phase

Give the gift of sleep with my gift vouchersOrder then from me directly either via DM me or send me an email. Any value ...
18/12/2023

Give the gift of sleep with my gift vouchers

Order then from me directly either via DM me or send me an email. Any value available

Getting enough daytime sleep is key to keeping those nighttimes on track. With Christmas festivities in full swing, a l...
18/12/2023

Getting enough daytime sleep is key to keeping those nighttimes on track.

With Christmas festivities in full swing, a little reminder to try and keep your little ones naps schedule as close to ‘normal’ as possible

Naps don’t have to be in their cot, you can opt to do naps on the go if you’ve got plans to be out and about with friends and family - white noise can be a great tool for naps on the go. Car naps between venues, pram or sling naps for walks etc can be great options.

If naps don’t quite go to plan, you can always pull bedtime forward - ideally no more than an hour though

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