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Grandma Bear's Sleep Solutions, Fort Collins, CO (2026)

02/14/2023

Happy Valentine's Day! ♥️

This dreamy looking baby is my grandson, and he's 6 months old. 💙 He's been busy learning to crawl, rolling over, learning to eat, trying to sit up on his own, and some teeth are just on the verge of making an appearance!

Guess what all that means?? A 6 month sleep regression - OR progression, depending on how you look at it!

Here's what's helped him get better sleep:

♥️ Using a Slumberpod for sleep as his room wasn't dark enough.

♥️ Paying attention to those wake windows! An overtired baby doesn't sleep as well.

♥️ LOTS of floor time to help master these new skills!

♥️ Lots of snuggles and baby wearing when a nap turns into a short one.

♥️ Patience. Before you know it, this stage will be over!

11/24/2022

Happy Thanksgiving! ♥️ My BEST holiday tip for you, Mama, is to get into the picture! 📷

We love taking pictures of our kids. We love taking selfies, BUT, don't forget to hand your phone over to a family member or friend to snap a few with your kids and family with YOU in it.

Looking back, I wish I had more pictures of my mom and us kids. I wish I had more pictures of me with my kids! That's why whenever I'm around my daughter I like to take pictures of my daughter and grandbabies TOGETHER!

Enjoy your day and take those pictures! ❤️

09/11/2022

It's Grandparent's Day! Guess who has a new grandbaby boy?? Me!! Sweet Milo was born last month and is the cutest!! ❤️

07/04/2022

Happy 4th! ♥️🤍💙 Will you be celebrating late tonight with fireworks?? Or, are you wondering how your baby or toddler will sleep through it all?? I have some tips! 👇👇👇

If you'll be watching fireworks with your baby or toddler:

❤️ Keep your daytime schedule! Get that nap/naps in so your little one isn't overly tired by tonight!

🤍 If you have a toddler or preschooler, talk about fireworks in advance! They can be scary for young children.

💙 Since your child will be up past their bedtime, get them ready for bedtime before the fireworks start! Put them in their pajamas, give them their paci or lovey, put on a night time diaper. The more you do beforehand, the less you do back at home and hopefully you can easily transfer your child into their crib or bed if they fell asleep!

If you are staying in tonight and worried about all the noise waking your child:

❤️ Keep your nomal schedule during the day and bedtime! Hopefully you have a bedtime between 6-8 PM for your baby/toddler. By the time fireworks are shot off, your child will be in a deep sleep with less chance of waking!

🤍 White noise! Consider doubling up on white noise tonight. Use their white noise machine slightly louder in their room and use a box fan.

💙 Uhoh, did that loud 💥 wake your child? Pause and wait a few minutes before going in! See if your child will fall back asleep. If not, comfort your baby or toddler and help them feel safe and loved! Redo a quick version of the bedtime routine to reset your child and get them back to sleep!

❤️🤍💙 Remember to have fun and know that one night isn't going to ruin your child's sleep forever! Tomorrow get right back into your routine. Celebrate!

06/19/2022

Did you know?? Some of the best baby calmers and swaddlers are dads!! It's true. Once dads are shown how to do the 5 S's, they become experts! (Swaddling, shushing, sucking, swaying, and side holding)👍

I remember working an overnighter as a postpartum doula about ten years ago. The baby was already swaddled and in his bassinet when I arrived for the night. I took a peek at the baby when I arrived and he was swaddled so beautifully! No velcro or zip up swaddle for this dad! He used a cotton swaddle blanket and it was so snug and cozy. I was scared to duplicate it later in the night when the feeding and diaper change were needed! 🤣

Happy Father's Day!! ♥️

05/08/2022

Happy Mother's Day! I hope your day is filled with flowers, sweet treats, beautiful cards, and a really good nap! You are loved! These are my sweet babies. 💞

04/25/2022

I attended a two day Newborn Care Specialist training over the weekend with . Just when you think you know everything you can about babies, you learn even more good stuff! Such good training! I even learned a new way to swaddle that keeps those newborn wiggly arms in! 🤱

03/14/2022

It's National Napping Day! How is everyone doing after the time change yesterday??

Feeling like you need a nap today? You aren't alone!

03/10/2022

No need to stress out about the time change coming this Sunday, March 13th! This change is easier to deal with than the fall time change.

Here are a few scenarios and tips to help on the day of and the following week:

🌞 Infants not on a set schedule yet: Keep paying attention to those wake windows and if that last nap of the day might run too late into the evening, consider capping the last nap for a week.

🌞 Do you love your baby/toddler's sleep schedule right now and don't want it to get ruined? Change your clocks to the new time AFTER your child wakes up! Adjust naps and bedtime by 30 minutes later for a few days. Why? If your child usually naps at 1:00, it feels like 12:00 for your child. So, adjusting by 30 minutes for a few days will help ease into the change!

🌞 Is your baby or toddler waking too early or going to bed too early for your family's schedule? NOW is the perfect time to do a reset! Change your clocks the night BEFORE and follow the clock on Sunday. Naps and bedtime should occur 45 minutes to 1 hour later than they used to be. Why? We want your child's body to feel like they are on the same schedule! So, 6 AM wakeup is now 7 AM, 12:15 nap is now around 1:00 PM and if your child used to go to bed at 6 PM, now it's 7 PM. This works most of the time! Give it a try!

🌞 To help regulate your child's circadiam rhythm, be sure to have plenty of outdoor time in the morning and afternoon! Don't forget that the evenings will become brighter and brighter so blackout curtains will be a must!

03/03/2022

I spent a few days with my granddaughter, 20 months old! She's still a great sleeper and never had formal sleep training.

Spending time with her reminded me of a question I hear often:

Do I have to formally sleep train my child to get them to sleep well??

Nope! I've worked with kids that were great sleepers and never had any formal sleep training.

Here's how:

👉 Establish a routine with appropriate wake windows.

👉 Create the perfect sleeping environment with darkness and white noise.

👉 Create a consistent nap and bedtime routine.

👉 Swaddle your baby until they figure out rolling and after that use a sleep sack well into the toddler years.

👉 Set an early bedtime. The best time for babies (older than newborns) and toddlers is between 6 and 7:30 PM. Going to bed too late can cause night wakings and early wakings!

👉 Give your child a few minutes to see if they fall back asleep when they wake from sleep. This is especially true for younger babies as they make lots of noise while sleeping!

👉 What's your key phrase or key song? Use it every sleep to signal to your baby or toddler that sleep is coming.

👉 LASTLY, know that your baby will have off days! Short naps, no naps, and night wakings are normal here and there as your child goes through developmental leaps, teething, and when sick.

Need help with sleep? Let me help! Message me and I'll tell you how I can coach you. I love helping families get the sleep they dream about! ❤

02/21/2022

I heard this message about rest yesterday and I had to share a few points! All I could think about is how applicable it is for exhausted parents.

I'm always talking about sleep for your little ones, but what about rest for you? (Doesn't have to be sleep, either!) When we are a rested person we can serve our family better.

In the book "Sacred Rest" by Saundra Dalton-Smith, there are seven types of rests identified:

🌸 Spiritual Rest. This could include prayer, meditation, or time spent at church.

🌸 Mental Rest. This could include focusing on things that really matter. You can't solve the world's problems in your brain.

🌸 Emotional Rest. Take a break from saying "yes" to everything.

🌸 Creative Rest. Put down your phone and turn on some music. Walk around your house listening to it.

🌸 Social Rest. Spend more time with "your people" and those that leave you feeling better after being with them.

🌸 Sensory Rest. There's so much sensory going on! Turn off some lights, turn off the TV, turn off your phone and light a candle.

🌸 Physical Rest. Go to bed a bit earlier, take a nap, get a massage, or take a walk outdoors.

This week, be intentional about taking a pause each week. Discover what makes you feel most rested! What kind of rest do you need this week??

02/03/2022

Outdoor fun and sunshine. What does it have to do with sleep?

EVERYTHING!

If you have a child that isn't sleeping well at night, pay attention to how much outdoor playtime and sunshine they are getting.

Why?

🌞 Sunlight helps regulate our sleeping patterns.

🌞 Morning light signals the brain to wake up.

🌞 Morning light sets the circadiam rhythm for the day.

🌞 Sunlight triggers the release of serotonin in your child's brain, which improves mood!

🌞 Serotonin converts to melatonin later in the day when it gets dark. This makes them sleepy!

Expose your child to sunshine as soon as they wake by opening the curtains. After breakfast go for a walk or play at the park. Let your child explore!

What if it's winter and too cold?? (Like it is here in Colorado today at just 10 degrees!) Play inside but open up the blinds and let the natural light in! Take a drive in the car! (Your excuse to go through the drive-thru for a latte!) Set up a play area by the window to expose your child to more natural light.

The earlier in the day that you get out, the better! What do you like to do for outside fun??

Grandma Bear's Sleep Solutions