Goodnight Sweethardt

Hello! 🙋🏻‍♀️

There are some new faces here so I thought I should do the thang we do when we meet new people and introduce myself.

I’m Lauri, welcome to my little slice of the internet where I like to think of myself as the noise cancelling headphones to all the very noisy, full of bu****it sleep world. My advice is honest, real, backed by science and supportive. This is a safe space where I strive to make your parenthood journey easier without any blame or shame.

A little bit about me:

👷‍♀️I like to think of myself as a jack of all trades. I love to learn new skills and master new challenges. I’m pretty sure I have undiagnosed ADHD which I see as a superpower because I have a strong belief that I can do anything and give most things (I’m interested in) a go!

🤱🏻I got married to the love of my life at 25 and we shortly after had 3 children in 3.5 years. I know- it’s crazy. The first two and 19 months apart and the second and third are 20 months apart. They used to appear on here a lot but then they got recognised out in the wild and it freaked me out so now you don’t see them but they’re still here- whinging, playing, learning and driving me crazy!

☕️ I hate coffee and have never had a cup of it in my life. I’m sure I could acquire a taste for it but like why now?!?

✈️ I would happily spend my life travelling around and being a bit of a nomad. This is obviously tricky when you have kids and dream about spending my retirement country hopping with my hubby.

I have a range of guides, masterclasses and 1:1 support options available and I’d love to support you. Feel free to DM me to see if I’m a good fit.

Tell me an interesting fact about you and let’s get to know each other! 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

It’s nearly here… daylights savings will come into affect in a weeks time on the 6th of October.

This means putting the clocks forward an hour and losing an hour of sleep… eeeekkkk!!!

Never fear! 🦸‍♀️ I have created a FREE guide for you to give you all the tips and tricks to help guide you through it!

Comment ‘DAYLIGHT SAVINGS’ below and I’ll DM you the link.

We’re in it together! 💪

This masterclass has every piece of info you could possibly need to encourage good sleep foundations for you 4-8 month old.

This is my fave thing to do- teach you everything you need to know about sleep!! It’s all online so you can sit back and relax in the comfort of your own home.

Spread across three weeks, in the classes you’ll learn:
✨Biological sleep norms
✨ Red flags
✨ Temperament
✨ Sensory preference and attachment
✨ Settling techniques
✨ Sleep totals, awake windows and figuring out your child’s sleep needs
✨Naps and catnapping
✨ Understanding how to support separation anxiety
✨Involving other caregivers

The third week will be totally personalised to you where you can ask your Q&As in a supportive environment.

I’m bloody excited about this, I hope you are too!

Comment ‘SLEEP SOLUTIONS’ for the link sent straight to your inbox.

Babies and parents welcome- obv!

# # #

Let’s be real, toddler sleep can be farking hard and getting them to stay in their bed- even harder.

Sometimes we forget that their undeveloped brains don’t process things the way we do. Instructions like- “stay in your bed”, “go to sleep”, “be quiet”, can be too abstract for your little one to understand.

Here are the steps you need to help:

1️⃣ The answer to separation anxiety is never to separate further, it’s connect. Before bed, bump up your connection. This can be an extra story at bedtime, some rough and tumble pay or even a big cuddle before hopping into bed. Night sleep is the longest period of time you’ll separate from them and they know this. Bump up that connection GF!

2️⃣ If your toddler is constantly coming out of their bed, give them some clear expectations around bed being in their bed

Discuss with your toddler before bedtime

✨ Put your head on your pillow
✨ Lie down
✨ Still as a statue

If they are having trouble following this, it’s ok to set a boundary and keep it.

3️⃣ If your little one has learnt to talk, develop a fear of the dark or any type of development that is affecting their ability to stay asleep, just know it’s a phase and it will pass. In the mean time, they may need a little bit extra TLC to help them through.

If you are looking for more practical tips and tricks, my sleep box is for you!!!

An affordable and personalised rewards system where your little one collects stars for staying in their bed or following the bedtime rules in their cot.

It comes with a free Ebook that teaches you everything you need to know around achieving the best toddler sleep.

Comment ‘SLEEP BOX’ and I’ll get you the link straight to your inbox.

Catnapping is one of the most common sleep issues I come across. It’s frustrating, exhausting and can feel very hard!

Here’s what you need to know-

🌙 it can be normal. Babies can naturally consolidate naps between 5-6 months

✨ environmental cues can help
- correct room temp
- White noise

😴 Follow your baby’s tired signs and put them down in their sweet spot where they are neither under or over tired.

⭐️ Make sure they are stimulated enough during awake time and they are not having lulls in the pram.

You can learn all about this, my sleep basics guide is everything and more!!

Inside you’ll find:
-Awake windows- how they work and what’s recommended
- Sleep totals and how to figure them out
- Sleep cycles
- Finding your little ones sleep cues
- Routines 0-5 years
- All about catnapping

Comment SLEEP BASICS and I’ll send the link straight to your inbox!

Do you have a catnapping babe?

This was a hard one for me to make and I debated posting it because it’s so valuable BUT I wanted to show you the real side to motherhood.

That sometimes, it isn’t all rainbows and fairies- it’s really fu***ng hard work.

If you are in the trenches of motherhood, just know you’re not alone and there is light at the end, you come out of the haze and it’s a beautiful thing.

I will miss my babies being babies forever and forever yearn for the innocence, cuddles and affection but it’s ok to also find it hard.

Have you found the light?

Tell us all what changed for you that made your motherhood journey easier

How often have you had sleep ‘have tos’ jammed down your throat from the sleep world?

🙋🏻‍♀️ same girl, same!

Here’s a quick list of 5 of the ways you can get better sleep without sleep training. It’s all about optimising what you’ve already got on hand.

If you found the above helpful and you want more of a list, let me know in the comments and I’ll make a part two.

If you are looking for sleep help in a gentle way without sleep training, I can help you!!

Comment SLEEP HELP below and I’ll send you all the info on how you can work 1:1 with me.

Sleep doesn’t have to feel hard, it just does sometimes when we’re unsure of the science behind it and how to apply it.

This gorgeous 10 month old went from:
🥱 Waking every 30-45 mins during the day
💤 Needing to be bounced, rocked or patted to sleep and resettled in the same way
⭐️ waking 3 times overnight and needing a feed

To

😁 Settling independently
🤗 Linking all sleep cycles
🤩 Sleeping through the night

There was no controlled crying or cry it out used at all. Just some regulating, supporting and following natural rhythms.

If this is something you’d like help with, comment SLEEP HELP below and I’ll DM you with all the options of working 1:1 with me

The third and final instalment of temperament and sleep.

If you don’t know who your little one is, making changes to their sleep will be impossible.

Now that you have discovered all three temperament types, which one is yours?!?

I have one of each!!!

Navigating parenthood with an orchid child means embracing sensitivity and adaptability every step of the way… sounds easy right? 🫠

With an orchid child, slow and steady wins the race. Support them through change but don’t expect it to work like magic, it takes patience.

Knowledge is power and knowing who your little human is will help you make the changes they and you need.

What worked for your orchid child?

Do you have a foofy child?

It’s really not often that I see this type of child- resilient and easily adaptable to change with very little issues surrounding sleep.

Parents with a dandelion child will find they’re quite easy going and don’t struggle with big changes to their sleep.

If you’re child doesn’t fit into this category, keep your eyes peeled to the two other temperament types I have coming your way.

Oh, and if you want a free guide that discusses these the more detail, comment REGULATION STATION below and I’ll send it straight your way.

School holidays are here and for some, it’s bone chillingly terrifying trying to figure out how you will manage to juggle.

I hear you! It’s a shift in adding more to the mental load which is already off the charts. How can I possibly do it?!?

But then sometimes I look at Gabe, who is 3.5 years old and I wonder how it was possible that when Abi was his age, she already had two siblings. How did I do it!!?

Lately, I keep being reminded of how beautiful the age of 3 is. How funny they are, how cute they are, how hard it is, how rewarding it is. I remember those thoughts and feeling with my older two but i realise that because im so busy, I’m missing all of that with Gabe. Cue the mum guilt.

While I am sh****ng myself for these holidays, I’m also feeling so lucky to be given the opportunity to have 1:1 time with Gabe while my older two are at holiday program.

How fortunate I am to see the cuteness and delight in the 3’s.

K, going to go cry now because he’s so big and time is a thief.

Happy school holidays. I’m here if you need anything. Xx

Our meltdown was level 10000 tonight.

Too much screen time, an early rise, a nap on the carpet at a ridiculous hour and an epic protest, not wanting to get in the shower- the perfect mix for tantrum city.

I took him out of the shower and he screamed at everything I offered. Karate kicked the clothes horse while he was in my arms on the way to his room and he piffed the dummy he collected from the counter at my head, that’s how you know it’s really bad!

I took a breath and thought you know what? I’m not the problem solver here. The more I offer, the more he loses it. I’m going to stop stifling his feelings and let him have them.

I leant in, gave him a huge cuddle and guess what happened… he stopped crying. Like magic. He allowed me to get him dressed in the pjs he chose- obv!

I then said why don’t you go lie in your bed and I’ll go get your dummies and meet you there for a cuddle. I gave them to him, gave him a cuddle and off he went to sleep, like a dream.

This is just a reminder that sometimes all we need is a cuddle from your mum 🩷

Let’s talk about the dreaded idea of an early morning wake up. The biggest topic to ever hit my DM’s!

By the early hours of the morning, bubs/toddlers melatonin level (sleep hormone) has started to drop, they have already gotten a great amount of rest and they are in a lighter stage of sleep making early morning wake ups very prevalent. It’s hard to stay asleep at this time of morning despite our bodies really needing it.

Here is a list of reasons why early morning wake ups might be happening in your family.

1️⃣ Late bedtime (overtired)
2️⃣ First nap of the day too early (before 9am)
3️⃣ The last awake window of the day was too long
4️⃣ Sneaky sun peaking through the blinds
5️⃣ Too much daytime sleep
6️⃣ Too little daytime sleep
7️⃣ Hungry, hungry hippo
8️⃣ Relying on you to put them back to sleep

All these reasons and MORE are unpacked in Rise and Shine- my guide to early morning wakes. The guide also gives you practical advice and tips on how to SOLVE each of the reasons.

Comment ‘EARLY’ and I’ll send you a link to purchase the guide.

Happy sleeping!

Parents often think that buying sleep props that are marketed as ‘sleep saving’ are the missing link in figuring out why their little one is not sleeping well.

I’m here to tell you in many different ways that nope, nah, nup, no, uh uh, incorrect 🚫🙅🏽‍♀️❌!

You’re better off in figuring out your child’s sensory input- are they in sensory overload or do they need more interaction to fall asleep.

Your child will literally use their 5 senses to get into a position where they are feeling regulated and can fall asleep. This could be touch, taste, smell, hearing and sight. Tuning into their preferences will make sleep time much easier for you and them.

👁️ If they are regulated with sight, use stories and visual cues that it’s time to settle to sleep. They may need blackout blinds IF they are a highly distracted child.

👅 If they regulate with taste, maybe a feed or a snack during their winddown routine will help them drift off seamlessly.

🙏🏽 If they regulate with touch, some rough and tumble play or a big cuddle will help

👃 If they regulate with smell, having a toy with a familiar smell or your old tshirt will help (the stinkier the better).

👂 If they regulate through hearing, a song, repetitive sleep phrase or lullabies might help them regulate during their winddown routine.

To put it simply, you don’t need to buy 10000 gadgets to achieve better sleep, you need to figure out what they need to regulate to fall asleep.

Follow for a real, honest and no bu****it approach to sleep. ’.

Sometimes all we need is a sticky note reminding how amazing we truly are.

This exact sticky note appeared on the back door of my kitchen, purposely placed so I would find it after a huge day of consults, picking up the kids at two different locations and driving around like an uber driver to all their different afterschool activities, how in time to make dinner for all, lunchboxes, showers and homework.

For me, this little sticky note was enough to feel applicated.

Answer the poll: do you feel appreciated in your parenting role?

And let us know, what makes you feel appreciated in the comments

IT’S HERE!!!!!

The free sleep masterclass you want and NEED!

Join me with a cuppa (or wine) while the kids are in bed and we chat through all things sleep, in a sciency kinda way.

April 16th, 8pm, via zoom. Comment ‘IM IN’ and I’ll send you the link directly.

Tag two parent friends who are having a rough time with sleep and tell them to come!!!!

Day light savings is coming to an end which means summer is over 😩

But don’t worry, this change doesn’t have to interfere with your little ones sleep!

You have two options.

1- do nothing because you know your baby will be fine and cope. In a week or two they will be right back to normal!

2- our body clocks (circadian rhythm) is set by three things: food, light and social interaction. You can reset your little ones body clock to match up with the hour gained by daylights savings ending in small 15 minute increments every few days.

Shift naps, night sleep, meals during the day and wake up by pushing them all out 15 minutes later. By doing this, when the clocks change, 8pm real time will be 7pm old time and voila

Helpful hints:
🌙 you can actually make this change after daylight savings ends too
🌙 food/feeds would need to adjust by 15 mins too as you set your little ones body clock with food.
🌙 exposure to sunlight first thing in the morning and late in the afternoon will help with the transition as light helps the sleep wake rhythm
🌙 You can distract your bub to stretch the 15 mins with a cuddle, game, chat etc.

Keep your eyes peeled for all my tips and tricks coming your way next week to help with the transition.

                       

Let me shift your perspective on one of the most debated topics out there- sleep training.

No one should ever try and convince you to do something that doesn’t sit right for you. You will know in your gut what feels good as a parent.

🌙 rigid routine vs. flexible
🌙 Resettle vs. being ok with short naps
🌙 Feeding through the night vs. no feeds
🌙 Room sharing vs. seperate rooms
🌙 Cuddle to sleep vs. independent sleep

YOU. GET. TO. CHOOSE

If you are looking to make changes to thibgs that are no longer working for you, I have plenty of of affordable 1:1 support options. Head to the link in my bio or comment SUPPORT and I’ll send you the link

Happy sleep

Xx

I saw this trend and I thought it was a great opportunity for me to give you a little behind the scenes of Goodnight Sweethardt.

I am often told how appreciated it is that I’m so ‘real’ when the truth is, I’m just a mum like all of you who experiences struggles on the daily- even with sleep. I might know how to ‘fix’ the problem but I really am in this together with you all.

Hopefully this gives you a little insight in what goes on on the daily for me.

Sleep and parenting solidarity ✊🏼

💭 Nightmares are hard! 💭

Use the post as a mini guide to explain why nightmares happen but also how you can help your child recover from them.

If you’re looking for some extra tips, use these:

😘 A kiss and a cuddle is an excellent way to help your child settle. They might need need you to stay with them and reassure them. You can turn the light on and have a look around the room to reassure them that they are safe.

🤲🏼 Let your child know it’s OK to feel scared after a nightmare. Don’t dismiss their fear by telling them they’re being silly- because nightmares to littleies seem so real!

🧌 If your child has dreamed about monsters, explain that monsters are only made up. You could say that made up things seem scary but because they’re not real, they can’t hunt children and you are safe.

🧸 Offer them a comfort item that can help protect them. I put up a dream catcher for my 6 year old and it literally solved everything.

Remember, nightmares can be hard to manage but are an appropriate stage of development. Be their saviour and safe space!

Tired isn’t even the word today.

I made a promise to myself at the start of this year to look after myself and start putting myself first. Do something for my mind, body and spirit everyday.

This meant, no more eating the scraps left over on my kids breakfast plates because I didn’t have time to feed myself. No more not exercising because I felt guilty leaving my kids and not sharing the load. No more cleaning the house after everyone is in bed because that’s the only time that I had a chance.

How did I start looking after myself? Moving my body every single day no matter what that meant. A home work out, a walk- whatever. I left breaky to my hubby on the weekend and off I went to look after myself. Taking the time to prepare food that I actually wanted to eat. Listening to a podcast daily that I’m interested in and tweaks my perception of the world.

The most important one though was making sure I was getting enough sleep. Asleep by 10/10:30 latest. Lately, I’ve let this go and I’m paying for it. I’ve been too busy to exercise and too busy to go to sleep early.

And let me tell you, my body is feeling it. I’m tired!!!!

I am making a recommitment to put myself first and do things that make me feel good. And I hear you- my kids are too little, how could I possibly do it?!?

Maybe now is not your time but let this be a light to you that your time will come, just like mine did.

I won’t see you tonight, I’ll be asleep at 10 (unless one of my children don’t let me. Hahah)

Sometimes sleep just needs to be simple and work for you and your family.

No rules, no have to’s, just simple.

If any of this appeals to you and you want to work with me 1:1 to find out what works for you and your family, HMU via DM or book in a consult at the link in my bio.

Sometimes sleep just needs to be simple and work for you and your family.

No rules, no have to’s- just simple.

Here’s the inside scoop of what I did/didn’t do with my family despite all the advice out there.

There is A LOT of advice around naps. It can be really confusing and hard to decipher what is BS and what is spot on.

We started with the question are are naps such a big deal?

Hopefully this post brought you some insight into which part of naps are a big deal and which aren’t.

The big deal part

⭐️ Allows for time to reset emotionally and physically
⭐️ Enables the body clock to regulate
⭐️ It optimises sleep quality
⭐️ Prevention of overtiredness
⭐️ Supports growth and development

The not big deal part

⭐️ Length and duration (unless leading to other sleep issues)
⭐️ Space they take place
⭐️ How they fall asleep

The most important way to know if your child has slept well is their temperament when they wake.

Are they happy and content? Then it’s likely they’ve slept enough. Are you grumpy and grizzly? They might still be tired.

Did your answer change from the beginning of the post to the end?

Drop your nap questions below and I’ll answer them ⬇️