Sleepy Heads Sleep Consulting

Merry Christmas 🤍🎄

Happy Birthday to our feisty little girl 🤍

Around this age, you’ll probably notice that your little one is starting to nap for longer periods, allowing them to follow a two nap schedule!

You may find it helpful to start going by a clock-based schedule. Not only is it helpful for planning your day, but your baby will start expecting naps at a certain time.

Send me a message if you want to learn more about getting a personalized sleep plan for your little one 🤍

Often when working with babies in this age group, I find that parents are concerned with short naps. This is super common at this age and sometimes just takes time and practice! Other times, I have found that it’s because their wake windows aren’t quite long enough!

At this age, babies are growing, developing and changing so fast! Same goes for their wake windows. If you’re struggling with short naps and tough nights, reassess your baby’s wake windows - they might be ready for a little more awake time!

Awake time is such a balancing act. If you want a personalized plan for your little one, send me a message! 🤍

This mama reached out a few months after sleep training her little girl. Her little one started waking up throughout the night and starting her day at 5am 😳

After quickly reviewing her schedule, we were able to make a couple quick a easy adjustments and her daughter is sleeping 12+ hours overnight again!

If you want this 1:1 support as you navigate your little ones sleep challenges, book your free consult! The link is in the bio 🤍

WHITE NOISE RECOMMENDATIONS

I often hear parents wondering how loud their baby’s white noise should be. This is a totally valid question and I’m here to shed some light on white noise recommendations.

During those early newborn days, white noise can be beneficial as it mimics the sound heard in the womb. As your little one grows, white noise continues to be beneficial to block out environmental noise that could wake your child or make it more difficult for them to connect their sleep cycles.

I typically suggest a white noise setting that is consistent and continuous throughout the entire night. White noise should be no louder than 50 decibels and it is recommended that the sound machine be 7ft away from your baby’s crib.

If you’re nervous about the volume of your little one’s sound machine, download a decibel meter app, place your phone in your child’s crib with the sound machine on and see what it reads. If it is below 50 decibels – perfect! If it is above, don’t stress – just turn down the sound machine so it’s at a more appropriate volume!

We love our sound machines because they offer a variety of continuous white noise settings and can grow with your child to be used as an okay-to-wake clock when the time comes!

Follow .sleepconsulting for more baby and toddler sleep tips!

Swipe to see this family’s full testimonial 🤍

Before working with this family, their little guy’s daytime routine was inconsistent and unpredictable. He was taking short naps and snacking often throughout the day. His nights were inconsistent, with frequent awakenings and nighttime feeds. This mama felt like it was taking forever to rock her little guy to sleep for each nap and bedtime. She was left feeling exhausted with no time for herself.

To ensure that mom and dad felt supported as they worked on Hayden’s nights and naps, we went with the Exclusive Sleepy Head Package. This allowed for daily support and encouragement, problem solving and adjustments as needed. It helped this mama become confident navigating her little guys sleep all on her own.

During our time working together, we successfully transitioned Hayden into his crib in his own room. These well rested parents are now able to put their little guy down in his crib and know that he has the skills to fall asleep on his own. We helped him learn to fall asleep independently, while still giving him all the love and comfort he needed. We created a much more consistent and predictable routine for Hayden and he is now taking nice full feeds through out the day!

Mom and Dad are now able to put Hayden down for the night and know that he will get 11-12 hours of sleep and wake up feeling happy and well rested. He no longer has any nighttime feeds and he is getting the daytime rest he needs!

It is such a pleasure helping sweet families like this one 🤍 If any of this rings true for you, please know that this can be your story too! Send me a message and we can turn your little one’s sleep story around!

This is your friendly reminder to lower your baby’scrib mattress!

It’s recommended that the crib mattress be lowered before your baby is able to sit independently. Although different with every babe, this can be as early as 6 months of age.

If your baby is currently sleeping in a bassinet in your room or that is your plan once baby arrives, it might make most sense to start with the mattress in a lower position to begin with! That way you don’t have to worry about lowering it down the road.

Be sure to consult your crib manual when making adjustments 🤍

I absolutely love getting these messages!

Sleep training your little one not only means that you and your babe will be more rested, but often times, it enables your little one to be more flexible and adaptable.

Helping your child learn to sleep independently enables them to use these skills whether you are at home, visiting friends and family or travelling! It truly is a life changing skill to teach your little one and I would be honoured to help you in your journey.

Don’t put it off any longer, book your free 15-minute call now!

https://calendly.com/sleepyheads/initial-consult

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas 🤍🎄

📸:

Have you ever woken up to your child screaming in the night?

It can be so alarming to wake up to your little one screaming. Typically when your child has a nightmare, they will be able to recognize you and calm down with a hug and some reassurance. With night terrors, children typically aren’t able to calm down with reassurance and it’s actually better to provide comfort without waking them.

As terrifying as they can be, there’s lots you can do to ease their fears and prevent nightmares and night terrors from occurring.

Hungry and sleepy cues are often so similar! This can sometimes make it really difficult to decipher exactly what your baby needs.

Most babies need to eat every 2-3.5hours. If you find your baby is often feeding sooner than this, try paying attention to these cues and keep an eye on your little one's wake windows! I suggest using cues and wake windows to guide your baby's nap schedule as sometimes, your baby may show these signs when they are bored (how confusing!!). 

If you are noticing these cues before it's time for a nap, try doing something exciting that your baby likes to distract them! This could be a walk, a fun daytime bath, or even just a change in scenery. 

If your baby is eating small volumes quite frequently, try spreading them out a touch! By no means do I want you to withhold a feed from your baby, but it's possible that they are getting a feed when they are actually tired! You should notice that as you spread out their feedings, the volumes increase and their total daytime volume also increases! This means that they might be able to go longer stretches overnight! If your baby is truly hungry, they will wake up and you can feed them!

If you’re having trouble deciphering your little ones cues, feel like your little one is feeding super frequently or not napping well, save this chart to refer back to!

It is so tough having sick little ones at home, not to mention if you’re also feeling under the weather. Lately, it seems like there is a new germ every other week!

Your littles are probably needing you more than ever and it can be so exhausting and overwhelming being such a necessity. Your baby may need more help falling asleep, they may need extra cuddles, more frequent feeds, your toddler may wake up during the night and your baby may wake up more frequently.

While all of this is absolutely exhausting, just know that it is totally normal. Before you know it, your sleepy head will get back to their usual patterns, but for now, they need you and that is okay!

Your little ones dream worthy sleeping patterns may derail for a short while when they aren’t feeling well. Once they’re feeling better, you can get them right back on track!

Hang in there mama 🤍

It was such a pleasure to have had the chance to work with this family 🤍

Before starting, their little guy had unpredictable nights with frequent night awakenings, requiring mom and dad to feed or rock him back to sleep.

In the short time working together, we weaned nighttime feeds, eliminated nighttime awakenings and mom and dad finally feel confident and comfortable having a night out!

If you’re experiencing similar challenges, let’s get started while you can take advantage of the Black Friday Sale!

Black Friday Sale!!

If you’ve been on the fence about purchasing a sleep package, this is your sign! Why wait any longer to get the sleep both you and your little one need and deserve?!

We can get your little one sleeping better before the holidays!

This promo is on from now until December 1, 2022. All sleep packages must be started before December 31, 2022.

Naps on the go can come with some uncertainty, especially if you have just gotten your baby in a better and more consistent routine.

It’s important for babies to have some of their naps at home in their crib, but it’s also important for them (and mama!) to get out of the house! Maybe you have another child to pickup from school or maybe you want to catch up with a friend over lunch, don’t panic if it lands during your little ones nap time! Here are a few tips to make it a little smoother and ease your nerves a bit:

💤 Try your best to recreate their sleep environment at home, while on the go!
💤 Portable Sound Machine: just like at home, the sound machine will help drown out external noise. We love our portable sound machine
💤Darkness: whether they are sleeping in the stroller, car seat or somewhere else, do your best to make their sleep environment as dark as possible! The nursing cover is a great option, but we also LOVED our car seat with a built in canopy
💤 Pacifier: if your little one uses a pacifier, make sure you have one (or many) with you to give to your baby when they become sleepy

Most importantly, go with the flow and enjoy your time out! This might not be your baby’s best or longest nap, but it’s important for you to get out! Try for the next nap in the crib and your baby won’t even skip a beat! 🤍

✨GIVEAWAY✨

I am giving away a Standard Sleepy Head Package to a family wanting assistance with their 12-18 month old child’s sleep!

This package will include a 15-minute phone consult, a sleep plan tailored to your child’s needs and your comfort level as a parent, a 60-minute video call to go through the sleep plan to ensure you feel prepared to implement it and a whole week of daily support to ensure you are well equipped to get your child on the right track!

To enter:
🌙 be sure to follow .sleepconsulting on Instagram
🌙 like this post ❤️
🌙 tag your friends (the more friends you tag, the more entries you get!)
🌙 share this post to your story (don’t forget to tag me!)

The winner will be announced November 7th! I’m so excited to help another a lucky family 🤍

Daylight savings is coming up on November 6th!

Daylight savings can cause a lot of anxiety surrounding baby sleep. Go easy on yourself! You and your baby will get back on track. Here are a few options when adjusting your baby’s schedule for the time change.

Plan & Prep: if you’re someone that likes to prepare in advance or if you’re baby struggles with change, I would suggest this method! Start Monday by putting your baby down for bed 10 minutes later than normal. Each night, push bedtime back by 10 minutes. By Sunday, your baby will be back to their previous schedule!

During this week, if your baby happens to nap a little longer, use it to your advantage! Push the rest of their schedule back by the amount they overslept!

Last Minute: maybe you just remembered and are hoping to prepare you baby somewhat. This method will work better for a toddler or a baby that is very adaptable and can adjust quite easily. Push bedtime on Saturday back by 30 minutes and keep your baby in their bed until as close to the desired wake time (according to the new time) as possible. Do the same on Sunday and you’re right back on track!

Wing it: maybe you prefer to go with the flow or maybe you totally forgot! No worries - keep you baby in their bed as close to their wake time (according to the new time) as possible on Sunday and slowly shift their as tolerated in the coming days.

🌙 Don’t forget to ensure that your baby’s room is as dark as possible!! The sun will be shining earlier, so it’ll be even more important to block out that light.

🌙 If your toddler uses an ok-to-wake clock, don’t forget to adjust the time! If you don’t use one yet, it might be a good time to start!

Whichever method you use, you’ll all get through it! Remain consistent and give your baby some time to adjust. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions! 🤍

White Noise

Consistent and continuous white noise is a must for your baby’s sleep! It is such an inexpensive and effective sleep aid from the newborn days into toddlerhood. White noise helps:

🌙 calm your baby
🌙 drown out external noise
🌙 initiate sleep quicker
🌙 cue your baby that sleep time is approaching
🌙 decrease crying
🌙 lengthen the duration of sleep

Things to keep in mind when using white noise:

💤 keep it between the crib and the external noise
💤 the volume of the white noise machine should be similar to that of a shower
💤 use it even when you’re on the go!

We love our sound machine! During those newborn days, it can be used as a sound machine and dim light for late night feeds. As your child grows, it can be used as a night light and time-to-wake clock for your toddler!

With the long weekend upon us, I’m sure there will be plenty of family gatherings. Enjoy the time with your family and try not to worry about your little ones sleep too much! If things are a little off, you can always get back on track next week!

Swipe to see a few tips to help with your babies sleep this weekend!

I’m on the hunt for five volunteer families, with children aged 4 months-4 years old. I will be accepting one family with a child in each category:
• 4-6 months old
• 6-12 months old
• 12-18 months old
• 18-24 months old
• 2-4 years old

We will start a 15 minute discussion to get to know each other. After you submit an intake form and a daily log, I will provide you with a thorough and personalized sleep plan for your child, that works for your families schedule. This sleep plan will be tailored to your child’s needs and your parenting style and comfort levels.

Once you begin the sleep training process, I will guide you every step of the way and help you make any necessary adjustments. This includes a minimum of one follow up email per day for an entire week as your child learns to sleep independently!

If this is something you’re interested in, please send me a message with your child’s age and the challenges you are currently facing. If your child is already a little sleepy head or you don’t have kids, please share this with all your mom friends!

I look forward to hearing from you 🤍

Not only is adequate sleep important for a happy today, it helps make for a healthy tomorrow!

I am so excited to help you and your families get the rest you need! 🤍

Hi!

I thought I should start by introducing myself. I'm Alexa, I'm a mom to two sweet babies, a wife, an NICU nurse & a soon to be certified sleep consultant!

Sleep wasn't a thought that often crossed my mind until I had my son. I was a new mom lost in the newborn blur. I was exhausted, sleeping two hour stretches here & there if I was lucky. I quickly realized that I wasn't my best self on such little sleep.

Late one night, while nursing my son, wondering if I was ever going to sleep & feel like myself again, I dove into the Google world of baby sleep. I read about it every chance I got (which was a lot because I was up all the time with my baby!). I learned a lot & started implementing what I was learning. Suddenly, I started seeing major improvements, both in my baby & myself. He was finally sleeping longer stretches, we were both happier & I felt like such a weight was lifted off my shoulders. We finally had a more predictable schedule, I was able to anticipate his needs better & I felt so much more confident in my new role as a mother.

After using these same strategies with my daughter, I realized that I had a true passion for baby & toddler sleep. I knew the difference it had made for my family & I felt I had to use this passion to help other families get the sleep they need & deserve.

I am committed to helping you & your baby get the sleep you need. Follow my journey as I become a certified paediatric sleep consultant & stay tuned, as I will be looking for volunteer families very soon! 🤍