Elizalennonshaw

Sunday 26th March the clocks will Spring Forward.

How can you support your little one with this transition?

Gradual Approach
🌷 The week prior to change - shift your schedule by 10mins each day.
🌷Nudging wake time, nap time, meal times & bedtime .
🌷This works well for children with a predictable routine.

Nothing
🌼Make the jump on the day.
🌼Best for children who can adapt to different routines.
🌼Be mindful that it may take your little one a few days to adapt.

Sharing a few benefits of bubble play 💕

🫧 Pinching the wand in and out of the container supports the development of fine motor skills.

🫧 Requires lots of practice to link up what the eyes and hands are doing which promotes coordination.

🫧 An allrounder for sensory processing - great for encouraging calm and focus.

🫧 Promotes social and communications skills by giving little ones the opportunity to say or sign for ‘more’.

🫧 My personal favourite - helps with emotional regulation - encourages deep long breaths in and slow long breaths out. Which can be really helpful when winding down before bed 😉 💤💕.

Happy International Women’s Day 💕

Our wonderful little humans go through so much in these early years, they require lots of love and support from us. Some little ones require more support than others drifting off to sleep and throughout the night.

Gradual small steps that are aligned with your parents values can be helpful in supporting our little ones and ourselves.

It’s ok to press pause, to take a few steps backwards and it is always ok to listen to your parenting instincts.

Sending love as always 💕

If you stand on your tippy toes you’ll see that spring is almost here 🌸.

As many of us embrace the longer stretch in the evenings, it can make bedtime confusing for our little ones. Many associate wake time with light and sleep time with darkness.

There are a few benefits to creating a dark environment for little ones at sleep time:

🥱It makes the sleep environment less stimulating
🥱It helps support the sleepy hormone melatonin which promotes sleep.
🥱Acts as a sleepy cue that bedtime is approaching.

How can you create a dark room when it is light outside?

Blackout curtains and/or blinds can be beneficial. For my own children’s bedrooms, I have invested in both blackout curtains and black out blinds, so the room is as dark as possible.

Many toddlers are afraid of the dark and feel safer when a light is left on, in this instance I recommend using a red based night light as research suggests a red based light is less disruptive to the melatonin production than a blue or white light. A red based light can also be very helpful to parents who are up for night feeds ❤️.

So lovely to receive this review from a lovely mum who reached out a few months back. It brought me great joy to read.

It is very natural to question our parenting decisions (I do it often). Listening to our instincts helps us to make the best decisions for our precious family 😘.

A dark room is often encouraged to promote sleep, however for little ones who are afraid of the dark this may cause them to worry.

From around two years of age it is normal for little ones to develop fears, which is linked to the development of their creative imagination.

While the development of imagination is a skill required for problem solving and creativity, it can be really helpful to support your little one as they process their thoughts, especially ones of worry and concern.

How can you support your little one at bedtime?

🫶 Encourage your child to talk about any worries they have during the day.

🫶Validate their feelings and explain that the dark is scary only because we can’t see what is around us. When we can’t see what is around us – our imagination can make us worry about things that aren’t there.
Sometimes our mind likes to play tricks on us.

🫶Invest in a little red night light as it is less likely to disrupt the sleepy hormone melatonin. A red night light can be reassuring to a child who is worried about monsters etc.

🫶 Play in the dark - let them see that the dark can be fun.

🫶 Consider the books you read to your little one at bedtime. Some stories can be quite scary and may play on their mind as they drift off to sleep.

🫶 Sit in your child’s room with them in the dark, look out for potential scary shadows and remove anything that could be a trigger.

🫶 Reassure them that they are safe and that you will check on them even when they are asleep.

🫶 Try and maintain a consistent routine. Children love familiarity it helps them feel safe and secure.

May we all find joy in the sweetest acts of giving and receiving 😘.

Hello there

Checking in to see if this would be of interest to anyone?

If it’s a yes or a maybe feel free to get in touch - I would to hear from you 😘

A story can be a beautiful way to wind down and connect with your little one after a busy day whilst subtly signalling that bedtime is approaching.

Whether you opt for one or two books, try and maintain the same routine. Children love consistency, it helps them feel safe and secure.

Snuggle in and pick a book you will both enjoy 🥰📖🐛

🍂 The season that allows our little people to experience crunchy textures, signature autumnal colours, cosy layers and darkening nights 🍂.

What festive activities will be on your bucket list this Autumn?

🍂 The season that allows our little people to experience crunchy textures, signature autumnal colours, cosy layers and darkening nights 🍂.

What festive activities will be on your family bucket list this Autumn?

When our little ones experience periods of unsettled sleep it can be helpful to reflect as to what changes (if any) could be causing this.

There are many reasons why sleep needs may change, I have noted a few examples below:

Dropping a nap
Arrival of a new sibling
Moving rooms or house
Transiting from cot to bed
Starting school or childcare
When on holiday
During developmental milestones

If you identify a possible cause, feel free to reach out as there are a number of techniques I can offer to support you and your family.

Connection is a biological need that all humans have. Playful connection -not only helps fulfil your child’s emotional cup but yours also.

When a child's emotional and physical cup has been topped up during the day, it helps support bedtime to be a time for calm moments of connection before they drift off into a restorative sleep.

A gentle reminder to slow down and cherish those beautiful moments.

Research suggests that when an infant is hugged by their parents it helps them feel relaxed.

A gentle squeeze triggers the release of the love hormone oxytocin.

Feeling relaxed and calm helps lower stress and creates a beautiful co-regulation bond between parent and child.

Lefty raising one right-hander and the other TBC.

Give us a little wave if you or your little one are in the club?

💖 SEPTEMBER MUM & BABIES CLASSES in HOLYWOOD 💖

Pregnancy, Baby Massage, Baby Yoga & Young Toddler Yoga in Holywood 💖

If you are pregnant or have just had a new baby, our wonderful Daisy Foundation classes are here to support you on your journey of new motherhood.
Classes are suitable from 20 weeks pregnant right up until your baby is 18 months!

You will always be met with a smile and have a lovely relaxing environment to make new friends and enjoy a class with your bump and baby.

💖 Daisy Birthing for Pregnancy - 20 weeks + Tuesday's @ 8pm

💖 Daisy Tinies Baby Massage - for little babies 4/6 weeks to 20 weeks - Wednesday's and Thursdays @ 11.30am

💖 Daisy Wrigglers Baby Yoga with sensory exploration - for babies 20 weeks up to actively crawling - Wednesday's & Thursday's @ 10am

💖 Daisy Cruisers Young toddler Yoga - actively crawling babies for to 18months old - Friday's @ 10am

Full class descriptions can be found at: www.thedaisyfoundation.com

Online booking can be made at: https://thedaisyfoundation.com/teacher/sharon-ward

I can't wait to see you at a Daisy Foundation class soon.
Sharon

Have you ever experienced days when your little ones wake up full of beans but you desperately need coffee beans to kick start your day? ☕️

You’ve successfully survived a night of little sleep gone to the fridge and cried because there’s NO milk 🫣.

You bribe your little ones with tv just so you can drink your coffee in peace - you’ve ditched a healthy breakfast to sneak a few pieces of chocolate while no one’s looking?🤫

Sometimes I’m that Mum 🙋‍♀️.

Is it just me?

Who can relate?

I encourage the families I work with to make gentle tweaks and changes to their little one(s) routine. It has to feel good and fit in with your family lifestyle.

Thank you for allowing me to support you and your family at this time 💙.

Do you ever have wonky days?

You know, the ones were you feel a bit unsteady, out-of-sync and just not yourself.

I definitely experienced these days before I had kids, but more so now that I have 2 small children.

These days can start to feel like the norm when we go through periods of disrupted sleep.

Supporting ourselves to get more rest and feel more balanced is so important. Finding the time to do this can feel challenging especially when there are little people around.

I really enjoy quiet time with my 3 year old when my one year old is sleeping. I’ve stopped feeling guilty about using this time to power through a to do list. I now utilise it as a chance for us both to curl up on the sofa to recharge and relax ❤️.

3 Fun facts about me…

1️⃣I am an auntie to Daniel and Una who bring me a huge amount of joy 🥰. From a young age I have always had a great relationship with my aunties and valued their words of wisdom. They are all great bakers which makes me love them even more 🥰.

2️⃣My first job was in a candle making & gift shop. After Uni I began working for Coca-Cola and have continued to work in the food and drinks industry ever since.

3️⃣Growing up I would often entertain family by tickling the ivories with a number of heart warming tunes. These days the piano makes for a great noisy toy 🎶🙈.

I would love to hear 3 Fun Facts about you 🤩🤩🤩.

Within us all lies a rascal 🥰

What does a lovable rascal need?

⭐️Choices
⭐️Exploration
⭐️Adventure
⭐️Connection
⭐️Freedom

The Rascal needs to PLAY.

As adults we get to make choices, test boundaries, explore and connect whenever we want.

In turn, we need to support our little ones to have as many opportunities throughout the day to meet their own needs.

This is hugely supported through play which has lots of benefits:

💚Stimulates Learning
💛Sparks Creativity
💜Nurtures Communication
💙 Promotes Physical Exercise

When a child's emotional and physical cup has been topped up during the day, it allows bedtime to be a time for calm and relaxation before they drift off into a restorative sleep.

What are your loveable rascals favourite games?

Let’s set the scene.....

It’s 10pm and you breathe a sigh of relief that a hectic day has come to an end.

You had set your alarm earlier than usual so you could cram a million things into your day. Before you know it, the day has gone and it’s almost bedtime.

Relieved the busy day is over, you quickly get ready for bed expecting to instantly fall into a deep sleep.

The only thing is, you CAN'T sleep.

Your mind is racing, you start thinking about all the things that happened during the day, you feel agitated and confused as to how you could still be awake....

From the moment we wake, sleep pressure builds. If our sleep pressure becomes too high, our brain believes there is a reason as to why we must stay awake. It therefore produces cortisol to help the body stay awake.

On the flip side, if our sleep pressure is too low ( we are under tired) it can be really hard to sleep as your body clock is telling you to get up.

Sleep pressure affects both adults and children. Sometimes, it can take a ittle bit of time to find the right balance for you and your family.

When working with a family it is important to me to help you understand how sleep works so you feel confident and comfortable making tweaks to the bedtime routine.

Throughout my childhood my parents would always encourage me to get plenty of sleep. I guess from a young age they could see I had a high sleep needs. My sister, who has lower sleep needs me, still teases me about it.

And so because of my own high sleep needs, it feels natural that I support my own children in a similar way.

Does this resonate with you?

For many reasons Easter holds a special place in my heart.

It was the icing on the cake to end the Easter holidays with a special birthday. 🌹🐣🎉

Wishing you a Happy Easter filled with tasty treats & fabulous activities 🐰.

Low grade agitation - LGA.

A good friend introduced me to this phrase a number of years back and I’ve been using it ever since.

For many of us, tiredness makes us feel irritable, sluggish, grumpy or as my mother would put it ‘out of sorts’.

I am pretty sure many of us experience LGA from time to time. ♥️

Baby, toddler and indeed adult sleep is not linear. Sleep needs vary from child to child and indeed adult to adult.

Sleep needs may also vary when:
Unwell or teething
A new sibling is born
Moving rooms or house
Transiting from cot to bed
Starting school or childcare
When on holiday
During developmental milestones

There are many more reasons why sleep needs will vary.

You may go through periods when your little one’s sleep is settled and other periods when they need more support from you. This is very normal.

For us as parents, periods of unsettled sleep can feel overwhelming. Where possible, reach out to friends and loved ones for support to help lighten the load. I have learnt first hand,that a little help can go a long way.