Sleep Swell Baby

Hello and welcome to Sleep Swell Baby, thanks for being here!

I wanted to introduce myself to the new followers ❤️

I am a former sleep deprived mom helping families navigate pediatric sleep to reach sleep goals for their children!

There is no judgement or mom shaming here, only safe sleep tips and advice from a certified baby and toddler sleep coach and newborn care specialist.

If interested in scheduling a free 15-minute consultation for one on one coaching, click the link in the bio.

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Bonus points if the kids get to bed on time!

Sample schedules 4-24 months

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Daily schedules are so important to follow since babies and toddlers thrive on consistency.

If your schedule looks nothing like this but things are running smoothly, don’t sweat it!

If your schedule looks nothing like this and you’re struggling, I can help! Click the link in the bio to schedule a free 15-minute consultation!

🌕Nighttime diaper leaks! 🌕

💫Your little one is finally sleeping through the night, but when they wake in the morning they are soaked- cue the mom guilt!

💫If your little one is soaking through their diapers, try these tips:

✅Go up one diaper size from what your little one normally wears or get some overnight diapers

AND

✅Add in a Sposie pad before bed

✅If appropriate, limit fluid intake before bed. If nursing or on formula, this is not always possible. However, if your little one gets milk or other drinks before bed, aim for 1 hour before bedtime.

Can you guess the second most common reason?

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💤💤Overtired vs Undertired💤💤

It's hard to distinguish between the two. A dead giveaway is your child's mood. Are they happy, content, chatting, or playing? They're likely undertired and need more awake time before bed or their daytime sleep may need to be cut back.

Are they miserable, crying, screaming, fussy, and visibly fighting sleep? This is a sign they're likely overtired. This makes it much harder for them to fall asleep and stay asleep. The solution is an earlier bedtime, a shorter awake time before bed, and possibly more daytime sleep.

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Sleep training is not for everyone- and that's okay!

There are tons of ways to improve sleep without any sleep training!

Follow age appropriate wake windows- you can find the wake window chart on this page. Sticking to wake windows ensures that your baby isn't over or undertired at naptime and bedtime. This can mean the difference between falling asleep easily and fighting sleep or skipping naps.

Introduce a naptime and bedtime routine- babies thrive from consistency, routines are so important! Not only does it communicate that it's time for bed, but it gives their body and mind the necessary time to wind down and relax. An example of a 15-minute nap time routine is changing into a fresh diaper, dimming the lights, reading a book, and putting on a sleep sack. An example of a 30-minute bedtime routine is giving a bath, a brief massage with lotion, fresh diaper and PJ's, reading a book, and putting on a sleep sack.

Try to establish a set feeding schedule- Eat. Play. Sleep. Following this routine of feeding upon waking, activity during awake time, followed by sleep will help you fall into a great feeding schedule throughout the day, which can prevent snacking overnight.

Optimize the sleep environment- the "ideal" sleep environment should consist of a safe space for sleep in an empty crib with only fitted sheets, a sound machine to block out any outside noise and mimic the loud sounds within the womb, a completely dark room with blackout curtains on all windows, and a temperature between 68-72 degrees.

Wake at the same time every morning- this means your day will start at the same time each morning which also means the first nap will occur around the same time each day as well.

Sleep sacks provide so many benefits to your little one’s sleep!

1. Provides a sense of security. There’s nothing quite like snuggling up with a blanket at night, and sleep sacks are wearable blankets specifically for babies and toddlers!

2. Helps maintain correct body temperature. The AAP recommends cool temperatures for sleep, between 68-72 degrees. Adding a sleep sack helps keep them nice and warm throughout the night. You can select a heavier TOG (thermal overall grade) for cooler temps, and a lighter TOG for warmer temps.

3. Indicator that it is time to sleep. When using a sleep sack for all naps and overnight sleep, it becomes a part of their routine. When a child sees their sleep sack, they begin to understand that sleep is coming next! Sometimes a child will see their sleep sack and immediately yawn- that’s a great indicator of an association with sleep!

4. Supports safe sleep! Blankets are not recommended to be used in the crib. Instead, sleep sacks are wearable blankets that fall within AAP guidelines for safe sleep.

5. Prevents crib climbing. It is much more difficult for a child to attempt to climb out of their crib if they’re wearing a sleep sack. This means you can keep your child in their crib longer and avoid transitioning to a toddler bed too soon.

Pro tip- if you have a sleep sack Houdini who can unzip their sleep sack, try putting it on inside out or backwards- or both!

🎉🎉SUMMER SALE🎉🎉

Now through the end of July take 20% off packages AND add ons using promo code SUMMER20 Packages are valid up to one month from purchase date.

*While supplies last*

If you’re putting off getting sleep on tack until after summer- don’t! Take advantage of our summer sale and make sleep a priority this summer!

Here’s a great resource on the new AAP guidelines explained- take note these guidelines state weighted swaddles/sleep sacks/blankets are NOT recommended for safe sleep ❤️

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/A-Parents-Guide-to-Safe-Sleep.aspx?fbclid=IwAR1oKzU6AF0JZZbO0JQWbQOPNTm1fikgRx79vRi9-VkNIH746xeO2knpfAw

How to Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe: AAP Policy Explained No one knows exactly what causes SIDS, so there's no guaranteed way to prevent it. However, creating a safe sleep environment can help reduce your baby's risk of SIDS. On the other hand, we do know what causes accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed. This means parents can help prevent the.....

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Appropriately dressing your baby for sleep and selecting a sleep sack with the correct TOG rating is imperative to ensure your baby doesn't overheat or get too cold throughout the night.

Babies and toddlers cannot regulate their body temperatures well, and overheating during sleep can increase the risk of SIDS. The ideal temperature for sleep is between 68-72 degrees.

Some babies prefer to be even cooler! Here are some signs your baby is too warm during sleep: damp hair, sweaty back and chest, red ears or cheeks, heat rash, heavy breathing, fever. If your baby is too cold they will wake frequently or wake early in the morning due to being uncomfortable. If you are concerned your child is too cold, check the nape of their neck or core to see if they feel warm- hands and feet are not reliable indicators!

Most baby monitors will display room temperatures, and many have set parameters where the monitor will signal when it is too hot or too cold.

What temperature does your baby sleep best in?

Moms of 4 month olds, here ya go!

This is a SAMPLE of what you may see, every baby is different, some can handle longer wake windows, some still need those shorter ones. If your day doesn’t look like this, no sweat! If your day is utter chaos… let’s chat!

Also swipe right for sleep expectations!

Biden signs law banning infant sleep products blamed for 200 deaths

Oh no! Daycare dropped a nap too soon?!

Around 12 months, many daycares automatically drop to one nap, usually lasting between 1-3 hours, throughout the day. Most children are not ready at this age, and ideally daycare providers would wait until signs of readiness for a nap transition prior to making this decision.

If daycare drops a nap too soon, it's not the end of the world!

Here are some things you can do to help your child:

1. Offer a cat nap after pickup. This should be a maximum of 45 minutes so we don't impact nighttime sleep. Usually, this is simply a snooze in the car on the ride home- let them sleep!

2. Move bedtime up. This can be instead of, or even in addition to, the cat nap. Bedtime can and should be moved up 30-60 minutes on any "bad" nap days.

3. Catch up on sleep on the weekends. Don't be afraid to revert to 2 naps on the weekends. If that's what works for your child, stick to it. Eventually, their daycare and weekend schedule will sync up when they are ready, but for now, let them catch up on sleep at home!

If daycare totally derailed your perfect sleeper, click the link in the bio for a free 15-minute consultation.

Such an important take away from .glowacki regarding sleep and potty training! She also notes numerous times throughout Oh Crap! Potty Training how much more difficult it is to potty train a tired child.

If you’re thinking about potty training but still don’t have the whole sleep thing down, can help! Just click the link in the bio to schedule a free 15-minute consultation.

When to wake a sleeping baby

1. At their designated morning wake time. Waking a baby at the same time every morning is a great way to start a daily schedule and routine.

2. If taking 2+ naps throughout the day, wake your baby at the 2 hour nap time mark. This will help you stay on a flexible schedule, minimize impact daytime sleep will have on overnight sleep, and help newborns with circadian rhythm development- we want to save those longer stretches of sleep for overnight, meaning shorter stretches throughoout the day. This also helps your baby get more frequent feedings during the day, especially if following an eat, play, sleep routine.

3. If down to 1 nap throughout the day, wake your child at the 3 hour mark. This would be the maximum nap length for a 1 nap schedule, however you may find that your child needs to be woken up even earlier if nighttime sleep is being affected.

4. If an afternoon nap starts running too close to bedtime. Always follow age appropriate wake windows when taking naps and bedtime into consideration. Typically, the longest wake window occurs between the last nap and bedtime. This is to build sleep pressure and make sure your little one is ready for bedtime!

6 tips for early morning wakings!

1. Make sure your child's room is completely dark with no outside light coming in. Light signals to the brain that it is time to wake up!

2. Use a sound machine on a continuous setting. Mornings are noisy! A sound machine will block out any outside noises that may cause your little one to wake up.

3. Move bedtime earlier! One of the most common causes of early morning wakings is going to bed overtired. Shifting bedtime as little as 15-20 minutes earlier can make all the difference.

4. Reevaluate your child's nap schedule. Use age appropriate wake windows throughout the day and make sure you are capping naps as needed.

5. Start the day at the desired wake time. If your child is waking up at 5 AM, you are reinforcing this early morning waking by starting their day at this time. Instead, if they are awake but content, leave them in their crib until the desired wake up time.

6. Encourage independent sleep at bedtime. If your child has a sleep association to get them to fall asleep at the beginning of the night, every time they wake they will rely on this association to fall back asleep. If your child is waking early in the morning and does not know how to fall back asleep on their own, making adjustments to their sleep environment or schedule may simply not do the trick.

What time does your child wake up in the morning?

☀️☀️Early morning wakings☀️☀️

Logically, if your child is waking up too early in the morning (6 am or earlier) your first thought is probably to move bedtime later.

Later bedtime means they’ll sleep later the next morning, right?

It’s actually the opposite!

Going to bed overtired has a huge impact on the quality of sleep, and frequently leads to early morning wakings.

If you’re experiencing early morning wakings, try shifting your child’s bedtime 15-20 minutes earlier and see if it makes a difference!

✅White Noise!

✅White noise is very conducive to sleep! Here's why, when, and how to use it!

➡️Why- To mimic the sound of the womb which can trigger the calming reflex. Can also be an indicator it is time to sleep, and creates a sound barrier.

➡️When- For all naps and bedtime- throughout the entire duration of sleep. Always use the continuous setting!

➡️How- At least 7 feet from your child's crib with a maximum of 50 decibels.

✅Use a free decibel reader app to check the decibels. Turn your sound machine on, open the app, place your phone in your child's crib and adjust your sound machine until you are getting a decibel reading of 50 or less.

✅There is no one setting that works for all sleep environments. It all depends on the size of the room and the location of your sound machine.

is giving away a Hatch Rest! Check out our recent post and find out how to be eligible to win!

Head on over to instagram for your chance to win a Hatch Rest Sound Machine- just in time for Mothers’s Day!

💫Consistent bedtime routines are so important!

💫 Implementing a consistent bedtime routine signals to your little one that it is time for sleep. It helps calm their body and can even promote the production of melatonin in newborns.

➡️➡️ Here is an example of what can be included in your bedtime routine, this can be adjusted based on your preferences or your family’s needs:

1. Warm bath

2. Massage with lotion

3. Fresh diaper, PJ’s, Swaddle or Sleep Sack

4. Read a book

5. Final Feeding

Are you using a bedtime routine for your baby?

❄️🔥Did you know temperature plays a big role in your child’s sleep?❄️🔥

➡️ The ideal temperature for a baby’s sleep environment is between 68-72 degrees.

💫 Making the transition out of the swaddle should occur at the first signs of rolling!

1️⃣ Start with one arm out for 3 nights

2️⃣ Then, both arms out for 3 nights

3️⃣ Finally, switch to a sleep sack

➡️ Typically, babies should make the transition between 3-4 months

✅ There are plenty of different sleep sacks available- 🚨 steer clear of anything weighted! 🚨

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💫Dream Feeds💫

💫Dream feeds can be an amazing tool to help get longer stretches of sleep overnight.

💫You can start trying a dream feed right around 3 months or ~10lbs.

💫Unfortunately, a dream feed doesn't work on all babies. If you are not getting longer stretches and the dream feed isn't having the desired effect on your child's sleep, it is not worth continuing.

💫You can always try again in a few weeks!

Did I just describe your child’s sleep patterns?

➡️Here’s the thing, once you’re in this cycle, it’s hard to get out!

➡️When your child wakes early or has poor sleep the night before, you may find they fight naps all day. But why? Shouldn’t they be exhausted from waking up early and a poor night’s sleep? Yes, but here’s the thing, when a baby is overtired, their body produces cortisol, a stress hormone. This is the same hormone that tells our body it is time to wake up. An overtired baby can be difficult to get to fall asleep and stay asleep, this can actually cause a baby to wake up from a deep sleep and skip over parts of the sleep cycle…. Reinforcing overtiredness!

➡️This cycle can carry over to bedtime, leading to frequent overnight wake ups. In turn, this can cause early morning wakings, making naps difficult throughout the day.

➡️What can you do?

➡️Sometimes something as simple as a schedule adjustment- even a temporary one- can get you out of this cycle! Cat naps and early bedtimes can be a life saver! This is also why it is so important to follow age-appropriate wake windows.

➡️For help getting your child out of an overtired cycle, click the link in the bio to schedule a free 15 minute consultation!

Seriously, I’m here to help!

🚨⏰🚨Daylight savings is this coming Sunday, March 13th.🚨⏰🚨

✅If you’re super flexible, don’t mind a later start to the day and a later bedtime, try the “do nothing” approach! Just allow your child to sleep in an hour and push the rest of your daily schedule by 1 hour. You now have a new “summer schedule” that allows for a later bedtime and later morning wake up. Check out our recent reel on how the “do nothing” approach can help with early morning risings!

✅If you need to keep your child on the same schedule, you will want to prepare ahead of time! Start shifting your child’s schedule at least 3 days before (Thursday March 10th) if your child is flexible, and even sooner if your child has a hard time adjusting to change. Each morning wake your child 10-15 minutes earlier than the day before, adjust earlier nap(s) and bedtime by these same increments. Continue this shift until you reach the “new” schedule which will sync with Sunday’s time change.

✅For example, if your child sleeps 7-7 with a 12-2 PM naptime, wake them up at 6:45 AM on Thursday, naptime will now be 12:15- 2:15 PM and bedtime will be at 6:45 PM. On Friday, wake them up at 6:30 AM, naptime is now 12:30-2:30 PM with bedtime being 6:30 PM. Saturday’s schedule will be 6:15 AM wake up, 12:45- 2:45 PM naptime, and a 6:15 PM bedtime. On Sunday, wake up will be formerly 6 AM (now 7 AM with the time change), naptime will be formerly 1-3 PM (now 12-2 PM with the time change), and bedtime will be formerly 6 PM (now 7 PM with the time change). Now you are back on track for your 7-7 schedule!

✅Another option is to meet in the middle. Allow your child to “sleep in” 30 minutes on Sunday. Adjust nap(s) and bedtime by 30 minutes as well. Throughout the week, adjust the schedule by small increments to find what works best for your child and your schedule.

➡️For more help navigating the upcoming time change, click the link in the bio to schedule your free 15-minute consultation.

🤔🤔When is it time to drop a nap?🤔🤔

➡️When making the decision to make a nap transition, always keep in mind your child’s specific sleep needs. You will find an abundance of information online stating when you should transition your child, but every child is different.

➡️If your child is perfectly content with their schedule, you are having predictable naps, and great overnight sleep, there is no need to transition your child.

✅My own son stuck with a 3-nap schedule until closer to 11 months old because that is what worked for him.

➡️Signs your child is ready to transition include refusing to nap, nap times being to change, the length of nap begins to change, your child feels fine when missing a nap, or bedtime becoming a battle.

➡️When making a transition, you will aim for the new set nap time, and push towards that time by 15-30 minutes each day and drop the last nap.

⏰During transitions, you may need to move bedtime up temporarily until your child’s body clock syncs with the new schedule.

🤫Once naps are completely dropped introduce quiet time in place of a nap!