Restfully Sleep Coach - Whitney

Sleepy cues! 🥱

Do you want to be able to read your newborn’s sleepy cues like a pro so that you can give them exactly what they need?

Swipe over 👉 and save this for later so that you can be a master sleepy cue reader!

It’s no secret that getting an overtired newborn to sleep can be more than difficult which is why it’s so helpful to identify these cues and start prepping your little one to rest! 💤

Want more information from Restfully expert sleep coaches?
Head over to the link in our bio and register for our Dreaming Tree webinar! 💙

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Getting your baby down drowsy but awake may seem impossible. We've got a few tips to help!

👉ENVIRONMENT: make sure your baby's room is DARK (blacked out), COOL (between 68 and 72 F), QUIET (think white noise), and SAFE (follow AAP recommendations).

👉SCHEDULE: An overtired baby is flooded with stress hormones that make him fight sleep (and make it much harder to put him down drowsy but awake!). Age-appropriate wake times will help ensure that you’re not putting your baby down overtired.

👉ROUTINE: A consistent order of events prior to naps and bedtime help prepare a baby for sleep. A simple routine may include a bath (at bedtime), massage, change into sleep sack, books, and a short song and cuddle, then into the crib awake. Your baby may protest going in awake - that's ok! You may attempt cribside soothing measures to help them settle. This may take some time!

👉SUPPORT: Teaching your baby to fall asleep independently is just that – a teaching/learning situation. For most babies, this skill does not come naturally. We support our babies from the sidelines as they learn to roll, crawl, and walk. Learning to sleep is no different! We can’t do it for them, but we can provide them with the best opportunities to learn.

Need a little guidance to figure out the right schedule, routine, and support? We're here to help! Drop us your email below or shoot us a message and we'll be happy to assist!

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Transitioning a young child to a bed too soon can lead to serious sleep struggles. Cribs aren't simply a piece of furniture for babies. Children need cribs for developmental purposes, too!
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A few things to note about the crib:⠀
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🛏 The four "walls" of the crib provide a feeling of safety to young children. Moving a child who is too young can make them feel anxious or fearful, which often is not something they can vocalize. Instead, you begin to deal with bedtime battles, middle-of-the-night waking, or early wakeups. ⠀
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🛏 Children do not develop the skill of self-control until closer to age 3. Trying to "explain" to a child that they need to stay in their bed or their rooms prior to age three can be quite challenging (and it's no fault of theirs!). Their little brains have literally not developed enough to easily understand expectations.⠀
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🛏 A 2018 study published in the journal Sleep Medicine concluded: "Sleeping in a crib instead of a bed is associated with enhanced caregiver-reported sleep quantity and quality for toddlers in Western countries. Consistent with practice recommendations, deferring the crib-to-bed transition until age 3 years may benefit toddlers’ sleep in Western contexts."⠀
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Safety is, however, SUPER important! If your toddler is an escape artist and attempts to or successfully climbs out of their crib, you'll want to make that transition sooner rather than later. One trick we like to use is the extended use of sleep sacks to prevent climbing!

If you’ve got a climbing toddler and don’t know what steps to take next, message me for help!