As parents, we are busy! There are so many skills to work on, especially in your child’s first year. Rolling, sitting, crawling, standing, walking, and now we’re asking you to also work on your child’s speech and language skills. Cue the burnout!

Parental burnout is real, which is why we have a solution: work on speech and language skills in your daily routines… like bedtime!

There are so many ways we can focus on speech and language without making a huge change to your day. Here are five ways to work speech and language skills into the bedtime routine you do every day!

1. Make your routine predictable. Young children thrive on routines when they know what will come next. Talk through your routine using words like first, second, third, next, then and have your child fill in the blanks. For example, “first we’re going to brush our teeth. Then, we are going to _____.”
2. Use visual aids. Visual aids help your child know what will come next and...

 When it comes to summer, the sun is out and there’s endless fun! Barbeques, beach days, camping, fairs, fireworks… you name it! But parents often feel like they have to pick between helping their kids have good sleep or have fun at different events, not both, but that’s far from the truth! Here’s a few tips to help you party-on while respecting your little one’s sleep!

Still try to respect your little ones sleep needs as much as possible. Their little bodies still need sleep to be able to function properly, including to be their happy-self so do try to make some sleep happen, even if it’s not perfect. Anything is better than nothing! If you aren’t sure what your child’s sleep needs are, check out the Month-to-Month Sleep Guide here for average wake windows, daily totals, average number of naps and max day sleep.

It's best if you can "sandwich" sleep if your child needs to skip a nap, has a short nap or is going to...

One of the scariest things about becoming a mom of two was figuring out how I was going to juggle a newborn and a toddler when it came to nap time. When my oldest was a newborn, naps were so difficult that I literally had to have family come over during their lunch breaks so I could take a shower or get ready for the day because Lily wouldn’t nap on her own for more than 5-10 minutes without level-5 screaming. It was exhausting and heartbreaking! 

Fast forward a year and a half, I was in a much better position; confident in sleep and my abilities as a mom. This was partly thanks to it being my second child and partly due to the fact that I became a certified sleep consultant but still, those fears of an overtired and cranky baby still lingered under the surface. I was so anxious about naptime but as I continued on, nap after nap, putting my knowledge into practice, things got easier.

If you’re feeling anxious about sleep when you have...

Babies are completely reliant on us. They need their parents or caregivers to feed them, clean them, dress them and help regulate their emotions.

They look to us for how they should be feeling, if we're calm and relaxed, this tells them that they're safe and can calm as well. 

If we're stressed, on edge, or upset, our little ones can sense that and will follow our lead. When they're in that state, it makes it really difficult for them to calm enough to fall asleep. 

That's why they need us to take the lead and show them our calm. 

 

But what if the very thing that we're stressing about won't happen unless we calm down?!

It's a vicious cycle right? 

I fully understand this because it was me. I experienced those late-night intrusive thoughts filled with all of the negativity, anxiety, and hopelessness with both of my babies. Not only was being awake and bouncing my baby for hours exhausting but the emotional toll that I was putting on myself was almost...

Disclaimer: I only recommend products that I personally use and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains affiliate links that add no additional cost to you (some even save you $ when you use  my code!) and I may earn a small commission if you purchase using said links or codes.

If I had to pick only one tip out of all of the advice that I give families this would be it:

Use a sleep sack!!

I always, always, always recommend sleep sacks. I love them so much! The reason I'm so obsessed with sleep sacks is because they solve so many sleep problems. They're like a Jack of all trades!

Little one cold because they kick their blankets off at night? SLEEPSACK!

Do they climb out of their crib? SLEEPSACK!

Your child needs a signal that it's time for bed? SLEEPSACK!

Worried about blankets covering your little one's face? SLEEPSACK!

 Sleep sacks really are wonderful at making sure your little one stays warm all night long, that they're staying...

 Disclaimer: I only recommend products that I personally use and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains affiliate links that add no additional cost to you (some even save you $ when you use  my code!) and I may earn a small commission if you purchase using said links or codes.

Time change is almost upon us as we “fall back” when Daylight Savings Time comes to an end. In general, our body clocks have an easier time adjusting to gaining an hour rather than losing one but if your kiddo already is an early riser, the reality of what’s to come (that 5am wake is going to be 4am) probably has you having a mild anxiety attack or cursing me for saying it’s “easier” to adjust to right now. I don’t want you to be upset though so let’s see what we can do to prepare:

So how do we deal with this adjustment?

Tips for every babe:

On Sunday after time change, the sun is going to be rising an hour earlier on...

When a family comes to me with their sleep issues, I ALWAYS start by asking this question “How dark is their sleep space?”. This is because the sleep environment and how dark it is plays a huge role in our body’s ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.

So why exactly does this matter? After 3-4 months, our bodies start consistently producing the hormone melatonin, the “sleepy hormone” that helps to regulate our circadian rhythms or our “body clock”. This helps us feel like it’s time to sleep at nighttime and time to be awake during the daytime. Little ones are so sensitive to light that even a tiny bit can make a big impact!

I started out thinking that I could get away with my kid’s rooms just being dark, that it was good enough but learned very quickly that PITCH black is ideal. I mean, can’t-see-your-hand-in-front-of-your-face type dark! I then moved on to all of the hacks, the tinfoil (way too loud), garbage bags (looks...