Bedtime Fears: The story of my son, Santiago (For a general approach to bedtime fears, please see Bedtime Fears: Understanding the path to recovery) How it started My youngest son, Santi, developed a fear of being alone at bedtime, at age 10. He had never had trouble with this before and had slept by himself,

Bedtime Fears: Understanding the path to recovery Even a child who has been a confident, independent sleeper can start to experience bedtime fears or anxiety, years later. It happened to my son when he was 10 years old. For an in depth description of our personal experience, please read the story of my son, Santiago.

Bedtime Stalling Tactic #74 -  Toilet Time When toilet use is new to children, parents want to always accommodate a request to go. But what if you suspect they’re trying to postpone bedtime by asking to use the toilet again?  The scene:  Your 3-year-olds’ bedtime routine is finally finished. Lights out, final kiss goodnight. Your

The Inside Scoop on Sleep Training Sleep training is sometimes perceived as unkind. But I see it as a kindness to give our children this important life skill, and everyone is happier and healthier when they’re sleeping well. Those of us who have done it know that it can be a lifesaver when sleep isn’t

Is Your Big Kid Getting Enough Sleep? Once our babies start sleeping through the night, we stop worrying about their sleep and move on to the next parenting challenge. But we need to foster and protect healthy sleep for our big kids too. The CDC reports that between 60 - 70 % of kids, age

How to Survive the “Fall Back” Time Change: Advice for parents with babies  The end of Daylight Saving Time in Canada this year is November 1st. We go back to Standard Time. During this time change, lots of people will enjoy an extra hour of sleep. Since most of us aren’t getting adequate sleep, we’ll

Is Your Child Overtired? Many of us have seen their baby fall asleep in the high chair. That’s a pretty clear clue that your child is very tired. But they don’t always send such obvious signals. It can take some experimentation and honing your powers of observation. It helps to know what you’re looking for.

5 Newborn Sleep Tips Newborns need lots and lots of sleep! They’ll sleep 15 - 20 hours of a 24-hour period. This sleep will be made of many short segments, with feedings in between. Newborns will sleep often and sporadically because their circadian rhythms are still developing. Predictable schedules will start at around 4 months

What Causes Night Waking? Waking in the night is normal - it’s going back to sleep that’s the trick! Sleep Cycles When we sleep, we cycle through four different sleep stages. These stages have different qualities and purposes (see The Science of Sleep). Adults’ cycles are roughly 90 minutes long, while babies’ sleep cycles are

Understanding Sleep Associations We all have sleep associations. These are cues or behaviours we use to help us sleep, such as laying down, having blankets, a certain pillow and a dark room. But with babies, some sleep associations can become problematic. How They Start Babies begin their lives being lulled to sleep by nursing or