Christine McCutcheon Sleep Consultant

05/05/2025

May is Apraxia Awareness month and to kick it off, Calgary Apraxia is hosting a city wide scavenger hunt.

Super fun - follow along for clues as to wear to find our blue birds and win prizes!

Margaret and I will join you!

CHAoS in the City starts TODAY! 🐦

The Blue Bird Hunt is on from May 1–13!

Find hidden birds, scan QR codes, collect , and win awesome prizes — including hoodies, tumblers, and cash!

Grab your crew and start hunting!

Follow us for clues all week long.

04/14/2024

Sharing something today that is near and dear to my heart today friends.

Many of you know, but many of you don't, that my youngest, Margaret, was diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia of Speech about a year ago when she was 2.5 years old.

You may be wondering what Apraxia of Speech is. I, too, hadn't heard of it until we were down the diagnosis road with our Margie babe.

So, what is Apraxia of Speech?

"Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder that affects a child's ability to coordinate the movements of the mouth and tongue needed for speech. It is a neurological disorder in which the brain has difficulty sending the correct signals to the muscles involved in speech. Children with CAS know what they want to say, but have difficulty planning and sequencing the movements necessary to produce speech sounds, syllables, and words."

Our journey began when I noticed that Margaret wasn't saying any words, not even "Mama," by a year old. As a Mama of 3, this was a red flag for me. I got Margaret into speech therapy right away.

We started speech therapy when Margaret was 15 months old. We continued with bi-monthly appointments with NO progress for months. Red flag #2.

I started researching, as I tend to do. (If you know, you know!) This is when I first discovered something called Childhood Apraxia of Speech.

After learning more.... it started to sound very familiar. All the common signs to watch out for, I was seeing in my Margaret.
This is when I contacted Sara with Blue Water Speech Therapy. THE go-to expert in Apraxia.

We started working together right away, and Sara confirmed my suspicions. Margaret was diagnosed with Severe Childhood Apraxia of Speech when she was 2.5 years old.

Fast forward a year later, and now Margaret is 3.5 years old.
We have her in a special preschool program and she is in intense speech therapy 3 times a week.

Thanks to this - Margaret is excelling. She is talking more now than we ever imagined, and her growth has blown us all away. Margaret needs to learn and create the pathway for every single word and she is determined to do so.

Apraxia Is a life long disability, and she will continue to struggle with this her entire life. Reading and writing will be especially challenging, but I have no doubts that my Margaret will crush it.

All of this to say, Calgary Apraxia is hosting a walk on May 25th to spread awareness of this rare disorder and my family of 5 will be there.

Calgary Apraxia supports local families, just like mine, who have a child with Apraxia. All donations for the walk will go to Calgary Apraxia.

To sign up or to donate please head to the link below. Any little bit helps.

Margaret's team name is MARGIE'S MARCHERS (you'll select my team to donate to!)

Hope to see you there!!

Username * Password * Forgot password Register First name * Last name * Email * Confirm email * Password * Confirm password * Log in Forgot password Email * Log in Register

10/31/2023

Its that time of year again! This is a conversation I’ve had with many mamas today, so figured it was worth a repost :)

Is the idea of staying out late tomorrow night scaring you?

Look, I get it. If you've worked hard on your babe's sleep, a late night tomorrow might be scary enough to cancel Halloween.

Let me help:

1. Increase daytime sleep - if you are fortunate enough to have the luxury of a well-napping babe - let your babe sleep longer in preparation for the late night. For instance, I will be letting my 3 year old nap 30 minutes longer tomorrow knowing her bedtime will be pushed!

2. Get ready early - I mean it. It sometimes takes us WAY longer than we thought it would while getting our kids ready to head out. Nothing like a tantrum over a too-itchy costume (one that was totally fine yesterday) to completely derail your perfectly laid schedule.

3. Be the early bird - don't be afraid to be in the first group of kids out ringing doorbells! Someone has to be and it might as well be you.

4. Offer a bridge nap - if you've got a babe under one, a bridge nap can save the day. Allow for a little doze in the stroller or the carrier to help him or her make it to a late bedtime.

5. Keep it short and sweet - I mean this in two different ways. One keep the actual trick-or-treating on the short end! Often we don't even make it around the block before our kid's candy bag is already full! And two - when you do get home, do a mini version of the bedtime routine and get those babes into bed!

6. Give clear expectations - really give your kids the low down on how the night is going to play out before you even head out. Then once you're out and on the way back, give warnings that the night is coming to an end by counting down the last set of houses.

7. HAVE FUN! It's one night a year - remind yourself of that. Even if your perfectly laid plan fails and your kids end up going to bed way too late, it's just one night! Get right back into routine the next day and I promise you will be just fine.

09/14/2023

Friends. I need your help.

Anyone who has worked with me knows that I love The Hatch.

For so many reasons.. except the price tag.

AND! The price now is even more outrageous that the 1st gen model seems to be unavailable, and the 2nd gen is just insanely priced for us Canadians especially. (Imho)

So I'm on the hunt for something else to suggest for my clients and students.

Can you help?

My wish list is:

✅ MUST be able to play white/brown/pink etc noise all night long.

✅ MUST be able to be used as nightlight AND an okay to wake clock

✅ MUST be able to be programmable from an app on your phone

Please send me all your favourites!

You'll be happy to know that your suggestions will be helping out hundreds, if not thousands, of parents.

09/13/2023

Well, September is here. Aka the REAL New Year.

Let's just say it: Summer as a parent is a trip y’all!

The days are long, and are full of disorganized chaos and messy faces. Baths are sometimes traded for a dip in the lake and meals are skipped for all day snacking.

And although this summer has been a total blast, now that August has come to a close I am feeling ready for a serious regroup - just like I do every September.

But it’s not just us parents who feel this shift - our kids do too! Whether or not your little ones are school-age yet, I know they feel the energy of the seasons changing. They feel it getting darker earlier in the evening and the brisk air that now greets them in the mornings.

And although I know your back-to-reality list is a long one… I figured a few helpful tips from your fave sleep coach ((right?! 😉) could help.

Swipe ➡️➡️➡️ for 3 easy ways to get back into routine post-summer. (Number 2 is often over looked and helps SO MUCH!)

Take it one day at a time and try not to let this busy season sweep you up.

How was your summer? Are you feeling ready to get back into routine and re group now that it's September?

09/09/2023

Well we “made it” through the first week of back to school. Made it is a loose term as one of us already has strep 😵‍💫.

I was so worried about Margaret’s first day, but this girl continues to surprise us in the best ways. She confidently walked in there like the total boss she is.

Georgie was nervous on the first day but after she settled in, she’s totally back in her groove and loving her new teacher.

Cordelia was stoked from day 1 and was counting the days until she could say she’s officially a “division 2er”

From youngest to oldest:

Margaret - 2 years - Preschool

Georgina - 7 years - Grade 2

Cordelia - 8 years - Grade 4

08/24/2023

Friends.

Stop Scrolling.

My favourite blackout curtains are on sale. Trust me when I say I have tried THEM ALL, and these ones are The. Bomb.

Do yourself a favor and upgrade every bedroom in your house to these:

https://amzn.to/3srvqGF

AND!!!!!!!

If you haven't discovered the black-out blind CURTAIN RODS that pull the curtain right to the wall.... YOU WILL BE AMAZED. I just upgraded my older girls' room to one, and the blackout is unmatched.

https://amzn.to/3PcmddS

JUST DO IT

With love, Christine

NICETOWN 100% Blackout Curtains with Grommets - Sold as 2 panels per package. Each measuring 52 inches wide by 84 inches long.

07/09/2023

This one is so good it deserves a

In case you needed the reminder.

You are ALREADY training your child how to sleep.

Intentionally or not.

06/28/2023

Are you feeling overwhelmed by your babe’s sleep (or lack thereof)?

Have you been down the internet black hole, tried everything, and nothing seems to make any lasting change?

Are you starting to believe that your child just hates sleep?

As a mother of 3, I know firsthand the exhaustion and sleepless nights that come with having a new babe.

I know where you’re at. But more importantly, I also know how to get you to the other side.

The side where babes sleep soundly.

The side where parents wake rested (mostly!).

Hi! I’m Christine. A certified children’s Sleep Coach for 6 years (whoa!) and at this point, I’ve worked with close to 1000 families (double whoa!).

3 years ago I poured my heart and soul into creating my signature program, The No B.S Baby Sleep Blueprint™. My self-paced online course that teaches you everything you need to know in order to help your babe sleep independently and of course, sleep super well too.

I decided to create this program for two reasons:

☑️ To give my 1:1 clients a baby sleep content library that they could revisit as often as they needed. A library collection full of educational videos, guides, how-tos, checklists, and spreadsheets (you get the gist!) to help them get the sleep of their dreams. I run all my 1:1 clients through this program before we get started on our support period, and it’s awesome.

☑️ To give parents a self-paced option for those who identify as a DIYer. Many parents want to be taught the sleep plan and be told how to do it, and they will take it from there. I absolutely love this! I created my program to walk my students through how to create the perfect sleep plan and then how exactly to implement and troubleshoot along the way.

So whether you are in camp 1 or 2 - I can help.

I will create your plan, I can hold your hand, and I can be there every step of the way (or not).

I will cheer you on, give you a shoulder to cry on, or give you a needed kick in the pants.

I will strategize, troubleshoot and find the perfect solution for you and your family.

Whether you need full 1:1 support, a little strategy, or are looking for a self-paced process - I can help.

Send me a DM! If you need any help deciding what support level you need or have any questions on how I can help…. Seriously slide right in.

Are you ready to check it out? Head to:

https://christine-mccutcheon.thinkific.com/courses/nobsbabysleepblueprintweb

05/02/2023

You're going to want to save this one!

Alright Parents.... Do you have a cranky babe?

You've pulled out all the stops. They are not due for a nap. They are not hungry. They are tired of all their toys... you're out of ideas on how to keep your babe happy and awake until their next naptime. Here is what you do:

ADD WATER OR ADD DIRT!

What do I mean by add water? It could look like any of these:

💦 Mid day bath
💦 Shower with Mama
💦 Splash pad in the backyard
💦 Water table on the porch

You get the idea!

And I know what you must be thinking... but Christine.... add dirt?!

I'm serious! What I really mean is to head outside with your babe! Even just 1 minute of fresh air can do absolute wonders for our babe's mood (and ours!). Never mind all the wonderful things that sunlight does for our circadian rhythm.

Here are a few quick ideas:

🌞 Walk around the block (if your babe is walking, actually allow them to lead the way!)
🌞 Head to a local playground
🌞 Splash in puddles
🌞 Get into the sandbox

AND! If all you've got time for is a quick step out into your backyard that is absolutely okay! And even if it's freezing out, a quick 30 second break can make a world of a difference.

Have you heard this saying before? And if you have.. did it help?!

04/12/2023

Thinking about sleep training? If so, listen up. This post is for you.

Let's take a look at what it means to be successful at sleep training and what it looks like to be not so successful.

Successful:

✅Have a clear plan of what to do and when and how to do it

✅Have the RIGHT kind support system lined up. This means you want people in your corner that support your decision to sleep train and will encourage you to keep going when things are hard. Sleep training is not easy, and quitting in the middle of it just makes things worse! If independent sleep is important to you, then getting the right people in your corner is key.

✅Understand that sleep shaping can take time, patience, and a whole lot of consistency. There is no magic pill or 3-day solution that works for every baby. IF there was - people like me wouldn't exist.

✅Has a resource to turn to when things don’t go as planned. Whether this is a book, course or sleep consultant - make sure you have something or someone to resort to when you need to trouble shoot.

Struggling:

🫣Jumping into sleep training without a clear plan or knowing what to expect. Without a clear proven system, you're asking for way more tears and way more frustration.

🫣Going into sleep training without the right kind of support. When your support system tells you to quit when things get challenging - they are not helping you achieve your goals.

🫣Expecting instant results and then quit when things get tough. Sleep training takes time! I work with parents for at least 14 days for a reason.

🫣Is down the internet black hole all alone trying to find the answers to hiccups along the way. I often hear from parents who have "tried everything" and often they have seemingly tried it all. But it is usually because they went into sleep training without knowing what to do when things didn't go as planned.

So.... which camp do you want to be in?

04/07/2023

Breast/chestfed babies sleep JUST AS well as formula/bottle fed babies.

Sleep and food go hand in hand. They work together and are as equally important in our children's development.

So if you’re breastfeeding and you're considering adding formula JUST to help them sleep better, don't bother.

All that matters is that your babe is getting enough to eat in a 24 hour period, whatever that looks like for the both of you.