Hushabye Sleep

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Hushabye Sleep

�� Certified baby and Child Sleep Consultant.

08/02/2023

⭐️ The past two nights we have taken a HUGE step in our little guy’s sleep. He has managed to fall asleep independently both nights within 15 minutes!

We have taken the most gentle of approaches to sleep coaching. Our approach has been very responsive as we continue to develop a secure attachment and take into account his temperament. There has been no tears but more importantly, no rocking to sleep! As he gets bigger my back has been paying the price of this sleep association!

The approach we are taking can take a lot of time, patience and perseverance but it’s what we felt comfortable with as a family. Each family and baby is different and different approaches suit different people.

In the first 5 months of his life, we put in huge amounts of efforts to getting good sleep foundations in the early months.

We still have many wake ups during the night due to reflux and stomach issues. It’s always important when sleep coaching to consider any medical issues which may be impacting upon your little one and seek medical advice where necessary.

26/01/2023

🤔 Responsive and gentle sleep coaching? Say whaaat?

‼️ When people hear the term sleep training or sleep coaching they often think it means cry it out. This is not the only way to get little ones sleeping better!

❤️ Sleep coaching can be responsive and gentle.

🚫 Leaving babies with big emotions that they don’t know how to control or regulate is never a sleep training technique I would advise! It increases cortisol levels which is a stress hormone. Cry it out is a huge NO from me.

✅ If you’d like to learn a gentle approach to getting your baby to sleep better or would like to know more about optimising sleep routines and getting sleep basics right, you can contact me on the email address in my bio or send a direct message 🙌📧📲

31/12/2022

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year for 2023!

May your sleep be long and uninterrupted this year 💤😴

If you’d like any support with your baby’s sleep in the new year, you can contact me by email or drop me a message. 📧💌

30/12/2022

So many parents say, ‘Oh they’re such an awful sleeper, they wake constantly through the night!’ 😩

🙌 But what if I told you they’re not a bad sleeper, they’re a good baby?

💤 When we were going through sleep regression, all I did was complain about how tired I was! (constant night wakings are rough though, right?) Someone said to me, REFRAME IT! It doesn’t solve the problem but how you think and feel about it makes a difference.

❗️ Babies are designed to wake frequently through the night to keep themselves safe! This waking can prevent SIDS.

❗️These night wakings are due to them developing and consolidating skills (especially those sleep skills we REALLY want them to work on).

❗️ Babies are programmed to feed regularly and night wakings are part of this.

❗️ Sleep disruption can occur as their sleep cycle matures.

🚫 Societal expectations are that babies should be sleeping right though without a feed by a certain age. Societal expectations though are not the norm and it is perfectly normal for babies to wake regularly through the night and very much part of their biological system.

💁🏻‍♀️ This however doesn’t make it feel any easier, does it?

Reframing it can help how you think and feel about it.

🤔 When I’m awake through the night, especially at feeding times, I think about how it’s more bonding time and more cuddle time. He’s only little once.

❤️ I think about why he’s waking and know it’s due to development and that he’s keeping himself safe by waking. Good things, huh? I like to think about the development I saw during the day and link it - he grasped a toy for the first time or he rolled onto his side and might manage to roll over soon.

⭐️ Our mental health is so important and a negative mindset can really impact things. Sleep deprivation is enough to be dealing with so a slight shift in the mindset around wakings can make all the difference. ⭐️

And if all other thoughts fail, just remember, THIS TOO SHALL PASS. ❤️

📧💌 If you’d like any support to combat night wakings you can drop me an email or a message.

29/12/2022

⏰ The average time it takes someone, including babies, to fall asleep is around 15 minutes. This is called sleep latency or sleep onset latency.

💡This can be a good piece of knowledge to help figure out if there’s an issue with your little one’s sleep.

💤 If they are crashing into sleep within 5 minutes, they are most likely over-tired. Although crashing into a deep sleep might seem like it’s a good thing, it will lead to a restless night and more night wakings. Crashing into a deep sleep means they’ve missed the vital lighter sleep at the start of the sleep cycle. As they come out of the sleep cycle and go into the next sleep cycle, this part will feel unfamiliar to them as they skipped this lighter sleep stage when falling asleep and they’ll struggle to stay sleeping.

⏱️If they are taking much longer to fall asleep then you know your little one does not have enough sleep pressure yet to fall asleep. This could be an issue with naps or the timing of bedtime.

📧💌 If you’d like further information or support with your baby’s sleep, you can contact me at the email address above or drop me a message!

28/12/2022

Layering sleep associations can be helpful if you’d like to change or wean off of certain sleep associations. Sleep associations can sometimes get a bad rep but if it works for you and your family and there’s no problem then keep it up! 🙌

Some sleep associations however can become unsustainable and we need to change or stop them. For example this could be rocking to sleep (you gotta look after that back, mama! 💁🏻‍♀️) or feeding to sleep (maybe you’re returning to work).

Making new sleep connections takes some time and practice. For example, if your little one needs rocked to sleep, add in a shush or a pat and over time they’ll begin to associate this with sleep also. This means when you feel rocking them to sleep is no longer sustainable then you can begin to reduce this and shush and pat only.

The goal is for your baby to eventually have sleep associations which don’t involve you and will allow them to self settle at night when they wake.

We’ve introduced Brodie to a comforter and he absolutely loves it! He cuddles right in and closes his eyes. We use this alongside shushing, rocking, patting and white noise. We have a myriad of sleep associations so when the time comes, we can wean him off of those which involve us and he can begin to use those which are more independent, like his comforter or white noise.

Babies often need the same association to get back to sleep as the one which got them to sleep in the first place. Having lots of different associations means they are less likely to need you and can fall back to sleep independently using one of the other connections they’ve made.

24/12/2022

What are you asking Santa for this year?

23/12/2022

The holidays can be disruptive to the daily routines of our little ones. Trips to visit family and friends, dinners, parties, events. People wanting to see, hold and play with the baby. Naps might be skipped, bedtime might end up later, your baby may get over stimulated with all of the festivities.

DO NOT WORRY.! It’s all temporary!! You can get right back on track! Routines will be off at some point so try not to stress and just relax and enjoy.

Remember it’s your baby and your rules! If you want to leave early for bedtime, you do that! If you want to go to a quieter room to let them nap, go for it! If you want the baby to engage in a more calming activity to settle them down, set it up! You do what works for you and your family. People will understand, we’ve all been there! Don’t stress yourself trying to please others. Put yourself and your little one’s needs first.

You can try to stick to routines as closely as possible and having familiar things with you like comforters or soothing music will help. If you have a portable sleep space such as a Moses basket, take it with you! Do anything that will help you feel more in control of the routines and less stressed.

You got this 🙌

22/12/2022

These are the average sleep needs by age provided by the National Sleep Federation. This is over a 24 hour period and inclusive of naps 😴

This is an average so this means that some children may require more or less than this 💤. It is a guide and not a rule so don’t worry if your little one’s sleep needs are outwith these parameters!

Comparing with these averages can help when you’re facing sleep issues. Log your baby’s sleep over the course of a few days and tally up how much sleep they are getting. Is it too much? Is it too little? This will be a good starting point when thinking about where to go next!

📧 Contact me if you’d like more information or help with your baby’s sleep. You can email me or drop me a message! ☺️

21/12/2022

Sleep associations are the things that your baby has made a connection with to help them fall asleep. These are usually things which are done habitually to help them to fall asleep such as rocking or shushing.

Sleep associations which work for you and your family are perfectly fine. Sometimes though, these sleep associations become problematic or are unsustainable. For example, you may be returning to work and can no longer feed to sleep or you are straining your back rocking them to sleep. Often a child will require the same sleep association to fall back to sleep if they wake in the middle of the night therefore you may want to move away from holding them to sleep. There are a variety of reasons you might want to change sleep associations.

Working towards sleep associations which allow for independent settling is the goal and hopefully your little one can settle themselves back to sleep when they wake during the night.

Changing sleep associations can take time so requires some patience, practise and perseverance.

20/12/2022

My little napper!

Today, our longest midday nap is a contact nap. He sleeps best during contact naps and I want his sleep tank nice and full before our visit to Santa later!

Some days we do contact naps, other days naps are in his sleep space (which requires a bit more perseverance) and some days it’s a mix of both.

You do you, mama! Whatever works for you and gets your baby the sleep they need!

My favourite thing about contact naps is that it forces me to slow down! I get to catch up on some TV whilst he catches some 💤

20/12/2022

Can you spot the early signs of your little one becoming tired?

Looking out for sleep cues can help!

If we can spot early sleep cues and get them down for their nap, it can help with more productive sleep! If it gets to the later cues or the cues are missed, the brain starts to produce adrenaline which results in a baby who will fight sleep and end up over tired!

When it reaches this stage, it is much more difficult to get them down!

This list is not exhaustive and your baby’s cues may differ. Observe and try to spot what your babies early and late cues are. When you spot those early cues, begin your routine to get them down for their nap 💤

19/12/2022

So you’re struggling with sleep deprivation and you hear, ‘Oh my baby has slept right through the night since they were 2 months old!’

You start to wonder, what am I doing wrong? Why are they still waking? Why aren’t we getting the same sleep routines as others?

Well let me tell you, night wakings for 6-18 month olds are normal! Research shows on average they wake between 1-3 times a night.

As they get older, many babies are able to sleep for longer stretches. If your baby sleeps right through the night then fantastic! If your baby wakes through the night for feeds or a cuddle then don’t worry, this is also normal!

All babies are different. Give yourself a break mama! You’re doing just fab ⭐️

18/12/2022

My journey to becoming a baby and child sleep coach! 😴💤👶🏻

Swipe to find out what inspired me!

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