Welcome to Little Sleep Star Stories, bringing you the best quality information to explain some of the more counter-intuitive aspects of child sleep and equip you to tackle common sleep challenges, quickly and gently.
Years of seeing parents spend hundreds of pounds on gadgets that promise to help sleep, only to end up pretty disappointed, has left me fairly cynical when it comes to "must have" sleep aids...but then I found literally the best pyjamas I have ever seen! If you have a preschool or school-aged child who is anxious about sleeping alone, these might just change your life...
Continue reading...What these tricky sleep milestones actually are, why they happen and how to navigate them with your sanity intact!
Continue reading...If you have ever been Googling, "Why won't my child sleep?" at 3am (and let's face, we've all been there!), you will no doubt have ascertained that naps are an integral piece of the puzzle. Yet, daytime sleep can be seriously tricky for little ones. To ease the path to the other side of this tricky sleep hurdle, here is my definitive guide to helping your little one nap like a champ.
Continue reading...A consistent and positive bedtime routine can be one of the most valuable tools in your parenting kit. Whilst there are no magical steps that with guarantee your little one will sleep through the night, a well-crafted bedtime routine can make a huge difference to whether you find bedtime a breeze or a battleground. Here is the why, when and how for the perfect bedtime routine.
Continue reading...Many, many of the little ones I work with either are suffering or have suffered with infant colic. My own son was colicky and I consider the weeks he suffered as, hands down, the hardest part of my parenting journey. Like so many parents, I was told that colic is just "one of those things" that affects some babies and needs to be waited out. Knowing what I do now, I so wish I hadn't accepted that explanation - that I had understood that colic is a symptom rather than a diagnosis. In this article in conjunction with Becky Palmer from Happy Sleepy Baby, learn more about what colic actually is and how you can help your little one through it.
Continue reading...Around 50% of the parents who come to me for help with their little one's sleep are starting their day at 5am - sometimes even earlier than that. The good news is that a child's natural wake-up time rarely starts with a 5, and is even less likely to start with a 4! The bad news is that early-rising can be one of the most stubborn sleep hurdles to overcome - but it can be done! Here's how...
Continue reading...Pre-parenthood, I loved the Autumn clock-change. A whole extra hour in bed that I didn't have to compromise anything else to achieve - absolute bliss! However, for parents, the end of Daylight Saving often instils fear. But fear not! With the Little Sleep Stars step-by-step guide, you can help your little one navigate this tricky sleep hurdle like a pro.
Continue reading...Weaning can be one of the most fun baby milestones - and almost certainly the most messy! Often parents have been told that weaning is the panacea for their little one's multiple wake ups - that, with a tummy full of solid food, their baby will miraculously sleep through the night. Yet, for many families, the introduction of solids actually worsens sleep. In this guest post from Aine Homer, the Baby Reflux Lady, we explore why this may be.
Continue reading...A child's sleep is rarely unaffected by mum's return to work. For those families where sleep is already challenging, a further decline can be particularly hard at a time that is often stressful enough without upping the ante through sleep-deprivation! Here is my guide on what to expect and how to ace the return-to-work sleep test.
Continue reading...I see a disproportionate number of little ones in my sleep practice who were born by way of induction, assisted delivery or c-section. Coincidence? I think not. Experienced osteopath Tracy Lomax explains why this may be and how she uses cranial osteopathy in her work with babies and children.
Continue reading...It is only by having a holistic understanding that sleep challenges can be dealt with gently and in a way that respects children. For some, the issue isn't behavioural - either fully or at all. A number of issues can masquerade as a behavioural sleep problem - one of those issues being sensory-integration challenges. In this article I discuss what sensory-processing is, and how it affects sleep.
Continue reading...When we become parents, it can seem that we are expected to enjoy every single moment - and that if we don't, it somehow means that we don't quite love our child as much as we should. When sleep is a challenge, parents can spend their day dreading bedtime and/or with a cranky, tired child where it feels like no one is having fun. And here's the rub, whilst anxiety is well-known to drive sleep disturbances, the relationship is bidirectional meaning that a tired parent has a greater risk of feeling anxious. To understand more about parental anxiety, and learn some simple strategies with which we can begin to manage it, read what Holly Crosby from Simplyou Coaching has to say...
Continue reading...You would probably be surprised to know how many families I actually turn away when they contact me for help with their child's sleep! Well, "turn away" is perhaps the wrong phrase - "redirect" would be more accurate. I do this because sometimes, particularly with young babies of around 4 months, the scenario the parent outlines makes me suspect there is an underlying issue - something structural or digestive that means a little one really can't, as opposed to won't, sleep. This article provides a brief introduction to one such issue with signposting to the most appropriate way to investigate fully.
Continue reading...Anyone who has parented a little one old enough to walk has been there: in the supermarket, with a screaming child. These moments are inevitable. And when it's you in the middle of it, you feel like every passer-by is casting glares of disapproval and judgement in your direction. You know you have a few choices but, you can't think clearly amidst the sound of your child crying as if their world is caving in. If this sounds familiar, continue reading for tips on how to handle these moments calmly from professional parent coach, Kacie Morrish.
Continue reading...One of the things that nearly every parent asks me about at the start of our journey together is how bad the crying is going to be. Many are hoping it will be a tear-free experience. Most are expecting it's going to be horrific! The conversation around crying is more detailed than people generally expect - and some of what I have to say is surprising. But don't just take my word for it! In this article, clinical psychologist Dr. Rebekah Olive discusses crying - what it means, why it isn't all the same and how our own experiences influence our response when it happens.
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