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Happy Monday! Oh the lovely day light savings! In the north where I live we don’t have daylight savings, our time never changes- Yes I know we are lucky:)

A lot of parents struggle with time change as it effects their child’s sleep schedule. Although usually within a week or so a child will get use to the time change here are some things you can do to make the transition easier for you and your child.

My best advice for children to help them with the change is to split the difference with the old time and the new time.  How does that work?

School Age Children- If you have a child that does not nap and normally goes to bed at 7:00 p.m., you would put him to bed at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday night, the first night of the time change.  Do this for 3 nights, putting him to bed 30 minutes earlier than normal, then on the 4^th night put him to bed at the normal time, 7:00 p.m. or whatever is normal bedtime for your child.

Toddlers- If you have a toddler ages one and older, on Sunday the first day of the time change, you would put him down for his first nap 30 minutes earlier than normal.   So if he naps usually at 9:30 a.m. put him down at 9:00 a.m.  You would do the same with the afternoon nap if he takes an afternoon nap.  For bedtime, if his normal bedtime is 7:00 p.m., you would put him down at 6:30 p.m.   Do this for 3 nights after the time change and then on the 4^th night, put him to bed at 7:00 p.m. and on 5^th day move naptimes back to normal time.   So if your child naps at 9:30 a.m. put him down at 9:30 a.m. and so on with the rest of the day.

Infants- If you have a baby and his bedtime and naps have become predictable (usually over 6 months old) meaning he is always going to bed around the same time each day.  For example if bedtime is normally 7:00 p.m. move bedtime 15 minutes later each night until you reach the normal time again.  So the first night you would put him down at 6:15 p.m., the second night 6:30 p.m., and so on.  On the fourth night you should be back to 7:00 p.m.  Do the same thing for naps.  Start 45 minutes earlier than normal and move them 15 minutes later each day.  So if morning nap is at 9:00 a.m. normally, start with 8:15 a.m. on Sunday, 8:30 a.m. on Monday, 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday and then 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday.  Do the same for the afternoon nap.  If their bedtime and naptimes are not predictable (0-6 months old) simply jump to the new time Sunday night as if you were traveling to a new time zone and use their wake time window (awake time between sleep periods) as your guide.

A great thing about this time change is that there are more hours of darkness which helps make this transition a little easier.  If your child wakes up too early, walk them back to their room and tell them it’s not time to get up yet.   If your child wakes up too early and is in a crib, be sure to help his body understand it isn’t morning time by keeping him in his crib in the dark room until normal wake time.

Note for Toddlers/School-aged children: If you have a toddler or an older child who relies on a clock to know when their “morning time” has arrived, set the clock one half hour ahead of the new time so that it reads 7:00 a.m. at the new time of 6:30 a.m.  Allow your child to wake a bit earlier than normal (they will think it is 7:00 according to the clock but it will be 6:30 a.m., new time). This will only be temporary as your child adjusts to wake at their usual 7:00 a.m. time after about one or two weeks.

It may take children and babies a bit more time to fall asleep, this is normal, since the time is different initially they might seem tired earlier.   It usually takes about a week for children and babies to completely adjust to the new time, some children it can take up to a month.  Be patient and stay very consistent, it will happen.

Hope this helps! Have a great rest of your week:)

If you would like more information please check out my Child Sleep Packages or call 250-787-2699 for a free evaluation. 

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       I am so excited to be able to help adults get great sleep now! It wasn’t to long ago I suffered from sleep derivation as well.  With three children running around,kids sports, a full time job, a business it was a lot going on at once.. I didn’t realize I was over booking my time and stressing myself out trying to be super mom.. don’t get me wrong I still try to do to much but I now say no to things that are not necessary  .. why? because I was laying awake at night thinking about how I was going to volunteer for this, try to get the kids out the door for that, in between getting groceries and making dinner. Is any of that worth loosing sleep over? Not really but at the time it sure seemed like it did.  The lack of sleep I was loosing was crazy! It was making me have anxiety and was horrible towards my health. I made a change to my habits and it made a huge difference to my sleep, which in turn my health, in a positive way.

      Many of us have no idea how important sleep is to our health. The effects of sleep deprivation is huge! Weight gain, difficulty learning or paying attention, depleted sex drive, headaches & migraines and irritability to name a few.  Sleep, exercise and nutrition go together to make us happy and healthy.  Many of us suffer from some sort of sleep troubles in our life- some medical (sleep apnea, medication etc) some behavioral or environmental. A lot are treatable without the need of sleeping pills but rather habitual and behavioral change. If lack of sleep is wrecking havoc in your life with work, school, parenting or living life to its fullest, then it may be time to make a change for the better and start sleeping at night, waking more rested in the morning.  I love helping infants and children with their sleep but of course I wanted to expand and help adults get better sleep as well.  Helping the whole family get better sleep . Did you know many mommas have trouble sleeping once their babies start sleeping through the night?  It is true! When a momma wakes up several times at night with their child, it becomes habit to wake several times for them too. Wouldn’t it be nice to go to work feeling well rested? I am sure your boss would benefit too! 🙂

Let’s start the morning off with a well rested body and wreak the benefits of it too!

Walking with you side by side to reach your goals of having a restful nights sleep is my goal. Lets make bed time a dream together:) Click here to view Adult Sleep Coaching page.

Corissa Feenstra

Your Certified Sleep Sense/ Solve Your Sleep Consultant

250-787-2699

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Awhhh , back to school! Parents love this time of year! While the summers are great to spend time together and venture out on holiday’s, it can also turn your child’s sleep routine into non-existent. This may seem fine at the time but you may notice your child’s behavior change when they have to get back into the daily grind of a school schedule. Some children take a change of routine with little to no fuss, while other children it can change their whole behavior and sleep habits.

Before school starts I recommend slowly introducing an earlier bedtime. Doing it to quick, all at once can be very hard on a child and leave everyone frustrated. Starting with 15 minutes earlier to bed every 2-3 days can make the transition easier on everyone! Do this until you return to a normal bed time. Remember an earlier bed time is a lot more beneficial to your child than a later one, plus the parents get some more time to them selves in the evening:)

Lets talk about why sleep is so important to your child.

While you may think your child is getting all the sleep they need, there are some signs

they might not be.  Some parents say my child is FULL of energy in the evening before bed, there is no way they will go to sleep earlier.. While that may seem true the truth is your child may be OVER tired at this point, and very hyper or giddy. You may find that they don’t go to sleep well and play around for a long time when in bed, or wake up multiple times at night.  Starting an earlier bed time routine could solve this problem allowing them to get the sleep they need.

Children that are overtired may have problems focusing in school causing learning issues and a frustrated child. They may present them selves as having symptoms of ADHD or ADD  due to being ‘hyper’ and unable to focus.

Sleep is so important to children for developmental and health reasons. A child that lacks sleep can wreak havoc on their ability to fight off viruses during cold and flu season.

Let’s start this school year off with happy well rested children 🙂 Want to make bedtime a dream? click here to view Child Sleep Consultation Packages

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I would like to talk about routines.. Yes I know many parents shudder at the thought of having your child’s day planned out. In reality it doesn’t have to be planned to a tee, just certain parts of it should be. You might be a parent of a child that is very easy going and doesn’t need much routine and will sail through the day,  on the other side there are children that really need it to be happy and cooperative.  Now I am not saying to plan every minute of your day but having set naps and a bed time is a great way to start your child’s sleep habits off on the right foot. Having a short 10- minute nap routine sets your child’s clock and ques them for their nap, this could be a story and a song, nothing intense.  Bedtime routines should be anywhere between 20-30 minutes and very calming. Rushing through your child’s routine can cause stress to the parents and child making bedtime unpleasant.  Having a bath, light massage, story and song can be a very enjoyable and bonding time for you and your child. Bed time should be around the same time every night, and be the same routine every night! Bouncing back and forth can cause night wakings and early morning wake ups from disturbing their internal clock.  Children thrive on predictability and routines, they will have a clear understanding on what will happen next making it easier to wind down and go to bed. This applies  for babies and school aged children.  Although you may find it “boring” everyday to do the same routine over and over, the outcome of it is a lot more pleasant than a anxious, unpredictable child. Here is to happy well rested children:) Lets make bedtime a dream together. Click here to view Child Consultation Packages.

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The dreaded sleep regression! It is all to familiar to parents to have this happen and leave them taking drastic measures to get their child to sleep.  You hear it from friends and family about how your child will go through some form of sleep regression at a few different months.. usually they will differ from parent to parent. The truth is, I don’t believe in so much as a regression then a developmental mile stone. These will vary in times between children, hence the different times friends and family will tell you.

A developmental mile stone will leave your child restless at times. These happen when the child starts to roll over, starts crawling, sitting up unassisted, standing up, walking and talking. Every child hits developmental milestones at their own pace, so it differs from child to child. If your child was sleeping fairly great and then all of a sudden starts waking in the night again, they may have hit one of these mile stones.  These can last for a week or two and cause night wakings or nap protesting.

So now that you know a little about developmental milestones your question is how do I survive it? Well there is hope! If you stick with your normal routine and try not to interrupt it, things will go a lot smoother. If your child wakes during the night WAIT at least 10-15 minutes before you intervene, this will encourage them to go back to sleep on their own. The most important key of advice is to NOT revert back to old habits- it takes approximately 3 nights to change a habit. Consistency is key as well! If after 2 weeks night wakings have not improved, then it might be time to look at the time naps and bed time occurs.

Remember a great routine will go along way in how well your child could be sleeping, so stick with it. Lets make bedtime a dream together. Click here to view Child Sleep Consultation Packages.

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Recently I participated in a trade show called; Mommylicious, where I met an ambitious man named Nathan Chan, the Managing  Director of Proud Fertility.  I was very intrigued about his organization and was very excited to talk with him- we ended up collaborating and making a short video on  sleep training and how it can be linked with surrogacy and intended parenting.  Watch Video

This made me think when we started talking.  When it comes down to it, a Parent is a Parent whether you are single, adoptive or intended parents. We all struggle with our child’s sleep; either from birth or later down the road.  Sleep troubles can then be an issue for parents when they are not getting well rested, being a new parent is tough! Whether you are well prepared and happens through adoption, intended parenting through surrogacy, not many parents think much about baby and their SLEEP. We bring our little bundles home and life begins; as do the sleepless nights. Sleep training is a great option to research prior to bringing home baby. Many Sleep Consultants, including myself, offer a Prenatal & Newborn Package that will help parents learn great techniques to avoid sleep problems down the road.

Lack of sleep is a huge problem in life, between our family and job who has time to rest? The thing is, this should be a huge priority in your busy schedules, especially after you bring baby home. Lack of sleep is hard on everyone and can lead to depression, anxiety, relationship troubles  and regret. Even adoptive and intended parents can suffer from this, sleep debt does not discriminate and is a real thing.  Good nutrition and great sleep is very important, not only for baby but also for YOU.

If you would like to know more about surrogacy, becoming a surrogate, or becoming an egg donor, contact Proud Fertility, Nathan and his amazing team would love to help you help families!

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