A false start is a term that is popularly used to describe a child waking soon after bedtime, typically within the first hour. It is not unusual for parents to report that this waking may be quite challenging to support.  You will not be surprised to learn that there are several possible influences that contribute to this dynamic and here we will explore what the reason may be, bearing in mind that with childhood sleep, it may often be

Discussing using a soother often evokes strong views, for and against. As a sleep practitioner, I support anything that feels helpful and supportive for your young baby, and I would rarely be black and white about any practices that parents undertake with the aim of nurturing their baby and their experiences.  Some research indicates that dummy-use acts as a protective factor against SIDS.  Additionally, it is suggested to avoid introducing before your breastfeeding has been established.  But like most

Some time by 8 months plus transition to 2 naps is appropriate for many young children and as this unfold it can leave the day top heavy, with a long gap before bedtime that can promote overtiredness or an early bedtime that may invite an early wake time leaving you feel a bit caught.  Do not worry, this is very normal, and it has to happen as you child biologically is capable of staying awake longer before the end

  I recently did some work with https://wishidknown.co/.  A community created for parents to understand their parenting journey. The founders say that in this space” everyone’s wisdom and experience is valued equally, without the loudest voices diluting others.  Insights are much more representative than what you would get asking a small group of people”.  Each week they pick a different topic and ask questions.  Results are anonymous with the goal of a “full picture perspective” for what parents are

Summertime means longer and brighter evenings and potentially brighter earlier mornings too.  Personally, I love this time of year, the weather is warmer, the fact that there is a stretch to the evenings signals that you could get more time doing things before settling in for the night.  However, all over Ireland, children may have start to resist bedtime because it is still bright outside!  It can lead to unforeseen bedtime challenges that parents will need to manage to

I can’t thank Lucy enough for her help and guidance through our baby’s sleep journey. We were zombies from hourly wakings overnight and felt like we had exhausted all avenues. Firmly believing we had a ‘non- sleeper’ we came to Lucy in desperation. She gave us a tailored routine, made weekly changes based on our baby’s needs and after a few weeks, even a bout of sickness and lots of teething, our nights are looking a lot better and

Lucy was fantastic in helping us understand what was affecting our baby's sleep and giving us really helpful tools and structure to improve it. Understanding they "why" was so important to help us adapt as needed. Would highly recommend for any tired parents

Travelling with young children can be a big undertaking.  You have to pick your destination with care, you don’t want to go somewhere that is too hot, or not hot enough, you will need to try to avoid flights that are too long, transfer times that that wouldn’t suit a young baby or toddler, not to mention the accommodation, pools, activities, kids clubs-it can be exhausting just thinking about it. In an effort to help make your holiday the

Managing sleep times when you have more than one child As you increase the number of your family, one area of concern can be, how can one parent prepare and comfort two or more children as part of the transition to sleep at bedtime and how do you manage naps with an older child roaming about unsupervised. There is no definitive answer to this question, but each individual family will begin to make inroads to this parenting dilemma in

    You have survived the first two years and you may feel relieved. Your child’s sleep has for a while been dependable and it took a lot of work and analysis on your part. However, between 2 and 3 years of age is a massive developmental stage and your child’s sleep profile is constantly changing and therefore you may meet a few unanticipated bumps in the road. Here we explore five reasons why your 2-year old’s sleep may

Sometimes when a young child starts to climb out of the cot and as a result may present a danger to themselves, parents introduce a big bed.  When the child is under a certain age- under 2-2.5 years for example, this may be a premature adjustment and create more problems that it resolves. When it happens, it may be as a result of a developmental leap of sorts and as a result they have discovered how to get out

4 Early months suggestions Master a pre-sleep ritual Whenever you are ready, do this in the bedroom that your child will sleep in, dim the lights, connect, and engage, telling them you love them as you prepare them for sleep. Aim for more awake than asleep At bedtime specifically consider having your child go into their sleep space aware that you put them down- use my percentage of wakefulness approach to initiate future sleep ability. Avoid comparison Every baby

  Consider your wake times Having a regular wake time, no later than 730am allows you to set the tone for naps and bedtime! It can be challenging when you have been up at night, but it can make a huge difference to your daytime attempts. Start time of nap Possibly the trickiest dance to do- aiming before overtired and not tired enough- watching for cues or using my age-appropriate sleeping times as a framework can help an easy

  How old is your child Your child’s age has implications on their sleep profile.  Beyond 6 months we understand that longer night and daytime sleep is achievable – before this age we work towards creating a foundation with sleep shaping. Have medical issues been identified, ruled out or are they appropriately managed It’s always important to know what is causing what-sometimes there is an overlap and once we consider the medial issues managed or resolved, then we can

  Consider the sleep environment   Consider the transition to a formal cot. After about 4 months big cot is more appropriate. Have you considered if some wakes are due to proximity to you or the other parent. Are you disturbing each other? Is it dark, warm, without too many distractions. Do they have a positive relationship with this space? Consider your feeding practice   Consider how and when you provide feeds- is the morning feed in the bedroom?

  Your child’s sleep profile is a challenge Despite your best efforts, at 6 months of age plus you still experience several challenges such as sleep resistance, frequent night waking, long wake times over-night, excessive upset, short naps, and early rising, for example. You may also have feed, weaning, and behavioural concerns that are interrelated. You don’t know where to start As your child’s sleep is multi-dimensional and entirely unique, general recommendations may not always apply and conflicting information

  Is there an ideal age when children should stop sleeping in their parent’s bed and if so, what is it?   I don’t feel that there are any specific ages to cease bed-sharing.  When the parents or the child decide it is time for a change represents the ideal time.     Is it a problem if they continue to do this after that age (apart from parents being exhausted) and what issues are there?   There are

Try to avoid thinking of your child's sleep as a destination. Sleep improvements will come, and they also sometimes go. There are multiple reasons why your child may wake, that does not indicate a "sleep problem". Night waking may be problematic but may also be indicative of typical childhood sleep. Here's some reasons your child may wake- this is not an exhaustive list: Hunger Too hot Cold Teething pain Feeling under the weather Emotional/developmental progression Travel disturbance Needs connection

  Try not to worry You cannot spoil your baby -there are no such things as bad habits- focus on meeting their needs with loving responses.   Have a regular wake time Babies thrive when we are predictable. Waking at the same time and offering feeds and sleeps at similar times each days helps   Offer Naps every, 1 to 2 Hours Look for brief eye rubs and yawns and prepare for sleep within this time frame throughout the

4 Reasons to provide a feed earlier at bedtime May improve sleep ability If you aim to have the last feed over at least 45m before sleep time and you have also then use the stay and support staged based approach then you are creating a fertile ground for a high level of sleep ability required to support sleep in general. May reduce night waking   A high sleep ability at bedtime helps to promote a higher sleep ability

Improving sleep- what it is and what it is not   It's not about training, crying alone, rigid routines, making your child fit into your life, attempting to get your child to do something they are not ready for; night-weaning, giving up breastfeeding, dummies, room-sharing, or your parenting beliefs. It is about learning to get to know your child in relationship to their sleep-understanding their signals, helping them to regulate their body clock with some predictable landmarks such as