Understanding tantrums

The other day, my husband Jay found himself up against a 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 frustrating situation. He was genuinely pissed off, and the next day, he was still stewing over it. Then, today, our 4 year old had a meltdown. I mean 𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘤, lying on the floor flailing, throwing things, tantrum. It started because he didn’t like […]

Resolutions for positive parenting in 2021

It goes without saying that 2020 was a dumpster fire of a year. Parents, in particular, were pushed beyond their limits, as they continued their professional responsibilities, while taking on full time positions as homeschoolers, short order cooks, cleaners, entertainers and more. All this, while navigating new boundaries and relationships with extended family and friends […]

When can I sleep train?

Let’s talk about one of my most frequently asked questions: At what age can I begin to sleep train? The short answer is, I NEVER recommend making any kind of sleep changes that encourage using separation based techniques, so technically, I don’t recommend sleep training at any age!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀The long answer is that, under 9 months […]

Conventional Sleep Training

Just like so many families, we believed sleep training was what “good” parents did to help their baby sleep better. Even though it felt wrong from the get-go, we pushed our feelings aside and did the “hard work” of sleep training. First we tried a “gentle” method, and were then urged by the sleep consultant […]

Nurturing is not the same as spoiling

“She has you wrapped around her little finger.” “He’s going to get used to you responding immediately.” “Teach them how to be independent.”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Children are built to be reliant on their parents. They are not meant to be independent, self sufficient or self-knowing until much later in life. Parents are meant to support their children – […]

Teething and its impact on sleep

Baby

As any parent of a baby knows well, teething can play a major role in sleep interruptions. Teething may be really tough for some babies, and not phase some others. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Teething can lead to more difficulty falling asleep as well as difficulty staying asleep, since teething pain tends to worsen when a baby is lying […]

Can I help my baby sleep better without teaching them to ‘self soothe’?

Ways to help your baby sleep better

YES! I could write an entire series of posts specifically on why self soothing is a myth (scroll through my feed and you’ll find a few that explain it a bit!), but just because babies can’t self soothe doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to naturally help them sleep better. Here are some ways to […]

Making space for emotions

Making space for emotions

One of the most beautiful – and often frustrating – things about children is that they are unapologetically emotional. Parents (myself included!!) often comment on how their toddler can be an emotional basket-case one minute, and happy-go-lucky the next. This is because children are masters at expressing, feeling, and moving through their emotions, so long […]

Exhaustion in the time of COVID

Exhaustion

The truest words I’ve ever heard expressed about parenthood said that nothing in the entire world will give you as much joy, as much sadness and as much exhaustion as being a parent. I think this is even more true in the context of the current world. Maybe I am biased, but I think covid […]