Saying “I love you” to your child has so much value and importance, but it often doesn’t carry as much weight and meaning to children as it does to adults. Children progress through 6 sequential stages of attachment, and it’s not until they reach the fifth stage, around age 5, that they are really able […]
Sleep progressions are a period in time during which your child is making leaps in their development. This is progress! That’s why I don’t refer to it as a sleep regression. Sleep is becoming interrupted because the sleep cycles are changing. A baby might be hitting new developmental milestones, such as learning to roll, crawl […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
“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 – […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
