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November 15, 2016 by Angela Walsh Leave a Comment

Thanksgiving Sleep Tips

 

 

 

dreamstime_s_4610822

Fall is flying by and the holiday season is quickly approaching. With Thanksgiving only a week away, now is the time to confirm your family’s travel plans and get organized. Whether you are hosting family in your home or traveling to visit friends and relatives, Thanksgiving can mean interruptions to your family’s sleep schedule if you do not plan well in advance. Sleep is key to your family functioning well, and this can be the difference between a happy holiday and a not-so-happy one.

The best way to ensure that your child’s sleep stays on track through the holidays is to adhere to your usual schedule, fitting the celebrations around naps and bedtimes. As parents, we have to be disciplined to get our children to stick to a sleep schedule, and holidays may make this particularly challenging, but it is worth it. Your child will be refreshed for a visit if it happens after a nap rather than instead of a nap. Skipping nap time will lead to cranky children and stressed-out parents in the short term and will mean you have to spend the days after Thanksgiving getting back on schedule.

Bedtime can also be tricky, particularly if you are sharing a house with children of different ages or adults who are still entertaining when it is time for your child’s bedtime routine. The most important thing to do is to allow for more time for your children’s bedtime routine. They have probably eaten differently than usual and may be excited by all of the activity. Some may be sleeping in an unfamiliar place. Even in the best scenario, it can take longer to get them to sleep, so it is best to be prepared.

If you are traveling over the holidays, here are a few suggestions for you to help with sleep and overall enjoyment.

  • Think through sleep arrangements in advance.
  • Bring any special security blankets or stuffed animals with you. You may think your child doesn’t need them every night, but in a new place, they can become extremely important.
  • Get your child involved in the packing. Toddlers love picking out their own pajamas for a trip and adding a few special things to their suitcase.
  • Travel during a time that works for your child’s schedule, avoiding drives or flights late at night.
  • If you are driving during a time when your child is usually very active, plan to stop along the way at a playground to give your child a break and a chance to run around.
  • If you are flying, pack your carry-ons carefully with extra clothes and supplies.
  • Check airline regulations in advance for rules about strollers, booster seats and other gate-check items.
  • Most importantly, give yourself extra time for everything: time to pack and prepare, time for travel, and time between activities. Holidays should not feel rushed and stressful.

    Let me know if you found this article helpful.

    Angela Walsh is a Family Sleep Institute, Certified Infant and Child Sleep Consultant and the founder of Babes in Sleepland. She helps sleep deprived babies, children and families, get back on track and get the sleep they need and desire. To learn more about Angela and how she can help you, visit her website: babesinsleepland.com.  Also get sleep tips, the latest research on baby and child products, and be part of her weekly Q and A at her Facebook page: Babes in Sleepland and follow her on Twitter

    dreamstime_s_16834236

 

 

Filed Under: Child Sleep, Child Sleep Schedules, Sleep Schedules, Thanksgiving Sleep Tips

January 26, 2016 by Angela Walsh Leave a Comment

Should You Wake Someone Who is Sleepwalking?



 

Beautiful young girl student teenager wearing purple pyjamas waking up sleepy isolated on white

Sleepwalking-some of you may have childhood memories of siblings or friends who use to sleepwalk, and you probably wondered whether you should wake them. It is a common misconception that someone who is sleepwalking should not be woken. In fact, it can be quite dangerous not to wake a sleepwalker.

Symptoms of sleepwalking can be as simple as sitting up in bed and looking around. However, these symptoms can become more dangerous to the individual when they include getting out of bed and leaving the room or house.

                                         Other Symptoms of Sleepwalking:

  • Sleep talking
  • Takes place during deep sleep,
  • Little or no memory of the event
  • Difficulty arousing the sleepwalker during an episode
  • Inappropriate behavior such as urinating in closets (more common in children)
  • Screaming (when sleepwalking occurs in conjunction with sleep terrors)
  • Violent attacks on the person trying to awaken the sleepwalker

                Steps to Prevent Sleepwalking and How to Keep Your Child Safe:

  • Sleepwalking can often occur when a child is sleep deprived. Be sure to keep your child on a regimented sleep cycle so they are not overtired
  • Keep your child’s room free of tripping hazards and pad any sharp corners that they could bump into
  • Use baby gates at the top of staircases
  • If your child is a frequent sleepwalker you may want to continue to use a video baby monitor to keep an eye on their activity
  • Be sure to keep your front/side/garage doors locked and ensure the lock is out of reach of your child

Many children will outgrow sleepwalking by their teen years. But always contact your physician if you have any concerns

Like me on Facebook or follow me on twitter for daily updates on interesting tips and information to help you and your child sleep better.

Filed Under: Child Sleep, Child Sleep Cycles, Pediatric Sleep Expert, Should You Wake a Sleepwalker, Sleep Schedules, Sleepwalking, Uncategorized

September 3, 2015 by Angela Walsh Leave a Comment

Back-To-School and Back to a Sleep Schedule

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It seems like just yesterday we were talking about how to prepare for sleep issues your children may face as they start their summer vacations. As they say, time flies when you’re having fun.

As you can imagine, transitioning a child into “back-to-school” mode after a long summer of fun activities can be difficult on many levels. The recommendation I give to my parents with regards to sleep, is to approach the transition gradually. Progressively changing sleep time slightly ahead, will make the shift much less abrupt for your child.

During the summer months, it’s easy for us to be less concerned about our child’s bedtime. If they didn’t have to get up as early for camp, or if they were having a later afternoon nap, they may have gotten into the habit of falling asleep at a later time. If you transition their bedtime back to “school time” too abruptly, this could cause them difficulty falling asleep, and potentially lead to your child resisting going to bed.

In the few days, or one week leading up to school, begin to adjust your child’s bedtime gradually. Intervals of 15-30 minutes each night is a moderate approach that should be easy for your child to handle. Each night, have your child go to bed 15-30  minutes earlier, and each morning begin getting them up 15-30 minutes earlier, until they are back on track with their school sleep schedule.  

How Else Can You Help With the Adjustment?

Start a New Book for Back-to-School
When you are going “back-to-school” shopping, pick out a new bedtime story or novel to read together at bedtime. This may give your child something to look forward to when they go to bed at night. Be sure to tuck them in comfortably, before you begin to read, so they can settle into sleep once you have finished reading.

Keep the Blinds Closed
Because the days are still long in September, be sure to keep your child’s blinds closed when they go to bed. Sunlight can prohibit the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone, so make sure their room is nice and dark!

Help Manage Anxiety
Kids going back to school, or young ones heading to school for the first time, may experience some anxiety. This anxiety could be brought on by the change to their schedules, or the thought of the unknown experiences they are about to face. This anxiety may keep them up at night if they are constantly running through “what ifs?” in their head before they fall asleep. Be sure to talk to your child about any concerns they may have, so they can talk things through with you. Speaking with Mom or Dad can often help put a child’s mind at ease. A tip: visually walk your child through their first day back at school. This is an excellent exercise that can help your little one feel better prepared for back to school, and hopefully help to manage some of that anxiety they may be feeling.

Be Consistent
Once your child is back to their school sleep schedule, be consistent with their bedtime. Be mindful of extracurricular activities, as these can often have you and your child busy with activities until later in the evening. Try also to keep dinnertime at the same time each night. This can be challenging, but the more consistent you can be with all activities, the more consistent your child’s sleep schedule will be, and ultimately the better rested they will be.   

Your children going back to school, or starting school for the first time is a big adjustment for everyone. In addition to a change in their schedule, parents emotions may be running high as they realize their little ones are growing up. A good night sleep will allow your body to get the proper rest, and recovery required to handle this adjustment in your lifestyle. As you work to regulate your child’s sleep schedule, don’t forget parents need sleep too. My sleep success plans and one-on-one training, can help get your entire family back to sleep. I offer a variety of plans to help suit anyone’s budget or unique needs, and always look forward to working with new families.

Please let me know if you found this information helpful.

Angela Walsh is a Family Sleep Institute, Certified Infant and Child Sleep Consultant and the founder of Babes in Sleepland. She helps sleep deprived babies, children and families, get back on track and get the sleep they need and desire. To learn more about Angela and how she can help you, visit her website: babesinsleepland.com.  Also get sleep tips, the latest research on baby and child products, and be part of her weekly Q and A at her Facebook page: Babes in Sleepland.

 

Filed Under: Adjusting a child's bedtime, Back to School Sleep Schedules, certified child sleep consultant, Child Sleep, Sleep Schedules

June 9, 2015 by Angela Walsh Leave a Comment

How a Child’s Behavior Can be Affected by Their Bedtime and Routines

 

Happy young family having fun outdoors in summer. Mother, father and their cute little daughters are playing in the sunny garden. Happy parenthood and childhood concept. Focus on the father.

With summer vacation around the corner, parents of young children can safely assume that their family’s daily and nightly schedules are going to experience a bit of a shake-up. When kids are out of school, they are no longer following the regimented schedules to which they have become accustomed.  This can become difficult for implementing a regular summer bedtime.

According to an article published in Pediatrics, The Official Journal of The American Academy of Pediatrics, children who don’t have a fixed bedtime show more behavioral problems than those who go to bed at the same time every night. Authors Yvonne Kelly PhD, John Kelly BEng, and Amanda Sacker PhD looked at the links between disturbed sleep and behavioural problems in children between the ages of three and seven. The results of the study showed that children with varied sleep times may also experience behavioural problems including hyperactivity, conduct problems, problems interacting with peers and emotional difficulties if sleep continues to be varied.

The good news is, according to the research findings, “The effect of having a non-regular bedtime appears to be reversible: For children who changed from not having to having, regular bedtimes, there were improvements in behavioral scores.” http://bit.ly/1BJsZc8

As a Certified Pediatric Sleep Specialist and the mom to four children, I know you can’t manage day after day with little or no sleep. Sleep schedules in childhood are influenced by a variety of biological and social influences. Routines are essential in ensuring healthy sleep. Unfortunately these routines do not always come easy.  Working together with parents, I set in place age appropriate naps, bedtime and sleep routines.  I develop a sleep plan that is in line with the parent’s goals and parenting philosophy, and provide daily support while the plan is implemented.

So how can your family implement a regular bedtime during the summer?
By making adjustments to meal times you can encourage an earlier bedtime. During the summer months it can be very easy for our days to get away from us and for meals to get pushed back to a later time. Do your best to keep your child’s meal schedules consistent and not have them eat a big meal right before bedtime or naptime.

Choose a sleep friendly bedtime snack
According to the National Sleep Foundation, proteins from the food we eat are the building blocks of tryptophan, which makes us sleepy. Therefore, the best bedtime snack is one that contains both a carbohydrate and protein.


Use a sound machine
During the summer months the sun may still be up when your child goes to bed. There is also a good chance your neighbors are outside enjoying the weather when your child is trying to fall asleep. A white noise machine is best.  There are some machines that play lullabies or nature sounds, but often these end up being a stimulant. A white noise machine is non-stimulating and very good at blocking noises from inside and out.

Don’t forget naptime
When families are enjoying summer activities or traveling on vacation it can be difficult to schedule in naptimes. An overtired child can find it difficult to fall asleep at night. Do your best to ensure your child continues their regular naptime during the summer months.

 
Every child is different, therefore each family experiences their own unique sleep worries. I am happy to work with parents one on one to help provide more specific advice for their specific case. You can review my Sleep Success Plans for additional information.

Please let me know if you found this article helpful.

Angela Walsh is a Family Sleep Institute, Certified Infant and Child Sleep Consultant and the founder of Babes in Sleepland. She helps sleep deprived babies, children and families, get back on track and get the sleep they need and desire. To learn more about Angela and how she can help you, visit her website: babesinsleepland.com.  Also get sleep tips, the latest research on baby and child products, and be part of her weekly Q and A at her Facebook page: Babes in Sleepland.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, certified child sleep consultant, child sleep expert, Moms and Babies, Sleep Advice, Sleep Schedules

June 26, 2014 by Angela Walsh Leave a Comment

Read, Read, and Read Some More

Look what a cute little ... Motoko Rich of  The New York Times, has recently reported on a policy initiative from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on reading aloud to children from infancy.

It is noted that there is a rapid development of a child’s brain in the first three years of life and reading aloud to babies can increase their vocabulary and communication skills.  A study conducted 20 years ago found that children who had been read to, had a distinct advantage in school, compared to children who weren’t exposed to books.  More recently, the difference between these two groups of children has been observed as early as 18 months of age.

Unfortunately with all the gadgets out there-iPhones, iPads, computers and hundreds of TV channels available in most homes, reading is becoming passé; this is to a child’s detriment. If we can read to children from the start, they will have a leg up when they enter school, apply to college, and years later when they are embark on a career. Vocabulary is crucially important, and being able to express oneself and be articulate, is a sign of an educated person.

It has often been said that a child’s brain is like a “sponge.”  Meaning, it is capable of absorbing so much information. Educators know this is the best time to teach a child a foreign language. When I was in school, a second language was not introduced until seventh grade. Today many schools begin as early as kindergarten to take advantage of a young child’s ability to learn.

As the mom of four grown kids who have all gone through college, I can tell you how unpleasant and stressful the college application process is. All children are required to take the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), and their results play a huge part in their application and acceptance. There was always total agreement among my children and their peers, that the reading and writing portion of the test was much more difficult than the math portion- another reason for early exposure to books and language.

This may seem a long way off for many of you to even be concerned about, but if you can help your child now by reading to them when they are young and encouraging them to read on a consistent basis, as they get older, you are giving them an invaluable gift.  Not only will their word power increase, but also, their minds and imagination will expand. The beauty of reading is that we are active. We have to do the work, and picture in our minds the stories or events taking place in a book. When we sit in front of some kind of screen, everything is done for us.

For most adults I know today, they all love reading. My generation definitely did not have the distractions this current generation has, and therefore, reading was a very big part of our growing up. Movies or tv can never challenge us to look up unfamiliar words, create a mental image, or engage us with in-depth character development, the way a book can.

To harken back to the beginning of this piece-“there is a rapid development of a child’s brain in the first three years of life.” That is interesting to me and reaffirms what I already know as a sleep consultant: Children need their sleep for proper brain development. From the age of four months on, babies need a morning nap to help their brains grow and develop, and they need an afternoon nap to help their bodies grow big and strong.

Here are my suggestions as the summer begins:

  • Limit the amount of television (or any kind of screen) your child is exposed to. I would do that in the summer with my kids and one year I went so far as to have our cable service turned off completely. At first my kids complained bitterly, but then they began to see the value. We spent more time together playing games, being outside, helping around the house, reading or just talking. They were also happier and had a lot more energy.
  • Let your child be outside as much as possible, (making sure they always are wearing sunscreen and a hat.) This is the time of year for kids to get lots of exercise, fresh air and sunlight. Not only will this give them a more positive disposition they will also sleep better (which means, moms and dads will sleep better!)
  • Take advantage of the myriad of fresh fruits and vegetables that the summer brings. Limit candy and junk food and instead expose them to healthy snacks and meals.
  • Use reading as part of the soothing routine before naps and bed time. Make sure they get the consolidated and restorative sleep they need to grow strong and healthy and that enables them to get up and do it all over again the next day!
  • Be safe and enjoy the summer!!

What books do you and your child like to read?

Angela Walsh is a Family Sleep Institute, Certified Infant and Child Sleep Consultant, and the founder of Babes in Sleepland.  She helps sleep deprived babies, children and families, get back on track and get the sleep they need and desire.  To learn more about Angela and how she can help you, visit her website: babesinsleepland.com.  Also get sleep tips, the latest research on baby and child products, and be part of her weekly Q and A at her Facebook page: Babes in Sleepland.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: How to enjoy the summer, Reading to children, Sleep Schedules, sleep tips, the importance of consolidated sleep, Why reading to a baby is important

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Meet Angela

My name is Angela Walsh.  I am a Child Sleep Consultant Certified by the Family Sleep Institute, and the founder of Babes in Sleepland.  As the mother of four grown children (three boys and a girl), my mission is to help parents like you enjoy every … (READ MORE)

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