Kip & Snooze

Keep reading for early morning waking TIP!!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Your circadian rhythm is your body's 'internal body clock'. It repeats every 24 hours, regulating your 'sleep-wake' cycle.

I want to highlight with you that knowing about circadian rhythm for your little one can help you to think about 'DAY' vs 'NIGHT'.

The best thing you can do for this is simply setting a time for bed and a time for waking - both are key for your children's body clocks to learn when it's time to sleep. I know you might be thinking that your 2 year old wakes at 5am 'no matter what' but try this tip....
Do not to turn on the lights & keep voices low before 'morning' - even if this means going in to settle them before your set time (eg - 6am). Try for at least 2 weeks and let me know how you go!

I can run through it all on my 1-1 calls, please visit www.kipandsnooze.com to see what call might work for you.

Lizzie x

All sorts of anxieties can come up as your children move through toddlerhood into the 3's, 4's and 5's. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​I have a sensitive child, and I have tried all of these at certain times.

We have been through the 'monsters' phase, and that's when the lavender spray came into play. For us it was 'monster spray' and we sprayed it around the curtains and for our son it made him feel happy that we had sorted out the monsters. Some people don't recommend that we 'validate' imaginary fears - but for my then 3 year old it worked for him and it was a phase that passed.

We are now dealing with some bigger questions, and trying to discuss them openly and with love, giving him space to ask questions.

What are you currently going through and do you have any more tips to add?

Lizzie x
www.kipandsnooze.com

Babie's sleep is polyphasic, meaning that they they shorter alternating periods of sleep and wakefulness than adults. They also sleep differently to adults, with a sleep cycle looking much like the diagram. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​As they get older, their sleep cycles will link, and then lengthen. By age 5, their sleep cycle will be around 90-110 minutes and will stay like this through to adulthood.

Some of my favourite tips when it's bedtime and you need your little person to listen: ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​1. Talk to them on their level. Don't yell out "bedtime!" from the kitchen, whilst unpacking the dishwasher. Walk over to them, bend down and talk to them about what is coming next.

2. Time! Things might be taking a little bit longer these days. Is it possible for you to bring everything forward a little so you don't feel rushed? Do you need to do a bath every night or could you skip some nights?

3. Make it fun! "lets go up the stairs like tigers/butterflies/dragons" whatever it is that your little one likes, make the directions fun so it feels less of a boring thing but on to the next exciting thing!

4. Build in as much 1-1 time in the day that you can. If you are a working parent, then spending 10 mins on the floor building blocks or singing songs is going to be far more valuable than you doing anything else. Connection (every little bit you can fit in) will do wonders when you are trying to ask your toddler to co-operate. This is a great one for when they are a little older too, eg 4/5/6 years old: "wow, what a great lego tower that is, its huge! Keep building and in 5 minutes its going to be time for a bath and I'll let you know" is much better than shouting from the kitchen "ok toys away, bath time now!!"

Please add any other ideas in the comments below!

Lizzie x

When it comes to parenting, and especially advice on sleep I do think you need to follow your instincts. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​I'm here to provide some evidence based sleep tips and help. If you don't think its your style, then you can adapt it or simply ignore. If your friend or NCT group are doing something one way, and it doesn't sit well with you then you can walk your own path.

When it comes to your children, always follow your gut as you know them better than anyone.

Lizzie

I heard on a podcast recently the phrase "safety in containment" and knew that I wanted to write about it - but it sounded a bit strict when I wrote those words out! ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​I feel that for me it's the principle of boundaries, and what these look like for each family.

I know with my toddler that he will want 20 stories if I don't say that its '2' and we could sing together all night (its so wonderful and one of my favourite times of the day but he needs sleep so we choose 2 songs too.) Of course we do "one more round" but I try to keep to a limit of about 15 mins for stories and songs.

I find that when I do say it's time for bed, he expects it as we do things in the same order and then things tend to flow from there. He knows the boundaries and they are all there to set up a safe environment for him to fall asleep in. It's not strict, but it's helpful for him to feel safe as it's reliable.

I hope that is helpful, especially if you are facing some bedtime battles!

Lizzie x

‘Training’ is more of a transfer of knowledge, and whilst it is similar I prefer to think of my style as a supportive coaching process, enabling change, rather than simply telling you what to do. ​​​​​​​​​DM me if you would like to ask me anything about my sleep services. ​​​​​​​​​Lizzie x
www.kipandsnooze.com

When I speak to my clients they are often surprised at how tailored I can make 'their sleep plan' so that it feels very natural to them. My aim when leaving the call is to make sure they feel completely comfortable in the plan we made. If you don't believe it, you won't do it and it will fail. I want my clients to feel confident, and not that they are changing their parenting style completely.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Have you spoken to a sleep coach before and how was it? Did you feel confident and were you able to make changes?

A great night’s sleep for your children can lead to: ​​​​​​​​​ - A calmer temperament ​​​​​​​​​- Feeling happier and contented
- Improving their concentration opening up learning opportunities
- Helping them to grow and develop

If you need more sleep or want to help improve your children's sleep then please visit my website to see my sleep calls and 1-1's available.

As a part of your strategy to get more sleep I would encourage a routine. It doesn't need to be really strict, and it also doesn't need to incorporate feed times. You can breastfeed on demand and use a routine for sleep times! ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​I personally found it really handy, to put a routine on the fridge for that month or two, and it was a nice reference for myself and my husband when things get a bit hectic and you think "right, where are we up to?".

I would urge you to be flexible too - If you want to do a baby class or meet a friend, then you might decide that on that day things are little bit different and you go with the flow, perhaps theres a nap that happens before the class, then a catch up nap afterwards.

How do you use routines? Do you find comfort in them?

Lizzie

PS - all my routines coming soon to www.kipandsnooze.com to download!

ROUTINES!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​What ever your routine looks like, I suggest keeping it simple and allowing a couple of choices for toddlers to give them a sense of independence. I like to ask my 2 year old to select 2 stories, so he makes the choice. If he wants more I say that we will do it tomorrow and I move on swiftly to a couple of songs or teeth or whatever we are up to.

I also let him choose the songs we do, but I have control over how many and for how long. It can be so hard to say no, as we do want to soak up every moment but I know that if I don't put a limit on it he would never go to bed and we would be sitting there singing all night. :)

My top tip! Turn your toddlers to face you on your lap for your story &/or songs. The eye contact you get is magic and really helps to fill their attention cup, and it will give you a little boost too.

Any other toddler tips that I haven't mentioned?

Lizzie x