Rest Grow Thrive - Pediatric Sleep Consulting

Every. Time.
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My littles are notorious for chugging their water at bedtime right in front of me and then saying ‘oops, my water is empty!’
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Tell me the funniest way your child has stalled at bedtime! 😆

🌟Nap transitions🌟 ⠀
How do you know when to drop a nap?
Here are the common ages that we see nap transitions take place:
You’ll notice there is a range here - This is because *Every child is different.* Some drop naps early and some hang onto them longer!
😴4-3 naps: 4-6 mo (as it can take closer to 6 months for some babies to lengthen their naps, it can be totally normal to hold onto 4 naps for longer)⠀
😴3-2 naps: 6-9 months (most commonly, we see this transition around 8 months)⠀
😴2-1 nap: 15-18 months (there are outliers on both ends of this spectrum, but this is the average - and holding on to 2 naps until closer to this age can be VERY helpful to avoid a cycle of overtiredness)⠀
😴1-0 nap: 3-5 years (Yes, some 5-year olds still benefit from napping!)⠀
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Other signs you are nearing a nap transition:⠀
😴Consistently taking a long time to fall asleep for naps ⠀
😴Suddenly taking short naps when your little one previously took long naps⠀
😴Consistently playing through a nap⠀
😴Sleeping well at one nap but not the other(s)⠀
😴Taking a long time to fall asleep at bedtime⠀
😴Otherwise unexplained night wakings⠀
😴Otherwise unexplained early risings (before 6 a.m.)⠀
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We want to see one or more of these signs at least a few times a week for a couple weeks at a time before assuming it’s time to drop a nap.

There are also a few times that we may see a child resist a nap before they are ready to drop a nap completely. This typically occurs around 12 months and 2/2.5 years. Developmentally, there is a lot going on at these times (walking/speaking) and it’s normal to see that affect sleep.
*Don’t assume nap transition automatically when this happens*
Keep offering the nap time, it almost always comes back. ⠀
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If you are in the midst of a nap transition, remember: Your child is losing out on an entire sleep period! An early bedtime is your best friend as you move through the transition.
If you found this helpful, LIKE & SAVE this post for future reference, SHARE it with other parents, and FOLLOW along here for more sleep tips.

‼️Offering our children a sleep-inducing environment is a big piece of the healthy sleep puzzle. ⁠⁠
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For the first few weeks of a baby’s life, we often see them able to sleep just about anywhere. But as they grow and develop, they become more stimulated by their environment. Enter a great sleep space. You can help your child’s sleep by offering sleep in a space that encourages rest. ⁠⁠
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1. Dark - Darkness helps our bodies produce melatonin, the hormone that regulates our timing of sleep. It also keeps our babies from being able to see everything their brains get stimulated by. Even light creeping in around a shade can stimulate a sensitive sleeper, so we want to make the bedroom as cave-like as possible. ⁠⁠
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If you've decided to darken your child's room and are waiting blackout shades, you can tape tin foil or heavy duty garbage babes up to the windows in the meantime. It may not be the prettiest 🥴 but it works so well! ⁠⁠
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2. Cool - A comfortably cool room helps our body get ready for slumber, as our body temperature naturally drops when going to sleep. The ideal temp is btwn. 68-72 degrees F. ⁠⁠
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3. Quiet/White Noise - I always encourage families to use white noise. It can help to block out any outside noises that can disturb your child's sleep. A couple extra tips for using white noise: We want it to be continuous & we don't want it to be too loud. Many baby sound machines can get too loud. Keep the sound machine at least 6 feet away from your child's head and keep the volume under 50 decibels (about the sound of a shower running). ⁠⁠
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4. Of course we want to keep our children as safe as we possibly can. For babies, this means remembering the ABC's of safe sleep. ⁠⁠
A - Alone - Baby should be alone in their own sleep space without blankets, pillows, or stuffed animals. ⁠⁠
B - Back - Always place your baby on their back for all sleep periods.⁠⁠
C - Crib - Use a crib or bassinet that meets current safety standards. Use a firm mattress with a tight-fitting crib sheet. ⁠⁠
➡️If you are choosing to bed-share, be informed on the risks and the ways to make bed-sharing as safe as possible!

Just don’t ever lose it !!! 🤣

Swipe ➡️ to see my thoughts & recommendations on comfort items, or in our family, the lovey!

Does your toddler have a lovey? If they are attached to one, do you have extras? Let me know in the comments!

Today’s blog post hits close to home, since we welcomed our 3rd baby only five months ago!
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Bringing a new baby home to older siblings can come with it’s own new adjustment period. On the blog today, I covered how we prepared our ‘big’ girls for their baby brother, things you can do to help your older children adjust, and how to handle sleep disruptions due to this monumental change for your family.
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https://www.restgrowthrive.com/blog/helping-siblings-adapt-when-adding-a-new-baby

⭐️Did you recently welcome a new baby into your family? Are you expecting and preparing your older toddler or big kids for a new sibling? Let me know in the comments!

Also, don’t forget to:
➡️Follow for infant, toddler, and preschooler sleep information!
➡️Book an introductory call if you are interested in 1:1 sleep support as you make changes to improve your child’s sleep!
➡️Check out my website (www.restgrowthrive.com) and scroll through my blog posts & free guides!

New on the blog!
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I’m giving a run-down of the different approaches to work on independent sleep with your little one. From infants up to preschoolers, I outline the different methods to work on teaching your child to fall asleep and return to sleep on their own throughout the night.
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Check it out using the link in my bio or the link below!

http://www.restgrowthrive.com/blog/sleep-training-methods-infants-and-young-children

Is your baby, toddler, or preschooler waking up before 6:00 a.m. for the day? Yikes!!
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We just experienced a week with some of these due to my 4-month old mastering rolling, happy to be on the other side of that now!
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I just released my new, free troubleshooting guide for Early Morning Wakeups; use the link below to get it!
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What time does your little one wake up in the morning? Let me know in the comments!

https://marvelous-inventor-739.ck.page/53a826e15d

If you have any big trips coming up yet this summer, this one's for you!

Or if you are an expat family like myself, this one is definitely for you!

Navigating sleep and BIG time changes can be tough, but I got you covered on the blog today.

Use the link in my bio to read all about how to manage sleep while traveling multiple time zones!

www.restgrowthrive.com/blog/travel-time-zones-with-kids

One month ago, Harry Alexander completed our family.⠀
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We’ve been focusing on adjusting to life as a family of five & soaking in the newborn snuggles. And, I’ve joined so many of you back in the trenches of newborn sleep. ⠀
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So, what have we been experiencing the last month?⠀
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🤍 Sporadic sleep - It’s normal for newborns to sleep in random bursts. Sometimes only 20 minutes, sometimes a few hours. It doesn’t mean you did anything wrong if baby wakes after 15 minutes!! When Harry wakes after a short nap, I spend 5-20 minutes, trying to get him back to sleep. If it doesn’t happen, we stop trying and move on with the day!⠀
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🤍 Short Wake Windows - Newborns are only able to stay awake for 45-60 minutes before needing to sleep again. It’s great if you can start looking for your baby’s tired signs and getting to know them already (➡️). With 2 other kids at home that make it hard to always be paying attention to Harry’s signs, he spends a lot of time in the baby carrier for naps and gets lulled to sleep before he gets overstimulated/overtired. ⠀
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🤍 Day/Night Confusion - This is normal to see and usually works itself out by 6/8 weeks. To help, we’ve been doing most naps in the living room, where it is bright and noisier. Nights we keep dark and boring, with less engagement/stimulation. I also encourage families to wake baby to feed if they are asleep during the day and it has been 3 hours since their last feeding.⠀
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🤍 Full Feedings: We want to encourage that most of baby’s calories are being taken in during the day, to eventually see longer stretches of sleep overnight. It’s helpful to encourage full feedings if you are breastfeeding, by tickling baby’s feet/back, etc. to ensure they stay awake while nursing to feed well.⠀
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(Continued in comments…)

The holidays are full of fun and excitement, but can also wind up full of sleep disruptions!

Use the link below to read about these common disruptions over the holidays and how to be prepared for them to maintain sleep even in this busy time!

https://www.restgrowthrive.com/blog/holidays-and-sleep

What’s your preferred way to address the holidays and sleep in your family? Drop the emoji from below that represents you in the comments!

🎄- keep the schedule & routine intact, holidays or not

🎁 say yes to all the holiday events, even if that means sacrificing sleep

❄️trying to strike the balance between doing some of the holiday events without throwing sleep routines off TOO much!

The holidays are full of fun and excitement, but can also wind up full of sleep disruptions!

Use the link in my bio to read about these common disruptions over the holidays and how to be prepared for them to maintain sleep even in this busy time!

What’s your preferred way to address the holidays and sleep in your family? Drop the emoji from below that represents you in the comments!

🎄- keep the schedule & routine intact, holidays or not

🎁 say yes to all the holiday events, even if that means sacrificing sleep

❄️trying to strike the balance between doing some of the holiday events without throwing sleep routines off TOO much!

Baby, it’s cold outside!

I’m in the winter spirit here at Rest Grow Thrive, so thought what better to talk about today than keeping baby comfortable as those temperatures get colder.

Swipe through to see the recommendations of sleep sacks for different temperatures of your child’s room. No sweat if you don’t know the exact room temp, there are general rules of thumb to go by to feel confident that your little one is comfortable no matter what the weather!

Personally, I LOVE sleeping in the cooler temperatures that winter brings. What about you?

I CANNOT believe it is December 1st tomorrow!! 🤯🎄

If you have a parent of babies or young children (or even expecting!), I got you covered with gifts in the sleep department. 🎁😴

New on the blog today is my holiday gift guide of products that help facilitate a good night’s rest!

Have an older toddler or kindergartener? I have you covered too, with my favorite quiet time activities to encourage independent, quiet, and mess-free play! 🚛

Use this link to read!: https://www.restgrowthrive.com/blog/holiday-guide-sleep-gifts-for-parents

I don’t know about you, but I’m more of a Cyber Monday sale kinda gal! ⁠😆
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Shopping in my leggings from the couch sounds way better than navigating crowded stores. ⁠
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So - I have a Cyber Monday Sale for you! ⁠💃🏻
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15% off my Sleep Plan Packages, as long as the intro call was booked between now and December 8. Book an introductory call with me and mention the Cyber Monday sale to get the discount. The consultation and plan itself can take place outside that time, as long as you the introductory call is booked between today and December 8.⁠
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Use the link in my bio to schedule an introductory call with me and we can chat about improving sleep for your child and your family!

https://restgrowthrive.com/contact

Grateful for this growing little crew of ours. ❤️

Grateful that we are healthy. Grateful for all the doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers these past months and year(s) especially!

Grateful for the expat community of ours here in Germany that allow us to feel a little closer to home over these holidays. ❤️

Grateful to be married to a Canadian, so we can do this whole huge traditional meal thing 2x every year. 😉

Happy (American) Thanksgiving!
What are you grateful for?

With my first baby, we were PACI POPPING all night long 😴😆 and therefore ditched the pacifier around 4.5/5 months. She still used it in the car at that point and a bit on the go, but we limited it to those occasions.

My second baby wasn’t as dependent on the pacifier for sleep, but around 5/6 months we started working on helping her replace it herself. We kept it for use only in the crib and in the car. We eventually ditched her ‘soosoo’ for good when she was 2.5 years old. She’s a laid-back unicorn though, so I think we could realistically have gone with or without the pacifier for her quite easily. 😅

Swipe ➡️ to see my thoughts on the pacifier and sleep, my pacifier recommendations by age, and some tips for weaning from the pacifier.

❔Is your baby/toddler a pacifier fan?? Let me know in the comments!

😵‍💫Also - Pacifier, Soother, SooSoo, Wubby, Dummy, Binky …. SO MANY NAMES! What is the pacifier called in your home?

The end of Daylight Saving is this weekend! 🥴

That means, for a little while at least, the mornings will be getting brighter again, in addition to our littles waking up early on the clock. 😱😱

🌠 A KEY component to great sleep is a blacked out room. On the blog today, I have blackout options for your child’s sleep space, ranging from almost free (hello, aluminum foil!) to the most expensive. I also answer some commonly asked questions about nightlights and becoming dependent on darkness to sleep well.

🦃🎄With Holiday travel fast approaching, I could never leave off this list! Their privacy pods are perfect for traveling or even everyday use! Use RESTGROWTHRIVE20 for $20 off your SlumberPod!

What’s your blackout solution of choice? Have you ever found a truly blackout CURTAIN? Let me know in the comments! We were DIY aluminum foil peeps for a LONG time!

www.restgrowthrive.com/blog/blackout-solutions-for-your-childs-room

Rest Grow Thrive has a new addition come February 2022 🥰

We feel so lucky to be having our 3rd baby and the girls are so excited to be big sisters!

Looking forward to sharing this journey with you all and also feeling slightly anxious about the idea of the hubs & I being outnumbered 😆

⏰ It’s not too late to start a gradual schedule shift to prepare for the end of daylight savings!

Swipe ➡️ to see a couple options! You can also use the link in my bio to read the blog about the time change. Even if you wait to start shifting the schedule until Friday, you could split the difference of the hour by Sunday. And if you decide to do nothing, all will be fine! It will take the body a couple of days to adjust, but you’ll get back to normal!

☕️ Fall back isn’t the glorious extra hour of sleep it used to be, but it won’t throw everything off.

💡 Just remember, if you use an ok-to-wake clock with your toddler or older child, you’ll want to preprogram the new wake up time on Saturday night! 🙌🏻

📱 And if your ‘normal’ is something you are struggling with, use the link in my bio to schedule an introductory call with me! I’d love to help you make changes and create a new normal that is much more rested for everyone!

I have been getting a lot of questions lately about sudden sleep struggles with toddlers around 18-months. Check out the link below to read my latest blog post about this 'regression!'⁠
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https://www.restgrowthrive.com/blog/18-month-sleep-regression
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We have an almost-3-year old and the parental preference is real! 🤪⠀
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Almost every night, even if we have already told her beforehand, Sloane looks me right in the eyes and asks, “Mommy, you take me to bed tonight?” ⠀
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If it’s not my night (we attempt to alternate), cue the tears and the “NOOOOO’s” 😭⠀
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Swipe through ➡️today’s post which is all about navigating parental preference at bedtime. Know you’re not alone and this is a normal and healthy part of toddlerhood! ❤️⠀
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Does your child prefer a specific parent at bedtime (or other times of day??) Let me know in the comments!

Finding those optimal sleep times is always a balance of watching the clock and watching for those sleepy cues! 💤🕰😴⠀
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Babies and small children can go from tired to overtired quickly so really honing in on your little one’s tired signs can be so helpful for restful sleep!

😴 Nap Transitions 😴⠀
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Going from 1 nap to no nap is a BIG transition for our littles and a sign they are really growing up. 😭
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Swipe through ➡️ to see how to know when your child is ready to drop their nap and some recommendations for how to tackle this transition!⠀
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We are currently capping the nap for our almost 3-year old and my 5-year old does quiet time while her little sister naps, until she starts kindergarten on Friday. 🥳Personally, I LOVED the single nap as it offered the morning/afternoon as time for outings with everyone getting a break and some down time during midday.⠀
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What about you, are you excited about your child dropping their nap or dreading losing that nap time block? ⠀
Let me know in the comments!

It would make sense that I am a sleep-lover! 💤❤️😅⁠
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🧐 Research shows that sleep can have a profound positive effect on our bodies and minds, both for us as adults and for our children. ⁠
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⬆️ Above, you can see the benefits that sleep has for young children. ⁠⁠
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🤓 If you are interested in exploring some of the research on these topics, please see the sources below! ⁠⁠
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Language Learning & Development:⁠⁠
Dionne G, Touchette E, Forget-Dubois N, Petit D, Tremblay RE, Montplaisir JY, Boivin M. Associations between sleep-wake consolidation and language development in early childhood: a longitudinal twin study. Sleep. 2011 Aug 1;34(8):987-95. doi: 10.5665/SLEEP.1148. PMID: 21804661; PMCID: PMC3138173.⁠⁠
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Horváth K, Plunkett K. Frequent daytime naps predict vocabulary growth in early childhood. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2016 Sep;57(9):1008-17. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.12583. Epub 2016 Jun 20. PMID: 27322102; PMCID: PMC5017299.⁠⁠
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Memory & Information Processing: ⁠⁠
Touchette E, Petit D, Séguin JR, Boivin M, Tremblay RE, Montplaisir JY. Associations between sleep duration patterns and behavioral/cognitive functioning at school entry. Sleep. 2007 Sep;30(9):1213-9. doi: 10.1093/sleep/30.9.1213. PMID: 17910393; PMCID: PMC1978413.⁠⁠
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Walker MP, Stickgold R. Sleep-dependent learning and memory consolidation. Neuron. 2004 Sep 30;44(1):121-33. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2004.08.031. PMID: 15450165.⁠⁠
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Daytime Behavior:⁠⁠
Yokomaku A, Misao K, Omoto F, Yamagishi R, Tanaka K, Takada K, Kohyama J. A study of the association between sleep habits and problematic behaviors in preschool children. Chronobiol Int. 2008 Jul;25(4):549-64. doi: 10.1080/07420520802261705. PMID: 18622815.⁠⁠
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Hall WA, Scher A, Zaidman-Zait A, Espezel H, Warnock F. A community-based study of sleep and behaviour problems in 12- to 36-month-old children. Child Care Health Dev. 2012 May;38(3):379-89. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2214.2011.01252.x. Epub 2011 Jun 8. PMID: 21651607.⁠⁠
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Sources continued in comments...

11th year, 5th city - our little family is off for another hockey season in Europe 🏒

Bad Nauheim, here we come!

Jet lag & sleep is typically a concern for many families when traveling abroad or through time zones. It can take about a day to adjust for each time zone & it’s usually more challenging going East than West, so wish us luck! 😅💤

For small time zone changes and short trips, I usually recommend just jumping right into the new time zone. However, since this isn’t a short trip for us, we will take a gradual approach to the adjusting to the time zone. When crossing 6 or more time zones, I typically recommend doing this.

I also base it a bit on how the kids sleep on the long haul flight, since ours is an overnight one.

Overall, I also recommend keeping expectations in check and remembering that our bodies are adjusting too, so while sleep will be a bit ‘off’ for the kids, it probably will for me as well!

Can you tell I’m giving myself a pep talk right now? 🤣💤💖

Happy Friyay everyone! ⁠
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Sleep Q & A in my stories ⬆️ ⁠
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Have a great weekend!

😴 When I work 1:1 with families, we work consistently on having their child take their naps in their crib, as motionless sleep is the most restorative. After our time together, families naturally feel a bit conflicted - they are happy to have a strong independent sleeper but worried about being stuck at home for all naps or whether on-the-go naps will throw their child's sleep off.⁠
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💤 I'm a big fan of the 80/20 rule, prioritizing naps at home in the ideal sleep environment as much as we can, while also mixing in a little life balance by having some naps on the go here and there. It's normal for naps on the go not to be as long and restorative, but here are some tips to try to make the most out of on-the-go naps:⁠
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1: Timing: Try to stick to your little one's usual timing, as they will have the easiest time falling asleep at the time they are most used to sleeping. ⁠
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2: Use a portable sound machine: A portable white noise machine can help to serve as a sleep cue they are familiar with from home. It can also help to drown out some exterior noise. ⁠
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3: Safely cover the car seat/stroller or wear baby in a carrier: If driving, use sun shades to darken the area by baby. Use a stroller/car seat cover to help darken their sleep environment and decrease stimulation. Just make sure it isn't too hot by your child during these summer months!⁠
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4: Relax & Enjoy!: When my oldest was a baby, I spent too much time stressing about if/how long she would sleep (What's this mean for the next nap? Is she going to sleep poorly tonight now?) instead of just enjoying the outing. I became more relaxed about this after trying it and definitely after having my second baby. Sure, the nap will likely be shorter than it would be at home, but it won't mess up your child's strong sleep habits - and it's important for you to get out and about as well! If your little one gets a bit overtired from an outing today, use tomorrow to get back on track. ⁠
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5: Early Bedtimes: You all know I love me an early bedtime! You can compensate for a wonky nap day by bumping up bedtime; even just 15/30 minutes earlier can make a difference in many cases!
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