Love Sleep Grow

I’m still here!
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Just been fairly difficult to post on social media while balancing these 3 full time.
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How are you guys doing?
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I know you need to hear this:
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💖you’re doing a great job mama!💖
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Our 1st pediatrician who was amazing would tell me that every time I brought my daughter in the office. It almost seemed cheesy in the moment but it brought tears to my eyes every time.
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I vowed I would always remember to say that simple phrase to moms because it we often only hear that voice in our head that says “I’m not doing enough.”
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You’re a great mom

I’ve been pretty quiet on all social media because I’m trying to be attentive to my kids allll day...oh and because my almost 2-yr-old tantrums if I even get my phone out.
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I’m still here for you all 💖
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This is hard and if your child isn’t sleeping well, this is probably extra hard.
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I’m just letting you know it’s ok to just make it through the day and take it hour by hour.
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Sending 💖 and 🙏🏻to all of you!

It's coming!🤪
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Don't fret...it's best to just let this time change happen and fix it after.
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If you try to prepare in advance, you will need to wake your child 15 mins earlier and put them to bed 15 mins earlier each day...which is kind of hard!🙄
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Try to meet the new clock times Sunday as much as possible, within 30 minutes for morning wake, naps, and bed (& meals).
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Ex: your child wakes at new 7 am (which will feel like 6 am)
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They usually nap at 9 am (which would now feel like 8 am to them), so try for a nap at 9:30 am (which feels like 8:30 am)..compromise!
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Bedtime- it will be lighter out later so use those blackout curtains!! (ex: your child usually goes to bed at 7 pm, but that will now feel like 6 pm- again- compromise! Try 7:30 pm)
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This time change "could" help early risers!🙌
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Yay for Baby I!🤩
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Prior to working together, Baby I fought naps & bedtime fiercely and mom would resort to rocking her until deep asleep or driving in the car. Either way, the nap would only last about 30 mins and she was awakening several times per night & ready to play for hours!
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1 week later...
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"Colleen has helped change my family’s lifestyle in ways I couldn’t imagine! Within a few days, with Colleen’s help my life has changed. Now she goes in her crib for naps simply by me doing the few and easy things Colleen has taught us. She naps for at least an hour plus everyday now and she barely wakes up throughout the night! So after 10 months of sleep deprivation and slowly losing myself each day more from never being able to have a few minutes to myself at night or during the day with Colleen’s support I am back to finally feeling like my old self again and I will forever be grateful for her quick responses and even emotional support through the whole process! Thank you so much again Colleen, our family is forever grateful for you!"
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Is bath time part of your soothing routine?
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Baths are great because they help lower your child’s body temperature in preparation for sleep.
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They’re also a cue to sleep...”oh it’s bath time...that means bedtime is coming!”
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But don’t feel pressure to do a bath every night. If your child has eczema, you probably aren’t doing a bath every night.
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If your baby gets wound-up & excited during bath time, you can always move the bath earlier in your routine.
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And if you have more than 1 child, you may find it easier to do bath before dinner!
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📸@jaimepintovaldivia
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Did you know night sleep consolidates 1st...and then usually the morning nap...and then finally the afternoon nap.
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We practice lots of patience with naps...we put a plan in place that includes:
💤 appropriate schedule
💤routine without sleep crutches
💤adequate practice time
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In just 3-4 days, most of my serial catnapping clients lengthen those naps to 1hr + 🙌🏻
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Swaddling may be only the first step in soothing your newborn.
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Some babies (especially colicky ones) will fight the swaddle initially or seem like they are escalating instead of settling.
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But the swaddle was never meant to be used alone!
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Swaddling combined with other soothing measures has been proven to settle/calm newborns...so don't give up if your tiny human is fighting that swaddle!
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Sometimes we need to try different brands and add other soothing techniques like increased white noise, jiggling, different positions, and sucking.
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. 📸 @ceasom
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A sleep workshop for 1 - 2 year olds finally!
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We'll discuss the 2-1 nap transition, nap struggles, early rising, schedules, and do a full Q & A.
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Attending child-free is recommended as you'll be able to retain & listen better but we'll never turn away a cute toddler :)
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Cost is $25 and you must pre-register as spots are limited.
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Don't worry you'll get TONS of info and your personal Q's will be answered!
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🙌Woohoo Baby B💙 - proud of you & your mama!💖
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See what I did there 😉
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Happy new year to you all. Still can't believe it's 2020!
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This is a great time to get your child's sleep under control...the overstimulation of the holidays is fading away and it's a good time to get back into a routine
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Reach out if you need some sleep help...I offer free 15 minute intro calls where we can chat about this process and what I do 😴
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Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to you all.
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I’ve been so fortunate to work with such amazing families this year.
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Hope your day is filled with happiness and rest 💤
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Still searching for Christmas presents?
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I came up with this little list of thoughtful presents I've enjoyed receiving through the years.
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Almost all of these can be found in a local store or possibly Amazon prime at this point 😬
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Wishing you all happy holidays and lots of rest 😴
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@angeldearinc, @littlesleepies, @californiababy, @hatchnursery, @potterybarnkids

Just look at these sweet sisters...
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This is night 2 of sleep training and they found each other ❤️
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These 8-month-old twins were used to bottle-feeding to sleep and then being transferred carefully into bassinets in their parent's room.
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Unfortunately this led them to inconsistent night awakenings (sometimes up to 7 x per night!)
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Now they fall asleep independently in their own cribs in their own room!!
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Also kudos to these mamas who have created great safe sleep environments- nothing in the crib but the baby, no bumpers, blankets, or stuffed animals.
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@sunnysomewhere.life
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🍂Your Daylight Saving Time Tips are here 🙌🏻.
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You have 2 options:
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Prepare in advance
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Or adjust on Sunday
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We “Fall Back” Sunday November 3 at 2 am🍁
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It can take kids 1-2 weeks for their bodies to fully adjust.
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Sunday is going to feel like a loooong day...🌞
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3 kids…3 different personalities and sleep issues.
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👶1st Child:
Colicky, tongue tie, needed lots of soothing (constant motion, pacifier, swaddle), went through every “sleep regression” possible (4 months, 9 months, 18 months, 2 years), SO strong-willed, stopped napping at 2.5 yrs. but has been sleeping SOLID every night since.
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👶2nd Child:
Slept long stretches from night 1, would get swaddled up and then barely move all night, fell asleep easily independently, year 4 was her big sleep struggle year- high sleep needs, gets tired easily, BIG fears developed: dark, thunderstorms, being alone, limit-testing, stalling at bedtime
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👶3rd Child:
Somewhere in between the first 2, LONG period of “witching hours” (until he was about 3 months old), crazy for night feedings, we joke his “love language” is FOOD, extremely difficult to night wean, but once night feeds were gone, has slept SOLID for the last year.
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Each child presents a different challenge in regards to sleep. Many people may assume my kids are just amazing sleepers…well they are great sleepers NOW…but I worked REALLY hard to get to this place.
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My knowledge as a sleep coach comes from my own children and the hundreds of families I have worked with. Believe me, I know each child is different and I approach all my clients that way. Personality and temperament of the child play a big role in the plan we create.
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Baby W was struggling with a 12-month sleep regression.
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He was taking a long time to fall asleep for both naps and then sometimes only sleeping well for 1 nap per day.
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He was certainly not ready for just 1 nap!
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Mom & I created a nap plan, adjusted some meal times and Baby W is back on track!
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It’s here!!
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Baby Sleep Workshop
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✅Friday Oct 4 @ 10 am
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✅at Doulas of the Palm Beaches
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✅ just $30 😲🙌🏻
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All the sleep info you need for baby’s first year 👶💤
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Contact me today to reserve your spot!
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[email protected]

This is my "unicorn sleeper"🦄...my 2nd born.
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She slept long stretches from the night she came home from the hospital.
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She easily fell asleep almost anywhere.
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She transferred from the car seat into her crib seamlessly.
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At the same time, she was/is "high sleep needs", meaning she NEEDS a lot of sleep.
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She's also a tiny little thing...so it's almost like her body knows it needs more rest to grow and maintain.
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This "unicorn sleeper"🦄 was a true blessing after my 1st born (colicky, restless, low sleep needs, difficulty settling).
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But, my two different sleepers gave me amazing perspective and knowledge for my business.
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If you don't have a "unicorn sleeper"🦄, don't fret...while some sleep aspects are innate, a lot can be "nurtured" by us as parents. We can create healthy sleep habits even with the most difficult sleeper!
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Some of my favorite books for kids about sleep, being worried, fears of the dark, being alone...
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📚"Putting Bungee to Bed" by fellow sleep coach Dr. Sasha Carr
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📚"The Invisible String" by Patrice Karst
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📚"The Don't Worry Book" by Todd Parr
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📚"Go Sleep In Your Own Bed" by Candace Fleming
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📚"I Will Be Okay" by Laurie Wright
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📚"How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?" by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague
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These are great to work into your bedtime routine.
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Tell me your favorite books about sleep 😴
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Look at this happy little guy!!😊
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G slept all night in his crib without crying/calling out to mom.
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G has been having LOTS of night awakenings and early risings that involved: crying, asking for water...milk...bathroom...to come into his parent's bed, etc.
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Mom made a routine & incentive chart for him and he was SO proud to get his reward in the morning.
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Mom made sure to make a BIG deal about this. She brought up his sleep chart with his Nanna, friends, "anyone who was around" lol.
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Mom also role-played sleep times with his toys and animals.
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We celebrate even 1 night because now we know G CAN do it so there's no lingering little doubts if G wakes in the night.
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This should be the mantra for parents of toddlers/preschoolers...especially when it comes to sleep.
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If you say "Just 1 book"...really mean it.
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If you say "I can only lay with you for 5 minutes"...set a timer.
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If you say "I'm not coming back in the room"...don't!
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This builds routine, security, and consistency.
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I need this ^ reminder frequently with own littles. It's easy to get caught up in empty threats in the heat of the moment.
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I do all 3 kids’ bedtimes SOLO about 80% of the time 🤪
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My husband’s work schedule doesn’t allow for him to be home past dinner time so I run a VERY tight ship from about 5 pm on...
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Here’s how it usually goes:
➕Shower for older 2 around 5 pm
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➕Dinner 5:30ish
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➕Sink bath for baby (so I can be in the same room as older ones)
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➕Bed for 4-year-old 6:45 ish (I bring the baby with us to brush teeth, read a book)
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➕Bed for baby 7:30 ish - depending on how his naps were (just a short book & into bed awake)
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➕Bed for 7-year-old 8 pm ish
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➕Then I have some time to watch my shows & decompress 🤗
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It’s critical that none of their bedtimes take longer than another 1- it’s only fair to them & me...they all get 1 book, say goodnight & mom leaves 👋
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What should night feedings look like?
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Night feedings should look different than other feeding times.
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You want to keep the room cool, dark, & quiet. We want baby to be able to return to sleep quickly after that feeding so that means no eye contact or too much stimulation.
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When baby awakens and it's a "set feeding time", you should go right to them, feed, and then put them back in bed.
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After about 6 - 8 weeks, I really try to avoid diaper changes in the night as they are super stimulating.
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Remember night feeding intervals should be longer than daytime feeding intervals.
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Baby's longest stretch of sleep should be in the first half of the night so try to avoid feeding before midnight.
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Who gave in to making slime this summer? 😜
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Are you ready for your kids to get back into the routine of school?
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Or are you enjoying this time with them?
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We're a mixed bag in my house...I think as the kids get older, they want more activities and need more structure...
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"When we started with Colleen, our 7 month old was taking 30 minute naps (if we were lucky), fighting sleep times for up to an hour, going to bed too late, waking up too late, having to be rocked to sleep with a bottle, and laid down when he was fully asleep.
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We'd then hold our breath and tiptoe out of the room hoping he wouldn't wake up.
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Once he was asleep he would wake up at least twice for a bottle, and end up having tummy problems and leaky diapers from drinking so much.
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Within two days of starting Colleen's sleep plan he was sleeping through the night, taking two great naps a day, and putting himself to sleep with no tears!
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She gave us the confidence we needed to start sleep training, and the knowledge to continue successfully on our own.
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She didn't just suggest what we should do, but gave us the reasoning behind it as well.
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Colleen is kind, encouraging, and extremely knowledgeable.
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In just one week Colleen helped us get him on a schedule for eating and sleeping that is the same everyday!
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Who knew that was even possible!
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I have so much more time in my day, and don't dread nap time and bedtime anymore, it's like a huge weight has been lifted!
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