6 Tips for Using a Sleep Training Clock
The sleep training clock is a tool that my team uses often when sleep training kids with special needs. When used correctly, a sleep training clock can be a very effective way to combat early mornings, and teach your child when it’s okay to start the day. However, before you rush out and buy a […]
Sleep Train or Potty Train?
When speaking to special needs families, this question of what to start with comes up a lot. “We’ve just gotten a potty training plan from our BCBA.” “We’re set to toilet train in a couple weeks. Should we wait to start a plan?” It is important to give your child to opportunity for independence with […]
Yes, Your Child Can Sleep on their Own
Day in and day out, I speak with special needs families about their child’s sleep struggles. These kids can’t fall asleep quickly, stay asleep, will be up for hours at night, wake super early in the morning, go more than 24 hours without sleep…and more. Often, parents are told that there’s nothing they can do […]
The Best Time to Sleep Train Your Child with Special Needs
As you very well know, life can throw a lot of curve balls. When you have kids, it’s an endless ebb and flow of school, therapy sessions, camps, classes, extra curricular activities, and more! And, sometimes life throws a global pandemic in the mix which throws everyone into a loop. Thanks, life. I think there […]
3 Things Sleep Training Doesn’t Do
When parents come home from the hospital with their new baby, all of the preparing they have done gets put in place immediately. Without any practice runs. And, no matter what parents have read or bought I think there’s an overwhelming feeling of “I have no idea what I’m doing!” Now, you have to keep […]
Why Sleep Regressions Aren’t a Bad Thing
Nothing strikes fear in the heart of parents more than a sleep regression. No, I’m kidding, but it’s no fun to deal with for sure. Baby wakes up more, spends longer stretches awake (read: up to several hours), and often it keeps parents up more than they really want to be. They often happen around […]
Physical Activity – The Key to a Good Night’s Sleep
Humans have several different body rhythms working simultaneously. For sleep, we have a circadian rhythm where our energy dips down and goes up throughout the day. We also have something called a homeostatic rhythm – what we do to burn energy and create the need for sleep. If these two rhythms are working together, sleep […]
Technology and Sleep – Why Sleepwalking Happens
Each day, I get daily updates on all the things coming out with regards to sleep science. This week, one article stood out in particular about sleepwalking and night terrors. Here’s what I found really surprising: Nearly 20% of children are considered regular sleep walkers, and 5% of kids have re-occurring night terrors. That’s a […]
How to End Early Morning Wake-ups
Early morning wake-ups: a tiring and frustrating situation for many parents! Even when things seem to be going great — baby is going down on their own, they have the right bed time, naps are going well — those morning are STILL early! What to do? This is an incredibly common thing that happens, even […]
Sleep For your School-Aged Child
‘Tis the season… School has officially begun for your child. And here is my #1 tip for your child to have their best day at school: Get plenty of sleep! Study after study has been done linking a good night’s sleep to better test scores and problem solving abilities. Why? Sleep is a vital process […]
