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Archives for April 2018

MAKING ROOM FOR BABY #2

April 23, 2018 by Well Rested Baby

Congratulations! You’re expecting baby number two, or three, or four! Now the question might be where is the new baby going to sleep? For many families the impending arrival of a new little one means some rearranging; and most of us want to do so in a way that’s going to be the least disruptive and non- headache inducing. Here are our tips for making sure that making space does not mean making sleep problems for big brother or sister.

Rule #1 If your “older” child is under the age of three and in a crib DO NOT plan to use his crib for the new baby!

This is one I cannot stress enough. So often when we work with a child that is between the ages of two and three he or she is sleeping in a toddler bed. Sleeping in a big kid bed is a big responsibility. A child under the age of three simply does not have the cognitive ability to understand the boundaries that come with a bed so it is no wonder that sleep issues arise. More often than not mom and dad have switched their little one out of a crib and into a bed because they were expecting a new baby. Our recommendation is to keep your child in his crib until at least the age of three unless he is climbing out and safety becomes a concern. (Even then we have tips!) If he is happily sleeping in his crib then it’s important to remember that this is his safe place and likely all he has known since birth. Removing the crib is essentially like removing a sense of security. While I understand not wanting to purchase a second crib in my opinion, it’s totally worth the expense because who wants to be waking up with an infant AND a toddler?! Cribs today do not have to be expensive by any means. Any crib sold at a commercial store should pass certain standard requirements in order to be sold on the market in the United States. Here are some very cost-effective options.  (Option 1-Amazon) (Option 2-Amazon) (Option 3– Ikea)

By ensuring that you have safe, age-appropriate sleep solutions for both of your children it will mean that everyone can continue to sleep where they are most comfortable and get the sleep they need.

 

SUCCESSFULLY SWITCHING ROOMS:

Some parents opt to keep their nursery as a nursery and move big sister to a new room. There is no issue with this! Ideally just like any other transition this would be done at a time when no other major transitions are taking place. Meaning, if she just started preschool you might want to wait a few weeks before introducing another big change. When you are ready to move your toddler to a new room there are several things you can do to make the transition as smooth as possible. First and foremost, I would talk to your child about the change. If she is over the age of two then she’s certainly old enough to sense change and have a conversation about it. It does not have to be a complicated conversation, just keep it simple and explain to her that sometimes people move houses and sometimes people move to a new bedroom. Tell her that she is still going to be a great sleeper, mom and dad will still always be close by, she can bring all the things that are special to her, and that she will be safe and cozy. Assuming that she knows she is going to be a big sister it would also be great to read some books about becoming a big sister. 

(I Am a Big Sister)

(I Am a Big Brother)

(Waiting for Baby)

(Julius Baby of the World)

(The Berenstain Bears’ New Baby)

This will certainly not be the only change that affects her in the coming months.  Begin to talk about how a new baby will mean that some things will look a little bit different but many things will also stay the same. She will still have the same mom and dad, go to the same school, play with the same toys, read the same books etc. Most of her life will stay the same and it’s important to remind her of that. In addition, you can also read some books about moving. There are fewer options that specifically address changing bedrooms but even a book about moving to a new house would be a good conversation starter. You can discuss with her how people move to a new house just like she will move to a new room.

(Moving Day!)

(I Like Where I am)

If she is old enough let her have some input. Maybe she can help you choose the paint color for the walls, or a new rug for her room or a new picture to hang on the wall. It doesn’t have to be anything big, fancy or expensive but just a way to get her involved and let her feel as though she’s making the new space her own. When it is time to switch bedrooms make sure to bring all of the things that she associates with sleep. If you are going to be leaving the crib in the old room to avoid taking it down and setting it back up that’s completely fine. But, grab the mattress and put it in her new room- it will feel familiar to her and she will feel more comfortable. Also bring any special blankets, stuffed animals, sound machines, a fan she’s used to sleeping with etc. You can certainly re-create her old room in the new space by making sure she has the things that are familiar to her just as you might do if you were traveling. Finally, make sure that the new room is as conducive to sleep as her old room. Make sure that it is plenty dark and plenty quiet enough.

Before the big move spend some time together in the new room. Whether that means he “helps” you paint the walls or you simply relax in there together reading books, just some way to familiarize your child with the new space and help him feel more comfortable in it. That way, when he’s expected to sleep there on night one it’s a space that he is already getting used to. 

Children are typically fairly flexible and easily adapt when things are presented in the right way. They generally do better with slow change rather than abrupt change so take the time to make the transition gently. If you stay confident and upbeat your little one will feed off of that and be more apt to feel excited about the change too. After all, a new baby is quite exciting!

Lauren Stauffer is a Family Sleep Institute certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant and owner of Well Rested Baby.  She offers a host of services including in person, phone, email, and Skype/FaceTime consultations that can be tailored to meet any family’s needs and schedule. Please email her at lauren@wellrestedbaby.com to schedule a consultation. 

 

 

Filed Under: 2 year olds, 3 year olds, Bid Kid Bed, Ideal Nursery, Sleep Enviroment

A Sleep Lovers Guide to Surviving Disney World:

April 14, 2018 by Well Rested Baby

 

I just love this article on the Huff post by M. Blazoned. The first time I read it I was cracking up. She’s hysterical and pretty spot on! Let’s be honest, a vacation pre-kids may have meant snacking on delicious cheese and wine in between sightseeing in Europe or, lounging on a beach with a yummy cocktail in hand as you soaked in the sun and a good book. A vacation with kids is just a tad different… I get quite a few questions about travel and essentially how to make sure that it’s as close to a vacation as possible with kids in tow.

 

Back in February my family and I took a trip to Florida. This was going to be our first “big” trip with our three-year-old twins, as any other travel we had done had been fairly local. (With twins the thought of travel is a bit scary those first few years!) I convinced my husband that since we would already be in Florida we might as well go to Disney World. To be clear, this was definitely not the vacation part of our trip in my book! However, I knew my daughters would have a blast and they did. As I planned the trip I did wince at the thought of their sleep suffering but we survived fairly unscathed! Here’s a guide to how we survived and truly enjoyed our “vacation.”

 

Itinerary:  Way back when we started to plan this trip I tried to be as mindful as possible of my daughters’ sleep schedule; starting with our flights and our plan for the week. When we scheduled our flights I found a midday flight. (Morning would have also been great but it wasn’t an option.) While this did mean that we would be flying during nap time, which I knew meant no nap for two excited three-year-olds on their first plane ride ever, but I also knew that we would get to our destination by late afternoon and therefore I could compensate for the missed nap with an early bedtime. Additionally, when I booked our fast passes (this was all new to me!) and dining reservations for Disney I tried as best I could to schedule times that would not totally destroy a potential nap. Finally, I knew a few days in Disney World would be quite enough for our little travelers and we planned for a majority of the week to be spent in a more low-key part of Florida.

 

Pre-trip Prep:  For the two weeks before we left I really tried to prioritize my daughters’ sleep. Ok, ok, I always do! But even more so than usual I was mindful of any missed naps or too late bedtimes. I wanted them to be as well rested as possible before we left for our trip. I also followed the recommendations in our travel blog post and packed Redi blackout shades for the house we would be staying in, travel white noise machines (old iPhones), and all of the items my daughters associate with sleep – a favorite stuffed animal, blanket and lovey. I rented cribs through a local baby equipment rental company for the house, and I called ahead to the hotel at Disney to request two pack and plays for our stay there. In addition, when we selected an option for our hotel room I made sure that we would have somewhat separate sleeping areas. We opted for a one bedroom suite rather than a standard hotel room and it was absolutely worth it. Unfortunately there are very few things that are low cost in Disney but I felt it was worth it to spend a bit more to make sure that my daughters could still get the sleep they needed without my husband and I having to hide in a quiet, dark room midday or earlier than we wanted at nighttime. This was our first big family trip and likely the only one we will take for a while so I wanted to make sure we all enjoyed it!

 

Since the beginning half of our week was spent in a much quieter part of Florida I continued to prioritize their sleep as much as I could while we were there. We enjoyed the beach each morning but did take a break midday for naps before heading out for activities each afternoon. It was really nice to have some downtime in the afternoon with just my husband and then be able to go out as a family with well rested children! This also allowed us to arrive at Disney still in rested state.

 

Disney:  Holding firm to my guideline of “less is more” we spent 3 full days at the hotel but only went to the park two of those days. If we had planned to be in Disney World longer I would have planned visits to the park every other day with three-year-olds.  A “catch- up” day in between would make a BIG difference.

 

To make the most of our time we got to the park right when it opened both days. (A helpful hint is that while the rides at Magic Kingdom open at nine most days you can get into the park itself an hour before to get to Starbucks and a few other breakfast options.) We got to the park around 8 AM so that when the rides opened at 9 AM we could head right to them and it worked really well. I had planned ahead of time which rides I knew my daughters would want to do so that we didn’t waste tons of time wandering around the park. We scheduled our fast pass rides for this time of day too. Both days I had a lunch reservation for 11:45 or 12:00 so that we could head back to the hotel midday for naps. After more than three hours of rides and walking around the park we were definitely ready for a break! By the time my daughters were actually asleep their nap was about an hour later than it should have been and would have been at home but they napped nonetheless. I wanted to be mindful of their sleep needs while not letting it completely dictate our few days there. Both days after nap time we headed back out to Epcot. Fortunately this was walking distance from our hotel and was the “easier” part of our day.  (Another recommendation I’d make-Staying at a hotel that is walking distance to one of the parks makes life much easier with little ones and strollers!)  After a good two hour nap our daughters were ready for more rides and fun! The solid midday nap allowed us to stay out much later than what would normally be bedtime. Both nights we were back at the hotel around 9 PM, normally a time I would gasp at in horror, but this was the part of our trip that we knew would be less than ideal sleep-wise and we had prepped for it. The girls got to see the fireworks and have a late night ice cream and certainly did not feel as though they were missing out on anything! They were also quite ready to crash by that point in the day.

 

Home Sweet Home:  Our first full day back at home was unfortunately a work day for both my husband and me. However I was able to arrange for my in-laws to watch my daughters so that they could stay home from preschool and take a nice, long nap in their own beds. The name of the game was catching them up on sleep! For the week that followed I ensured that their naps happened at the right time and that there were no missed naps. I also did the same with bedtime. I focused on catching them up on sleep and making sure they got back on track ASAP and did so with minimal effort.

 

All in all, it was a vacation that we all enjoy remembering. Our daughters had as much fun as I had hoped and my husband and I enjoyed it as well. Watching the girls soak in the magic of Disney World was great and the beach part of our trip actually felt pretty darn close to a vacation! The moral of the story is really balance. We tried to keep their sleep tanks full before we left and tried not to completely empty them while we were away. You can only expect so much behaviorally from three-year-olds if you’re going to expect them to power through a vacation like a seasoned world traveler! By maintaining a balance everyone stays happier and who knows, it might even start to feel like a vacation!

 

Lauren Stauffer is a Family Sleep Institute certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant and owner of Well Rested Baby.  She offers a host of services including in person, phone, email, and FaceTime consultations that can be tailored to meet any family’s needs and schedule. Please email her at lauren@wellrestedbaby.com to schedule a consultation. Be sure to follow WRB on Facebook for more great sleep tips!

Copyright © Well Rested Baby, 2017

 

Filed Under: Travel

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