I used to love ‘fall back’ with daylight savings.. In college, if it coincided with a night out, it meant an extra hour before the bars closed. After college, it always meant an extra hour of sleep overnight. Then I became a parent. It’s really too bad that our kids don’t appreciate the extra sleep that could come the night the clocks ‘fall back.’

Don’t panic! Use these tips to guide your child through the end of daylight saving time without them waking at a ridiculous hour.

Every child is different with how they adapt to a change like welcoming a new sibling. Some sail through it without appearing to be phased at all and others really show that they are struggling. Read more for how to help them adapt and not lose their strong sleep habits along the way.

Unfortunately, there is so much confusion and controversy involved with sleep training (or sleep conditioning, or sleep coaching, or sleep learning). Some people think sleep training is simply closing the door from bedtime until the next morning and letting their child figure it out. Others think any method of working towards independent sleep is sleep training.

Now, I’m not here to dive into the controversies or to tell anyone that they must sleep train. I am a big believer in whatever works best for each individual family is simply that: what works best. If that is sleep training, cool; if that is not sleep training, also cool!

However, I would like to share more about my sleep philosophy and the sleep training methods I use with my 1:1 clients.

This one is inspired by my fellow hockey families that travel abroad for the season! We make the move to Europe and back to North America twice each year for my husband’s work as a professional hockey player. I’ve done this trip with children from when they were babies up until 6 years of age and have attempted a couple approaches and feel like I’ve landed on the most successful way to manage sleep with time changes!

I’m going to separate this blog by direction, as that tends to have a factor in how we tackle sleep. I’ll also include some ideas for traveling shorter time zone changes and general travel tips at the end.

It’s normal and often inevitable to see some disruption to sleep over the holiday season. No matter how hard you’ve worked to establish a predictable routine with your child’s sleep, the holidays tend to bring disruption!

On the blog are some of the biggest disruptors towards sleep during the holidays and some ways to be prepared to handle them. A little planning can go a long way in helping your family stay rested over the holidays!

If you know a parent of small children, or even an expecting parent, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite sleep products that make great gifts. From swaddles to sound machines, to toddler clocks and quiet time activities, there is something below for everyone age from birth to kindergarten!

Having a dark room is an extremely important component of great sleep habits. Darkness helps our bodies produce melatonin, the hormone that leads to sleepiness. Also, babies & children are easily stimulated, so keeping their room as dark as possible avoids any visual distractions and disturbances to sleep. 

Even the slightest bit of light can lead to shorter naps, early morning wakeups, and interrupted sleep. I tell my clients that we are going for cave-like dark; ‘can’t even see my hand in front of my face’ dark!

Unfortunately, there are so many curtains out there marketed as blackout curtains, that simply don’t do the job! I’ve put together a list of some of the most recommended options for blackout solutions for your child’s room. They are organized by most economical to the largest investment. 

The 18-month sleep regression is one of the more difficult ‘regressions’ parents experience, simply because you are now entering the ages and stages of limit setting and children are really beginning to test those limits. Also, toddlers simply have more stamina to resist and protest things they aren't happy with (day & night). Use these tips to make this sleep regression as short lived as possible!

As a child Sleep Consultant (and as a mom), I am a BIG fan of toddler clocks or ‘ok-to-wake’ clocks. They are an amazing tool to help your child have clear expectations around sleep and helps them recognize that they have control of their decisions and actions. 

However, the toddler clock isn’t a magic solution. Often, I hear from parents that say they tried to use the toddler clock - their child that was waking up at 5:30 a.m. just won’t stay in bed until their clock turns green at 6:00 a.m. And, I typically say I’m not surprised. There is work that we as parents have to do around the toddler clock to help us be successful using it…

It’s officially summer!!! However, summer has a tendency to reak havoc upon our little one’s sleep if we aren’t conscientious of it. Here are 5 tips for enjoying summer without sacrificing your child’s sleep!

Although it is a normal part of infant development, separation anxiety can cause some bumps in the road with regards to your child’s sleep. Signs of separation anxiety can include your baby or toddler being upset when you put them down, drop them off with a caretaker, or leave the room. Here are 6 tips for you to help navigate separation anxiety with your baby or toddler without compromising their independent sleep skills. 

Are you having bedtime battles with your toddler or preschooler? Are they using all the delay tactics in the book? Introduce a bedtime pass!

Have you heard of a dream feed? Basically, a dream feed is when you slightly arouse your baby (usually right when we are going to bed ourselves) and feed them as they remain asleep/sleepy…

The crib-to-bed transition can feel scary for parents, but it doesn’t have to be! Here are my top-8 tips for WHEN and HOW to have a successful transition with your child.