co-sleeping

Sleep Tips for Kids + A Peppermint Coffee Sugar Scrub Recipe

March 21, 2016 by Danielle

Last week I was invited to host and attend a seminar hosted by Radys Children’s Health Network and Children’s Primary Care Medical Group. Cleverly titled, “Good Night, Sleep Tight” the conversations of the night covered the topic of sleep. We were greeted by two local physicians who both chat a lot about sleep with their parents. Dr. Adrienne Lostetter is a pediatrician and member of the Children’s Primary Care Medical Group. And Dr. Rakesh Bhattacharjee is a pediatric pulminologist and director of the Sleep Center at Rady Children’s Hospital – San Diego.

Both tackled the topic of sleep as Dr. Lostetter covered typical sleep cycles and how to help our kids get to sleep. Dr. Bhattacharjee helped us understand the issues that arise when there are sleep problems (more on that topic later!). Then we had a little fun when Jimbo’s… Naturally! shared some fun sugar scrub recipes with us. Including an adapted version of my Vanilla Mint scrub that the attendees could make and take home with them! I share the peppermint coffee sugar scrub they demonstrated for us below!

Now I know that each kid is different, as is each kid’s sleep patterns. And each family is different too. While below is the advice of Dr. Lostetter, I do want to note that we have co-slept with all three of our kids. I feel that having them near me is the safest when they’re infants and my older two have since transitioned to their own beds in their own rooms easily and without issue. But more on that later!

Sleep Tips for Kids

from Dr. Adrienne Lostetter of Children’s Primary Care Medical Group

Infants & Toddlers

Infant sleep cycles may vary until about 6 months of age. Newborns can sleep about 16-17 hours per day but might only sleep in 1 or 2 hour chunks of time. As babies get older, they need less sleep. However, all babies are different – even each of your own kids are different!

The best sleeping surface is a firm mattress without all of those cute bumper pads and comforters. SIDS is a real concern at this age so make sure they are “back to sleep” in a safe crib.

Toddlers need plenty of sleep as well. About 11-12 hours of sleep a day, including naps, will help them grow up healthy. Like teens, children who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to be overweight or obese. They also tend to have tired cues and reading these can help prevent bedtime battles.

Preschoolers

Preschoolers need 10-12 hours of sleep a night. Somewhere between ages 3-5, your child will likely stop nap time. This transition can be hard. To make it easier on both parents and kids, move their bedtime earlier slowly over time so they get plenty of sleep. Make sure to establish bedtime routines – kids thrive on routines.

Teens

For adolescents, 8.5-9.5 hours of sleep a night is recommended. Keeping a similar weekday and weekend schedule leads to less fatigue.

Teens who get enough sleep have a reduced risk of being overweight or suffering depression. They are less likely to be involved in automobile accidents and have better grades/higher standardized test scores. Most importantly, they will have an overall better quality of life.

You can find more tips on developing better sleep routines for kids here and a few bedtime tips here.

Peppermint Coffee Sugar Scrub

1/2 cup organic coffee grinds
1/2 cup organic brown sugar
1/2 cup organic jojoba oil
5 drops peppermint essential oil
1 teaspoon vitamin E oil

Combine all ingredients & mix well. Store in an air-tight container and enjoy in your next bath or shower. Should last 7 days in the shower.

Once you finally get your kids in bed, what’s the first thing you do?

Filed Under: Parenting, Uncategorized Tagged With: co-sleeping, CPCMG, infant sleep, Rady Children's, Safe Sleeping Tips, Sleep

5 Things That Keep Your Child From Sleeping

July 18, 2012 by Danielle

In our home one of the biggest struggles we have is sleep. From naptime to bedtime, sleep equals stress in this home. But with a few changes to our schedule, and advice from a sleep coach, we could easily change this around to a more peaceful outcome.

My buddy Kari over at Mommy to Elodie recently posted about her experience with sleep coach Lauren Boston and I must say that she gives me hope!

Lauren has kindly listed out a few things below that can help you troubleshoot just where you need to change things up. And with a sleep coach like her, I’m sure you’ll see a great improvement in your child’s sleep.

If you’ve experienced any of these items listed you may be interested in talking with Lauren more in depth to help change you child’s sleep for the better!

The 5 Things That Kept

Your Child From Sleeping Last Night

1. Too late of a bedtime 
Children need on average 10-11 hours of sleep at night for the first 9 years of their lives!Watch for your child’s sleepy cues in the evening (between 6-8pm, depending on their age). When they are rubbing their eyes, yawning or increasingly cranky these are good indications that it’s time for bed.

2. Nap deprivation 
Too late of a bedtime and skipped short naps will create more night wakings and poor quality sleep – not to mention an overtired child! It might not be logical but its true! Sleep begets sleep. Make sure your child is having age appropriate naps so that they don’t get over-tired.

3. Your child was put down in his crib or bed already asleep 
If you put your child to sleep by rocking, nursing, walking, bottle feeding or lying down with them, they become dependent on you to put them to sleep. When your child wakes during the night (we all do) they will expect the same thing from you in order to go back to sleep. Putting your child into their crib awake will help them learn how to fall asleep on their own.

4. Inconsistency is how you respond to your child during the night 
If you are inconsistent in how you put your child to sleep and how you respond to them when they wake up, you may inadvertently create more crying! Consistency in sleep coaching is your key to success!

5. Underlying medical conditions
Such as: asthma, allergies, reflux and sleep apnea. If you suspect your child is suffering from any of these conditions, talk to your pediatrician.

Lauren Boston is a Certified Gentle Sleep Coach and Postpartum Doula. She offers her sleep coaching services to tired parents all over the world.

Lauren was born in Los Angeles, raised in Canada, and now lives in San Diego with daughter Charlie, 2, and husband Jordan. When she’s not helping tired families you can find her enjoying time with her family, at the park, beach or enjoying other ‘San Diegan’ activities.

Filed Under: San Diego, Uncategorized Tagged With: co-sleeping, Doulas, Lauren Boston, Sleep, Sleep Training

It Aint Always Rosy {Co-Sleeping}

June 14, 2011 by Danielle

Co-Sleeping

From the first night I brought my son home I really had no idea how the sleeping thing would work. I mean I had an idea that he’d eventually sleep in a crib. Cause all babies sleep in cribs, right? But I had the pack n’ play set up in our room for at least the first few nights. I had heard that it would be easier for me to sleep if he was in the room with us. Especially if we were breastfeeding.

So we came home. And my baby slept in my arms. Literally in my arms. I slept sitting up those first few nights. I really didn’t feel like I could put that little angel down. He was so tiny. How was he going to sleep without being right with me. Maybe it was just because he was a part of me for so long and I didn’t want to let that go.

Then because we were successful in breastfeeding I just kept him in our bed at night because it was so much easier than the thought of actually having to get out of bed and get up in the middle of the night. Plus he was a pretty good sleeper and hardly woke up to nurse when he was hungry. None of this hours of no sleep. He’d wake up, fuss a bit, nurse and fall back to sleep. I didn’t know why everyone else said they were so exhausted during the newborn stage.

And I started feeling a bit weird about still having him in bed with us. So I tried to transition him to the crib. I guess I didn’t try hard enough. I read that starting with naps first might be the best way to go. So I would put him in his crib once he nursed himself to sleep (or I rocked him to sleep). But he always seemed to wake up 1/2 an hour or less later. That didn’t seem right. So after a few naps like this I went back to having him nap in our bed or in his swing. 1-2 hours… much better!

I would try to transition him every few weeks but he never seemed to want to stay in his crib long. He much preferred our bed. What I didn’t realize was that I was hardly helping him in this transition. When he was younger I didn’t really put him down. Ever. So he got used to needing me to soothe him to sleep. So I just gave up on the crib and said we were going to co-sleep. Then he started getting bigger. And my husband didn’t feel comfortable in bed anymore. He’d wake up with a foot in his back and only five inches of bed to lay on. I understood and started looking into alternatives.

So at 15 months our son transitioned from our bed to his own twin bed. In his room. And it worked great for the first few days. He napped perfectly in there. And would call out to me to pick him up when he woke. Nights were a bit different. He would sleep until 3am and then would wake and call for me. I’d either bring him into bed with us or fall asleep with him in his bed.

Today he sleeps in his room. But he usually ends up crawling in bed with us at around 3am. And even with the second one I never quite figured out how to transition an infant to the crib. I did get a co-sleeper though so I try and remember to put our daughter in there for 1/2 of the night. And I promise I’ll try better to transition her to the crib. Maybe…

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Being a Mom, co-sleeping, Crunchy