Obviously, whatever sleep is for us, it is undoubtedly vital to our health and well- being. If it wasn’t, those individuals who needed less sleep would have risen to the top of the gene pool a long, long time ago, and those that thrived on a lot of sleep would have been, well, eaten probably. Man, I’m glad I was born in this day and age. Being eaten would suck. To date, scientists haven’t been able to pinpoint exactly why we sleep, but there is definitely a consensus among researchers and the scientific community (and new mothers) that adequate sleep is good for you in a many ways. We’re all familiar with the fact that we have a hard time focusing on information when we’re running on too little sleep. Absorbing information is only half the battle though. Actually, if you really want to get technical, it’s only a third. Learning and memory are divided into three functions.

When I found out that I was expecting, the first thing I did was jump on Pinterest and look for nursery inspiration. I found tons of adorable pieces to hang over her crib, to put in the bookshelf, and lots of fluffy, adorable bedding with bows that I loved. All things soft and girly caught my eye- and so did all of the products that were marketed towards sleep that I had never seen my nephews or niece use before. I’ll save this long list of items for another day, but they included the Dock-A-Tot, the Snoo Bassinet, and special projectors and lights (although some parents swear by these items). I soon learned that not only did I not need all of those things, but that I was better off without them. You see, as a first time mom, I thought a lot about creating an aesthetically pleasing nursery that was very feminine yet suited for a baby, but not a lot about whether this would be the ideal sleep space.

If I got a dime every time I heard a parent talk about transitioning their toddler to a big-kid bed unsuccessfully (ending up in mom’s bed), I would be rich. Is it possible to do so smoothly? Absolutely. What you should really know is that when it comes to making the transition from a crib to a big-kid bed, there are two questions that need to be answered.

As a sleep expert, I get so many questions from first time parents about white noise. Why should I use a white noise machine? Is it true that it causes brain damage? Is it safe? Is it considered a sleep prop? Will my child continue to sleep even when I stop using it? Not only did I use a white noise machine with my own daughter, but I often recommend them to clients who were having issues with environmental noise waking their kids up during the day or early in the morning. Additionally, I often praise parents for using a white noise machine consistently because let’s face it, we can’t always keep a super quiet sleep environment- a squeaky floor board, an alarm going off in the morning, birds chirping, and so on.

Your baby decides it is time for the day to start and wakes up after what seemed to you like a tough night’s sleep. Although you are exhausted, she is the cutest baby in the world so you can’t be mad at her. Instead, you happily feed her, change her, play with her for a little bit, take her for a little stroll, then rock her to sleep and gently put her into her crib for her morning nap. You can finally breathe because this time she didn’t wake up when you laid her down. You plop down on the couch, quickly check out the latest InstaStories and Snaps while sipping on your cold coffee, start daydreaming about your next vacation, then BAM! It has only been 30 minutes and she is awake!

Raising children is probably the most difficult responsibility that adults hold, and in this age of social media and easy access to information about anything and everything, parents are easily overwhelmed with feelings of guilt, inadequacy and self-doubt. As a sleep consultant, I see this all the time from parents whose babies aren’t sleeping well. One of the other major contributors to the, “I’m doing something wrong,” sensation is separation anxiety; that oh-so-challenging part of a child’s life when they start to completely flip their lids whenever Mom’s not around. This may be separation anxiety.

Chances are, you are one of many- just now getting back into the groove of things with your little one since last week’s Thanksgiving celebrations. But before you know it, Christmas will be here, then the New Year- which means more celebrations and family time which often results in extended bedtimes and jumbled schedules. If you are one of the parents who have recently gotten your baby sleeping on a schedule and are worried that he/she might regress a little over the holidays I can assure you, those fears could not be more well-founded. As unfortunate as it is to say, parents who have not yet sleep trained their child as well as parents who have often find that the holidays are the single easiest way to throw all of their hard work out with the wrapping paper and turkey bones. This is because of the travel, the excitement, the constant attention, the over-stimulation, and then travel all over again. But I’m happy to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way!

For as long as I could remember, I have known my love of working with children and families and have always taken pride in a particular phrase I often heard- “you were born to be a mother”. I always knew that I wanted to be a mother someday; and I often thought about the type of parent I would be, about my parenting philosophies, about how I would apply all of the experience I had working with families and other people’s children, and about how I was actually going to raise my child. Well, let me just say that things did not go as expected...

Ask a person what time it is, and the first thing you will probably see is them reaching for their phones.  Many don’t know when the time change actually occurs and are confused by whether the hour should be added or removed. More importantly, they don’t know what to do with their child’s sleep schedule.  In fact, the time change not only effects children’s sleep patterns but adults, too. Additionally, statistically, there is an 8% increase in traffic accidents the Monday after daylight savings time kicks in.