Precious Gift of Sleep

"Why is my baby crying?" We asked ourselves this question practically everyday in the first couple of months with our baby. As first-time parents, we had to learn what all the possibilities were, but we found it more efficient and helpful to categorise the key reasons and work through them systematically. In this episode, I'll be walking through the 4-point checklist that we developed to identify why our baby is crying that you can use to overcome this challenge with ease so your baby can sleep through the night. 

What can you do when your baby won’t sleep in the day? This is a popular question that I’ve been asked quite a bit. If your baby has only been taking short 20 or 30-min naps once or twice a day, you need to help your baby settle into a comfortable routine so he can take longer naps more consistently. In this episode, you’ll get to learn about the different activities that need to take place before you put your baby down for a nap and the exact timing that you should be aiming for each time. 

What should you prepare before the baby comes? Although 9 months seems like a long time to prepare for the arrival of our newborn, time does go by quickly! I was so glad that when I spoke with other parents, they were able to share their advice on what they thought were the most important things to prepare beforehand. In this episode, I dove into things that are truly important to sort out (and it’s not just about getting the baby room ready!) so you will be well-prepared to deal with all the other surprises that will come your way when your baby is finally here! 

When should you start the day for your baby? This is one of the most important questions to nail down as your first step to training your baby to sleep through the night. In this episode, I go into how I figured out what time my baby should start the day, and what I needed to do to make sure he starts getting used to this routine and how it helped the rest of our family! 

How can you make it safe for your baby to sleep on his tummy? That’s a common question I get asked by first-time parents who are thinking about trying out this sleep position with their baby. In this episode I share the 3-step plan I used to ensure my baby could be positioned lying down on his tummy for a longer and more restful sleep. This was one of the times where I felt like a combat officer on a reconnaissance mission...check out the episode to find out why! 

What should you do if your baby won’t sleep unless he’s being held in your arms? In this episode I share the 3 steps we used to help overcome this challenge so that our baby can easily transition from being held to his cot when it’s time for bed. We realised that we needed to find the moment just before he falls asleep, and use this technique to help identify that moment. 

Should you sleep with your baby by your side? When should you do that if your goal is still to help your baby learn how to sleep through the night? This episode covers these questions that have come up quite frequently when I speak with first-time mothers about this topic so I thought to share my recommendations based on the reality that we will face in the first couple of months with our newborn. 

The story of the most memorable fight I had with my husband when we started the baby sleep training journey. I understood he was frustrated but I had to find a way to help us stay the course so we could help our baby sleep through the night. 

The decision to start — how I decided when and how to commit to helping my baby get used to a regular routine to lay the foundation for him to sleep through the night.

What made me believe that sleep through was possible for our baby, and how that changed our actions, and life with our baby! 

How I learned the concepts of baby sleep training with my hubby, and what it took for us to really apply what we had learned. 

My story of how I made the transition to a new routine in the first month of my baby’s life. It wasn’t easy to have to nurse my baby every 2-3 hours, but there were some tools, tips and tricks that made it a lot easier.

My journey of learning how to give my baby the precious gift of sleep as first-time parent and why I decided to start this podcast.