Weaning the swing can happen earlier than weaning swaddling. Somewhere about 2.5 months old (adjust for prematurity if needed), many newborns no longer get more peaceful while swinging. There will always be babies that prefer to be jiggled on your shoulder or in your lap from the beginning. There will also be babies a bit…… Continue reading When to Stop Using the Infant Swing with Your Newborn
Category: infant sleep strategies
Baby Waking Up Early? Reset that Habitual Pattern Tonight
When infants and toddlers wake at 4 am, and it isn’t diapers, hunger, or illness, it is time to consider that this is a habitual sleep pattern. Everyone is vulnerable to habitual waking, even adults. The garbage pickup can trigger it, a spouse that rises early to go work out, etc. You find yourself waking…… Continue reading Baby Waking Up Early? Reset that Habitual Pattern Tonight
Add Massage To Your Child’s Sleep Routine, And Both of You Could Sleep Better Tonight
Massage is a wonderful way to connect with your child, and it can be a great technique to send him off to sleep without tears or guilt. After the books are read and the last feeding has finished, you can use a short and restful massage to relax him and assure him that it is…… Continue reading Add Massage To Your Child’s Sleep Routine, And Both of You Could Sleep Better Tonight
Ten Problems That Cause Parents to Abandon Happiest Baby on the Block
Learning to use The Happiest Baby on the Block 5 S’s can be tricky. In addition to teaching group classes, I also teach parents privately to help them get the techniques down correctly and answer all of their questions on the spot. I meet parents who have watched the DVD or read the book but…… Continue reading Ten Problems That Cause Parents to Abandon Happiest Baby on the Block
Teaching Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night
No baby sleeps all night. Not one. Neither do adults. Surprised? A normal sleep cycle bring us into a foggy awake stage and only then do we return to sleep. This happens many times throughout the night, but good sleepers send themselves right back into a deeper sleep without being held, an extra feeding (excluding…… Continue reading Teaching Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night
Infant Separation Anxiety and Sleeping Through the Night
Between 6 and 12 months of age, babies learn a lot. One important thing that they learn is that they are separate from their parents. They can cling during the day when you put them down to go to the bathroom, but they can really scream at night when you start the bedtime rituals or…… Continue reading Infant Separation Anxiety and Sleeping Through the Night
Prevent Pacifier Addiction With A Focus on Building Self-Calming Without Plastic
Parents of newborns are concerned that pacifier use will lead to pacifier “addiction” in later infancy and toddlerhood. It doesn’t have to be that way. Pacifier addicts are made, not born. Parents should not feel guilty about the difficulty they encounter with pacifier weaning, since no one explains what pacifiers do for babies and how…… Continue reading Prevent Pacifier Addiction With A Focus on Building Self-Calming Without Plastic
How To Calm Crying If You Don’t Swaddle
Yesterday I taught a Happiest Baby on the Block class, and one mother was adamant that she would not swaddle her 3-week-old daughter. She thought it would be too restrictive for her. Although I taught the correct safety principles, how it mimics life in the womb, and the effective techniques for a good swaddle, this…… Continue reading How To Calm Crying If You Don’t Swaddle
Safer With a Swaddle Blanket or Swaddle Garment? Research Says You are Asking the Wrong Question
As a certified Happiest Baby on the Block educator, I am often asked which choice new parents should make. Swaddling with a blanket is cheaper (babies don’t grow too large for most blankets for months) and blankets can be repurposed after swaddling is finished. Garments are easier to master; not everyone is willing to learn…… Continue reading Safer With a Swaddle Blanket or Swaddle Garment? Research Says You are Asking the Wrong Question
Wean Pacifier Use by Teaching Toddlers How to Stay Cool and Collected
If I had a dollar for every toddler that greeted me at the door with a pacifier in his mouth……well, you know, I would be on an island in the sun today! Some parents want to know how to end paci use, as they dread the crying on the day that they send their child…… Continue reading Wean Pacifier Use by Teaching Toddlers How to Stay Cool and Collected
Swaddle With a Blanket or a Swaddle Garment? How to Decide What is Right for Your Family
You have decided to swaddle your baby, and you read the book/watched the DVD/had a private consultation with me. You know why swaddling helps your infant calm down, fall asleep, and stay asleep. But what do you actually use for swaddling? Two choices appear: the blanket or the manufactured garment. Swaddle blankets can be muslin,…… Continue reading Swaddle With a Blanket or a Swaddle Garment? How to Decide What is Right for Your Family