On Monday, a group of lucky mums were able to attend a two hour talk on introducing solids and the all-important sleep and settling for babies in an intimate setting at a café in Colebee. Laura, the resident baby nurse for Choice Pharmacy, talked the parents through all aspects of introducing solids, teething and developmental milestones. Did you know that WHO (World Health Organisation) recommends brushing teeth for children until they get their pen licence in school, so around Year 4, as until then they are not able to brush properly?! That was a great tip! I have been letting my 6-year-old brush her own teeth, will be giving a final once-over from now on!  

In my sleep component we talked about the importance of sleep- we all want it but why do we actually need it??!! Sleep is so important for adults in promoting good health and mood, general wellbeing, good immunity, repairing of cells and also from a safety aspect! Many of us may be driving on little to no sleep, inviting an accident to happen. Scary stuff!!!! For littlies they need it for optimal brain and physical development and also important creation of neural connections in the brain.  

Did you know that parents can experience insomnia as a result of constant wake-ups as they pre-empt their child waking all through the night? This is due to increased adrenaline and cortisol running through mum’s and nervous systems. Babies and children may wake all through the night due to increased adrenaline and cortisol racing around their bodies due to not much sleep as well! This leads to more wake ups and reduced ability to settle to sleep and stay asleep! Therefore, the viscous cycle continues for bun and mum!… Putting good sleep practices and consistent sleep settling techniques can help decrease wake ups and increase sleep for all!

This is where using a sleep consultant comes in; for those of you who don’t know what one is- a sleep consultant is your own personal qualified “sleep coach” with years of experience and hundreds of sleep cases under their belt; able to assist you and sort out any sleep issues you are experiencing with your baby or child. Sleep consultants can gain a good understanding of your exact issues in order to create a bespoke plan discussing changes to your child’s bedroom, day routine, bedtime routine and new settling methods to implement. Added to this they can hold you hand along the journey, celebrating your wins, helping you with your doubts and bad times.

If you are experiencing multiple wake-ups, prolonged settling to sleep and/or short naps through the day then contact me!