baby sleep tips + tricks
How to get baby to sleep?
Is your baby up every hour during the night? Do you dread the moments leading up to a nap? Unsure of what a solid nighttime routine actually consists of? Meet Kimberly Walker, the founder of Parenting Unlimited and one of New York City’s most sought-after paediatric sleep therapists renowned for teaching kids of all ages healthy sleeping habits. See why hundreds of parents with soundly sleeping children are forever grateful to her.
Q: What exactly does sleep teaching or sleep training mean?
Q: I have read tons of books about sleep teaching/ training and there are many different approaches. How do I know which one is best?
Q: Can I teach my baby to sleep if they are still swaddled?
Q: My baby doesn’t like to be swaddled. Am I doing something wrong? Is there another way to get them to sleep?
Q: Can you help with me a bedtime routine that does not take forever?
- Bath (on bath nights)
- Diapers and PJ’s
- Feed with lights on or low, not OFF. (Once you are going to teach them to sleep, do not let them fall asleep eating.)
- Burp
- Read ONE short book (I recommend the same book every night because it becomes a visual sleep cue. It’s great because you can also use it for naps and take it when you travel. It is only read before sleep.)
- Put on swaddle or sleep sack (if you are using one)
- Turn on white noise (if you are using it)
- Say goodnight to a few things in their room: goodnight to stuffed animals, goodnight to outside, close the blinds…
- Take them over to the lights and turn the lights off and say goodnight to the lights
- Snuggle them on way to crib and tell them you love them, time for sleep, etc
- Lay them in the crib
- Leave (if you are at this point in sleep teaching)
Q: Does my child have to take a bath as part of bedtime routine?
Q: What is the point of hiring a sleep therapist by phone or to come to my home? What can you do that I cannot do?
Q: What if I don’t sleep train, will children eventually learn to sleep by themselves?