The diagnosis of baby acid reflux appears to be on the rise. We talk to many parents each week and a good number will have babies with reflux. Although it seems to be diagnosed more now, babies having reflux is actually not new and very common. This article will talk about your baby's spit up, infant reflux, and how it may affect your baby's sleep. What is baby acid reflux? First, what is reflux? The medical name is Gastroesophageal Reflux and some know it by GER. All this means is that
Sleep Training
The 10-point Checklist You and Your Baby Are Ready For Sleep Training
My team and I do quite a few Personalized Sleep Plans® every week, but we can give you the best of plans and it doesn't mean anything if you and your baby are not ready for it. Here is a 10-point checklist to determine if you and your baby or toddler are ready for sleep training. 1. Your baby has preferences. Babies will learn early that some things feel good (e.g. being in mommy or daddy's arms) and what doesn't (e.g. dirty diaper). They instinctively learn to cry to get a clean diaper
Warning: Babywise May Not Be Right For Your Baby
On Becoming Babywise is a popular book among many parents, but receives a lot of criticism from pediatricians and other parents for being too strict or harsh, particularly for newborns. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) came out and said over 10 years ago that Babywise is downright dangerous while others say that is not true. Who is right and what is right for your baby? This article will discuss what Babywise is and why it may or may not be right for your baby. On Becoming
How to Put Your Baby To Sleep: 5 Keys to a Sleeping Baby
If your baby wakes up as soon as you put them down or wakes frequently at night, you've landed in the right place! Having a baby who won't sleep is exhausting and we're here to help. This post will teach you how to put your baby to sleep based on my experience of over 10 years as a sleep consultant. Quite simply, here's how to put your baby to sleep, and then I'll go over each in more detail: Set an early bedtime and age-appropriate sleep schedule. Use a sleep routine both at the
Dr. Sears vs. Dr. Weissbluth in an Online Chat About Your Baby’s Sleep
A while back, Dr. Sears and Dr. Weissbluth both participated in an online chat with Chicago Tribune's health reporter, Julie Deardorff. I was thinking back to a few key points raised in the chat that still surprise me how disconnected doctors can be with parents. Perhaps it's because it's been a long time since they've been parents to young babies. Or, perhaps being doctors tend to give you a more scientific approach rather than a practical one. Either way, there are a few key points this
Why Pantley’s No Cry Sleep Solution Doesn’t Always Work
Sometimes I hear from parents who have tried Pantley's No Cry Sleep Solution and have not been able to get it to work. This article will discuss possible reasons why sometimes it doesn't work for a variety of families. First, let me say that Pantley's book The No Cry Sleep Solution has a lot of good information in it. It's very helpful regarding the information on how babies sleep and the most common sleep problems. As with most books about sleep, it is over 200 pages and has a lot of common
Will Your Baby Be Spoiled If You Don’t Sleep Train?
A client e-mailed me not too long ago concerned about what a co-worker told her about her baby. Her co-worker told her that if she didn't sleep train and let her baby cry it out, her baby would grow up to be spoiled. She alluded to the fact that by the time he was 7 or 8 years old, he'd be "running the show." This particular client has experience with two very different cultures, one being in the West and one in the East. In the West (where she lives now) she feels tremendous pressure to let
How Sleep Training Progress Looks
When parents update me on their sleep training progress, sometimes it is a little frustrating for them if their baby has a good night one night, then a bad night and some back and forth. I thought it would be a good idea to talk about that in today's post and why it happens. If nothing else, I know it helps to have realistic expectations while sleep training. One of the biggest lessons I learned when I was struggling with my own son's sleep problems is that when the books implied all of our
Can You Mix Attachment Parenting With Sleep Training?
Before I had a baby, I did not know anything about "attachment parenting" nor had I ever heard the term. It is a little "weird" considering I am an avid reader (well, before kids and this website when I used to have time), but I guess none of my friends ever mentioned it and I was never exposed, even though Dr. Sears coined the term with his wife over 20 years ago. I did know I wanted to breastfeed. I did know I didn't want to co-sleep (though we did anyway out of necessity for a short time). If