SarahOckwell-Smith

What is Gentle Parenting – an Excerpt from The Gentle Parenting Book

Let’s get this out there right now. Gentle parenting isn’t permissive parenting. For those who are new to gentle parenting, perhaps practitioners of more mainstream methods, the most common criticism is relating to supposed permissiveness. They are wrong. Boundaries, limits and discipline play a crucial role in gentle parenting. If you do not discipline your child how can you be truly respectful of them?

When (and How) Should you Drop a Nap?

It may surprise you that actually nobody knows how long babies and toddlers should nap for and how many naps they should have per day. If you have followed recommendations from a book or chart it’s important you know that the figures they contain are completely most likely based on nothing more than personal opinion and random guesswork.

VLOG: Is Feeding Your Baby to Sleep a Bad Habit?

It seems that ‘sleep trainers’ everywhere are fixed upon scaring parents away from feeding to sleep and feeding in the night. It’s commonly considered a poor sleep association, a bad habit or problematic. In this video I discuss this issue and tell you the truth!

VLOG: The Importance of Bedtime Routines for Babies & Toddlers (and how to create a good one!)

I thought it was about time I ventured into the world of vlogging, so I’m pleased to bring you my very first video! This one is all about bedtime routines, why they’re so important, why you shouldn’t be scared of them, why being child led is not always great and how to create the mostContinue reading “VLOG: The Importance of Bedtime Routines for Babies & Toddlers (and how to create a good one!)”

Can Gentle Parenting and Mainstream Schooling Ever Mix?

Is it possible to parent gently and send your child to mainstream school? A question I’m often asked by parents. What should parents look for when choosing a school? How should they handle homework and behaviour policies that go against their beliefs? I’ve answered some of these questions in ‘The Gentle Parenting Book‘ and I’ve addressedContinue reading “Can Gentle Parenting and Mainstream Schooling Ever Mix?”

Toddlers all Sleep Through the Night – Don’t They?

Parents expect their small babies to wake at night frequently. Night feeds are accepted as the norm for at least the first three months (and beyond) by most sources. Something changes after six months though, we expect babies to start ‘sleeping through the night’. For each month past six months of age, that a babyContinue reading “Toddlers all Sleep Through the Night – Don’t They?”

How to Get Your Baby to Nap in Daycare

For many mothers, who practice gentle or attachment parenting, their return to work can be fraught with worry. Concerns about how the baby will settle and sleep for the new caregivers usually top the list. In this blog post my aim is to hopefully reduce these fears a little and help you to prepare your baby for naps without you as much as possible.

The Epidemic of Baby Sleep Training

The same sleep patterns that have been handled without trouble or ‘expert advice’ for thousands of years have now become a source of big business. It is in the benefit of industry for babies to be seen as having sleep problems.

Parents, Stop Bribing Your Children with Christmas!

November and December herald a rising trend in the arsenal of parenting weapons. As Christmas looms parents increasingly seek to control the behaviour of their children through the threat of Santa and his Elves and manufacturers and marketeers increasingly profit from their desperation. Elf on the Shelf, personalised letters and videos telling children they willContinue reading “Parents, Stop Bribing Your Children with Christmas!”

Self Soothing: Why Babies Are Not Like Adults

Adults, children and babies all wake many times each night. ‘Sleeping through the night’ is a misnomer, it indicates something that is not biologically possible. We all sleep in cycles moving through light and deep sleep. At the end of each cycle a new cycle may immediately begin (giving the impression that the individual isContinue reading “Self Soothing: Why Babies Are Not Like Adults”