SarahOckwell-Smith

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”

What the Heck Goes Wrong Sleep Wise at 8-10 Months?

One of the most popular blog posts I’ve ever written is all about the 4-5 month sleep regression. I need to make a confession, I lied a little bit in it. I gave the impression that things get a lot better after six months. And they do. Often though the improvement is only temporary andContinue reading “What the Heck Goes Wrong Sleep Wise at 8-10 Months?”

How Do You Stop Early Morning Waking?

How Do You Stop Early Morning Waking? This is probably one of the top three questions I get asked by parents.

Help! My Baby Always Cries in the Car.

I’m often asked “so, you don’t recommend controlled crying or ‘cry it out’, but what about when I’m driving and I absolutely cannot stop and my baby is screaming?”

How to Help Babies & Children With Clock Changes

There are two events each year that cause many parents stress and upset when it comes to child sleep – clock changes! I’m not going to de-rail this blog with my thoughts on this archaic practice (I’ve detailed them at some length in The Gentle Sleep Book). I will however focus on ways that you canContinue reading “How to Help Babies & Children With Clock Changes”

When Should Children Get Their Ears Pierced? (and musings on body autonomy).

Yesterday my daughter, who is eight and a half years old, got her ears pierced and it got me thinking about the ‘right age’ to do it. I am strongly against piercing the ears of a baby or toddler. Although relatively minor, ear-piercing is still mutilating the body in some way. Making holes in any partContinue reading “When Should Children Get Their Ears Pierced? (and musings on body autonomy).”