I’ve done lots of reading and research to decide the best way to support my little girl in becoming a big sister. I wanted to create this blog to share what I have concluded are the most important considerations when preparing an older child for the arrival of their sibling. We will explore emotions, sleep, steps you can take and the steps I’m taking to prepare my daughter.

look under the hood to see what happens when our little ones are asleep so we can try to optimize the quality of their sleep. We will be looking at sleep cycles, the different stages and functions of sleep and why different sleep challenges occur at different stages of the night.

In this blog we will look at the wake maintenance zone, what happens when sleep pressure and the circadian rhythm become misaligned and how the cause of some associated sleep challenges can be confused with signs of overtiredness.

I’m often asked why children experience different sleep challenges. Often the challenges come back to the function of sleep and the mechanics of how sleep, specifically young children’s sleep, actually works. In this blog we will look at the circadian rhythm and sleep pressure to learn why we sleep, when we sleep and make sense of how optimizing these factors can help us improve our little ones sleep.

Excited, apprehensive, uninformed, overinformed, scared and over-it. These are some of the ways I’m feeling from one day to the next in the third trimester. Solidarity and knowing how others are feeling and what they are doing can help so I wanted to share my thoughts and some advice for those of you in the same boat…

The relationship between feeding and sleep for newborns is inextricably linked, especially as many newborns face feeding challenges that can disrupt sleep. This blog explores some of the most common issues faced and some tips to minimize disruption.

I know every pregnancy is different but I could definitely be doing more to improve mine and my fast growing bumps immunity, energy levels and general wellbeing. I reached out to my friend Theresa @midwife.recommends for some advice which I wanted to share in this blog…

We all know that lack of sleep can impact our mental health negatively, but struggling with mental health challenges can also disrupt our ability to sleep. So, what can we do and what do we address first? The reality is that because they are so intrinsically linked, we need to address both together. This blog explores some ideas around how we can improve both in the context of parenting a young child.

When our little ones are not sleeping well, we often worry that something else may be going on. In this blog I wanted to share the red flags that I screen for to help you navigate when an issue may require support to treat an underlying cause. There are so many things to worry about as a parent but the more informed you are the less you need to worry unnecessarily. This blog is to help ensure you are informed.

Leaps and regressions offer reassurance for parents concerned about their littles ones mood and sleep. They can appear helpful, but often lack any solution and are not backed by evidence. Take a look at this blog to learn more and gain some practical advice.

Pregnancy is such a special time, but that doesn’t mean the blissful romantic fantasy of spending 9 months preparing to love and cherish your growing baby is all smooth sailing. For many, it’s far from it! One thing that most pregnant women commonly experience is exhaustion. This blog explores some of the reasons we feel so exhausted and some steps we can take to try and feel better.

It can sometimes feel like our little one’s catch one bug after another. Illness can wreak havoc with sleep and be very stressful for parents. Take a look at this blog for some practical advice to help manage illness for you and your family.

Often sleep trainers encourage people to stop offering night feeds, sometimes from as young as 3-4 months. This can have negative consequences for both mum and baby and may not work as night feeds are not the only cause of night waking. The consequences of eliminating night feeds should be more widely discussed to ensure parents can make an informed decision.

I often talk about regulating emotions and how babies don’t have the ability to self-regulate their emotions. Self-regulation refers to our independent ability to get ourselves into a desired emotional state, proportionate to the situation. This is applicable to both adults and children. This blog explores how you can support your child to regulate their emotions.

Naps are a common source of stress for parents. From nap resistance, to getting the right timing of naps, to knowing when it’s time to drop a nap. This blog is intended to give some simple advice to help parents navigate naps without stress.