Dear new parent...

Are you feeling a bit lost or confused about your newborns sleep?

I remember coming home from the hospital with my first baby, I was completely overwhelmed and exhausted from the birth.

Some how I was now in full charge of this tiny human being and I had no idea what I was doing!

My midwife was helping me with baby care, the lactation consultant was helping me with feeding, but my biggest struggle was sleep.

Nothing I had read about the birth and delivery helped me know how to get this tiny precious baby to sleep. She often fell asleep feeding but then would wake up if I tired to move to do important things like eating or going to the bathroom!

In my years as a sleep consultant I have met thousands of newborn mum's and I know we often feel similarly.

• Exhausted
• Overwhelmed
• Pressure to be the best mum
• Guilt 

Understanding what your newborn needs and how you can achieve this with less stress, and less tears is the key to easy newborn months!

• Trigger their calming reflex
• Watch for tired cues
• Understand your babies hunger signs
• Set up a great sleep environment
• Use positive sleep associations 

Learn about settling approaches that I've used on thousands of my newborn clients. I've combined loads of these strategies into this podcast yours free to listen to.

If you're looking for swaddling help and advice, look no further than this swaddling FAQ article. 

What about positive sleep associations? What can you introduce?

• Swaddling
• White noise
• Cuddlies lovies
• Sleep rituals

Why do I want to introduce a sleep association?

Introducing sleep associations helps your child to sleep, you are providing optimal sleep conditions which long term over time should minimize the amount of crying your baby has to do to prepare to sleep.

They help create an environment which is consistent throughout the sleep period, which encourages your baby to begin to link their sleep cycles over their naps and overnight.

Positive sleep associations teach your baby to become a flexible sleeper who can sleep in places other than at home, and without their parent always present. If you are reading this as a newborn parent you probably can’t imagine ever not being there for your baby, but there will come a time when you have a social engagement, or an appointment or work commitment which means someone else has to be able to put your baby back to sleep. Positive sleep associations help us to gradually work towards this goal.