Sleep Champs

It has been a while since my last post, but a lot has happened since then! Our new addition💕 to my family is born in September and is now just over 4 months old. She is the sweetest and the cutest, and I enjoy every single minute with her.

Knowing that she’s my last baby, I take more conscious time to watch her and to hold her. This phase won’t last forever, which is good but also makes me more aware of the moment.

Although she’s super easy going, and I should know all the right things to do, she’s in the middle of the 4 month sleep regression* and even this sleep coach is tired every now and then😁. But worth every broken night and wouldn’t miss a minute of it.

For now I’m a busy mom with a Kindergartener, a preschooler and a new baby and will take a little extra time for my last maternity leave. Which means I’m not taking new clients yet, but don’t hesitate to ask (small) questions if you have those, always happy to help!
I will start posting more soon and will be back before you know it!

*sleep regression is maybe not the best expression for this developmental leap, but to keep it short I’ll keep it this way:)

The day will come when even former bad sleepers start to appreciate sleeping🙌. Until about the age of 3 we had quite a few things to do with this guy, after sleep training him it went much better, although we had our ups and downs.
Are we now at the point where he voluntarily and happily gets into his bed? Not always, but apparently this afternoon he was tired and went to bed at 5pm. All by himself. And napped for an hour, to wake up just before dinner. So nice🍀!! Who wouldn't want that🙋‍♀️?

BLOG //
10 sleep tips for traveling with kids.

Traveling with your child is one of the best experiences for you as a family🔅. But I’ll be honest: before I became a sleep consultant, we’ve had some insanely sleep deprived family vacations🥱. We tried all tricks but they struggled to sleep anywhere, no matter what we did🤷🏼‍♀️.

Now that I know what I know I would love to help you with some tips to prevent your family vacation from turning into a sleep deprived experience 😇.
Make new memories 🌱 when you’re all happy and well rested and just have a great time!
Read my blog here https://sleep-champs.com/10-sleep-tips-for-traveling-with-children/.

Blog// Newborn sleep👶🏼
Link in bio: https://sleep-champs.com/what-no-one-tells-you-about-newborn-sleep/

Before your baby arrives you hear people say that you will get tired,😴 but what does this mean? You have been tired before, right? Well, the newborn phase takes you to a whole new dimension of tiredness. One you never expected you could experience. The newborn phase is wonderful and one of the most special periods you will ever go through, but you will also feel sleep deprived. Really truly extremely exhausted🥱.

I wrote a new blog about this stage, with some tips and expectations. If you just gave birth or you soon will do, it might help you a little bit to make it all work🌱.
#🥱 #😴

Hi I’m Christien🙋🏼‍♀️, I’m a children’s sleep coach, but also a mom of two little boys. My parenting style is not perfect, but I know when to ask for help if the situation calls for it💫.

So do all parents in my practice, when they realize that they need a solution for their child's sleeping issues. Sometimes you just need a new perspective and try different things than you have done so far. And here I am to help 🔥!

We work together as a team 💪🏽 for better day and night's sleep and after sleep training you are fully skilled in letting your child sleep independently.

If you’re at that point you could use some extra insights and advice🙌🏼, reach out to me and we will make sleep happen again😴.

Visit my website www.sleep-champs.com and book a FREE consultation to learn more!

New blog!
About stubborn toddlers who refuse bedtime👀.
My precious 3 yo decided that ‘sleeping is boring’ so he quit collaborating at bedtime and refuses to lay down😕.

So as you can see, even sleepcoaches have bedtime troubles from time to time 🙈.

This new situation inspired me to write a new blog! Visit my website to read all the tips💪🏽! https://sleep-champs.com/tips-when-your-toddler-refuses-bedtime/

Myth or fact?
This is a MYTH🔥.
//
It’s good to talk about myths, facts, (un)truths and fairytales about sleep💫!
Many parents get well-meant, but not always that helpful sleep tips form their families and friends.

So here I am to bust those myths for you, so you can act with information over fear💪🏽.

It’s a MYTH thinking that the later you put your child to sleep the later they will wake. It seems a perfect solution for early rising, but unfortunately it’s NOT true.

The opposite would be that putting your child in bed early would mean an early wake-up. Also NOT true.

The truth is that sleep really does bring sleep. Bringing bedtime forward and doing your very best to get your child 11-12 hours sleep each night can actually prevent early wakes. This is because overtiredness is the most frequent cause of early wakes. So putting your child in bed later may be THE reason for early rising because he was too tired when he went to bed.

Too little day sleep (or even limiting day sleep) can also contribute to early rising/waking up at night. If your baby/child isn’t getting enough restorative sleep overall, they become overtired and their sleep quality and quantity will decrease.

So overall, sleep begets sleep, don’t put your child in bed later to solve early rising 😇.

#🥱 #😴

Sleepy Cues 🥱

Being aware of your child’s sleepy cues is critical‼️. Many parents want to put their child in bed on a fixed time. Watching the clock absolutely is important, but it’s even more important to learn your child’s sleepy cues.
It’s simple; some days, children just need more sleep 💤 . Watching the clock definitely can help, but every day is different. Learning your child’s signs will make it easier to find that magical time to lay them down🌙.

When infants and toddlers are awake too long and become overtired they release cortisol, a stress hormone, this will make it much harder to sleep. We definitely don’t want that!

What EXACTLY is the MAGICAL time? It’s finding that sweet spot when they are drowsy and tired, but awake.
I like to compare it with buying and eating the perfect avocado 🥑 . You buy a hard, unripe, green avocado from the grocery store and it sits on the counter for some time. You’ll keep an eye on it, maybe give it a squeeze here and there to see just how close it is to being perfectly ripe. And suddenly, it’s ready to eat!
But you better don’t wait too long, or the next thing you know it will be brown and there’s nothing left of your perfect avocado.

Putting them in bed drowsy but awake is giving them the time to LEARN THE SKILL to fall asleep independently. This takes time, but once it’s learned, it’s a skill that will carry with them throughout the night and years to come. Learning how to fall a sleep at nap time or nighttime is also the key for night wake ups. You want them to go back to sleep, and not have you get them a bottle of milk. Your GOAL is to teach them how to fall a sleep independently🌱.. #🥱 #😴

New blog// The bedtime routine✨
(https://sleep-champs.com/bedtime-routine/🌱)
When parents experience troubles during their child’s bedtime, the first question I always ask is: do you have a predictable bedtime routine🙏🏽? Most of the time they say ‘sort of’ or ‘we try’ or even ‘nah, bedtime is bedtime and then he just has to go to bed, he should know that by now’.
Well, never underestimate a good bedtime routine. It’s all about REPETITION and PREDICTABILITY. Most kids thrive through routine, so to have one at bedtime is a total must!

A lot has been said about it already but keep this in mind: it doesn’t have to be complicated, is doesn’t take hours, it just has to be the SAME every day and every time again✅! When you follow the same steps every night before it’s time to sleep, your kid will know what to expect🙌🏼. He will know what’s next until eventually it’s time to fall asleep😴. It really helps them settle, it really helps their bodies to produce melatonin🥱 (the sleep hormone) so it really helps keep the bedtime process running smoothly. And that’s a good start of a good night’s sleep💤!

And if you need more advice on this subject or about sleep in general, don’t hesitate to contact me☎️!!

#🥱 #😴

If your mornings start at 5 am with a bouncy child bursting into your bedroom and asking you if it’s time to get up, the sleep training clock is THE solution🙌🏼. It’s a toddler-friendly way to let your little one know if it’s okay to get out of bed — without needing to actually tell time🙏🏽.

How does it work?
Obviously toddlers can’t tell time, so how can we teach them to stay in their beds until at least 6 am (first appropriate wake-up time) or even a little later? The toddler clock will light up (or play a song or both) at the time you chose it’s okay for your toddler to come out of his bed. I started working with the clock with children 2 and older, but a bright 1 year old might be interested in the gadget as well:-)

😇Tip: If you choose a not too bright light it won’t wake-up your child when he’s still sleeping💤. Something to consider.

How to use
If your child usually wakes at 5 am the ‘leap’ to 6 am might be a little big to get used to the clock. Start with his normal wake-up time (5 am in this case) to let him ‘trust’ the clock (so that he learns the light DOES appear at a certain time) and make 5-10 minute adjustments every other day. It may take a while before you’e on the desired time, but waiting a whole hour until a light gets on is not a real option for awake toddlers in the early morning.

💯Make the rule real. Like many other parenting things, consistency is key. Stick to your plan and let your child not get out of his bed before it’s time. Only then it will work!

For me personally it made such a difference, my then 2 yo woke up somewhere between 5:15 and 5:30 every day. We introduced the clock, it took some time for him to ‘trust the system’ but now we set the clock at 6:30 and wake up all well-rested and happy🌱!

Just so you know:)

A New Study Shows That Kids Are The Most Misbehaved Around Their Moms Have you ever noticed that your kids are somehow nicer when you're not around? It's almost a universal known thing that kids misbehave around their moms.

This family made such a great improvement, I’m truly proud of the mom who was dedicated to make it work on a very gentle way🍀. Mom and daughter often ended up bed-sharing after a night with more nursing than intended and multiple wake-ups. The quality of sleep wasn’t good for both of them🥱. We made some changes in her daily schedule, which resulted in an earlier bedtime. Plus we made a smooth transition to her own crib, without giving up room-sharing. Mom, dad and their daughter now sleep full nights and wake-up well-rested and happy✨. And mom and dad have a little more time in the evening to relax. Happy family, very happy and proud coach🥰!