LATEST BLOG POSTS
Taming Tantrums In Your Child
We’ve had some epic tantrums at my house. Like all-out kicking and screaming and the tantrums felt like they lasted FOREVER. Part of the reason I’m a child behavior coach is that I had no idea what the heck to do with these types of behaviors with my twin boys. I reacted in ways that…
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Potty Training vs. Potty Readiness
Can you train a baby to walk before they are ready? No! So then why do all the most popular potty training books try to sell us the line that if we miss this once in a lifetime magical window our children are going to go to college in diapers and have a lifelong problem…
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Sleep Lessons Learned By Stephanie, Our Newest Sleep Consultant
Hello, my name is Stephanie Nielsen! I’m so excited to be a part of the Bella Luna team as a child sleep consultant and to share sleep lessons I learned that brought me to this amazing career! I’m a girl mom to 3 amazing girls (7, 4 and 4 months), and they are amazing sleepers! …
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Nightmares Or Night Terrors? How To Tell The Difference.
As a child sleep consultant, I often talk with families whose children are experiencing night wakes. Usually, those night wakes are pretty straightforward (though not easy to cope with!) – but sometimes, they’re a little more complex, or downright stressful. Many parents will ask, is my child experiencing nightmares or night terrors? How do I…
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Wonder Weeks Leap 3 & Sleep
Can you believe it? Your baby is 3 months old! Where did the time go? As a new mom, I remember people saying “cherish every moment because they grow up so fast!” At the 3 month period, I started to understand what they meant! I vividly remember when Adeline was 3 months old. One day…
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Adjusting Your Child’s Schedule After the Fall Time Change
Did you try to slowly adjusting for the Fall time change AND your little one had other ideas? Or maybe you couldn’t even try. Or the time change wasn’t even on your radar. (been there when my boys were little!) It’s totally ok – don’t fret! You won’t perpetually be stuck with a super early…
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Halloween and Your Child’s Sleep
For the fourth-year in a row, my son Ryan is dressing up as a police officer for Halloween. Every year he says he is going to go as something else, but each year he asks for a similar costume. Too bad he keeps growing and I can’t recycle! With Ryan’s costume and my thoughts around…
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Managing Bedtime Routines with Multiple Children
Hi, I’m Sarah and I am new to the Bella Luna team! I am a stay-at-home mom with 4.5-year-old twin boys, Lane and Jack, and a 2.5-year-old girl, Lola. Bedtime with multiple children has been an interesting journey. From the very beginning, I had to figure out managing bedtime routines with multiple children, since I…
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Daylight Savings 2021 Sleep Tips
In September, I start getting questions about Daylight Savings… How do I prevent an early morning wake-up? Is this going to throw everything off? Should I adjust the schedule in advance? Why do we even do this? These are great questions and this article will answer all but the last one! Daylight savings is ridiculous…
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Wonder Weeks Leap 2 & Sleep
Way to go! You’re two months into this journey of parenthood. You made it through Leap 1 and now your baby may be: Figuring out their days from their nights, meaning your little one is… Starting to sleep longer stretches at night Smiling at you, like really smiling at you! Finally, some feedback! Things may…
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How To Talk To Others About Your Child’s Sleep
Making decisions about your little one’s sleep is hard enough on it’s own and is only made harder by conflicting opinions coming at us from all angles. That’s why today, we are sharing our suggestions on how to talk to others about your child’s sleep! It’s no secret that sleep and sleep training can be…
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Your Newborn’s Sleep: Wonder Weeks Leap 1
Welcome to parenthood!!! The early weeks of parenthood are a total daze and just when you think you may be getting the hang of it, your baby starts being cranky more than usual, crying a lot, is extra clingy and not sleeping well. This leaves us wondering: What am I doing wrong? Is something wrong…
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Dressing Your Baby For Sleep – Understanding TOG Rating
As a parent, I was and still am always worried about my daughter’s temperature when she is sleeping. Keeping our little ones cool and comfortable can sometimes be hard to do, especially in the hotter months of the year. And the reverse is how to keep our babies warm enough in the winter months, without overheating.…
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The Low-Down on Melatonin Supplements
As a child sleep consultant, a lot of parents ask me about giving their child melatonin supplements to help improve sleep. How amazing would it be if we could fix all sleep problems with a little pill!? We aren’t medical professionals so we can’t recommend or dissuade you from using melatonin. The purpose of this…
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Period of Purple Crying Survival Tips
Hey new momma! In case no one has told you today, you are doing an amazing job adjusting to your precious little baby! I need to say this because I wish I heard this every minute of every day in those first few months after having Adeline. Especially, once she was two weeks old. My…
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Back To School Sleep Prep Tips
It’s that time again! Back to school for kiddos! This means we are sharing our back-to-school sleep prep tips! For parents that have been trying to keep their kids busy and from not being “bored” all summer, school starting is a huge sigh of relief! We’ll miss the lazy days of summer, but I don’t…
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Toddler’s Parental Preference – Why Don’t You Want Me?
Would you believe me if I told you my 2-year-old likes his dad better than me? It’s true even with how cute this picture is! My toddler’s parental preference is all Dad. He behaves better for Dad, calms down faster with him when he’s upset and prefers when Dad does the bedtime routine. I couldn’t…
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Science Says: Will Sleep Training Harm My Baby?
I remember being a new parent and feeling the exhaustion of sleepless nights. I was scouring the internet to find tips and support on how to create healthy sleep habits for my baby. During my research, there was no shortage of scary headlines about sleep training, like: “Dangers of Crying it out” (Psychology Today; Narvaez,…
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Stop Your Toddler from Climbing Out of the Crib
There are so many things to worry about as a parent, right? My top worries when my boys were toddlers… Is my toddler eating enough vegetables? getting enough socialization? watching too much TV? getting enough sleep? You know what I wasn’t worried about? My toddler climbing out of the crib. It wasn’t even on my…
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Will Sleep Training Affect Attachment With My Child?
When deciding whether or not to sleep train my son, attachment was something that was at the forefront of my mind. I kept asking myself “will sleep training affect attachment with my child?” Maintaining healthy attachment with my son was a priority for me, as I’m sure it is for most parents. We all want…
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How To Avoid Derailing Sleep On The Fourth of July
The Fourth of July always kicked off what I call the great debate in our house: fireworks or no fireworks for our twin boys. I was always team fireworks and you can guess what team my husband was on! (aka no fun😜) I always wanted the boys to be able to enjoy all that the…
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Toddler Stalling Tactics at Bedtime: Calm The Chaos
Hi, I am Alex! I’m new to the Bella Luna team so you don’t know much about me yet! I’m excited to share more about my little one and some of the antics she has been up to lately, including typical toddler stalling tactics at bedtime! I am the proud mom to a beautiful, kind,…
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How Dads Can Help With Sleep Training: Father’s Day Special Edition
“How can Dads help with sleep training?” is a question my sleep coaching clients ask me A LOT. When baby arrives, Dads oftentimes feel a little left out and like they can’t do much to help. I remember my husband sharing these feelings with me when our boys were newborns. Many Dads want to be…
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Parent Sleep Tips
Even if we are laser focused and consistent on sleep for our little ones, sometimes we don’t prioritize sleep for ourselves! We just need a little alone time after the kids go to bed. Next thing you know it’s midnight and you know the next day isn’t going to be awesome. For me, it is…
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Newborn Sleep Tips from Alex, Bella Luna’s Newest Sleep Coach
Hi! My name is Alex. I am so excited to join the Bella Luna Family, helping families with their children’s sleep! I know a lot about sleep now, but when I was a new Mom, I was confused, like everyone else. Today, I’m going to share how I cut through the confusion. I’m also sharing…
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Sleep and Summer Vacation: Tips For Your Family
Thinking about sleep & summer vacation can bring on a full blown anxiety-fest in parents. “What if my baby doesn’t sleep on vacation?” “How can our toddler nap when we are on vacation?” “Is this vacation going to completely derail sleep?” We want to enjoy ourselves, but as any parent knows, overtired kiddos can be…
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Parental Preference – Babies
“I am the only person who can put my baby to bed”. Or conversely, “my baby will not let me put them to bed”. As a sleep consultant, these are some of the most common things I hear. Parental preference can be challenging for everyone involved. The preferred parent can start to feel overwhelmed, burnt…
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Picking A Sleep Training Method For Your Baby
When we are chatting with a family during an intro call, we get the same question a lot… “What sleep training methods do you use?” Great question! We are not one-size-fits-all sleep coaches and look at each family individually. During our 250+ hour certification training program, we were trained on multiple effective sleep training methods. Our…
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4 Steps to Sleep Training Success
Have you tried sleep training and let’s say…it just didn’t go to plan? Keep reading for tips to help you become a sleep training success!
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Creating the Ideal Sleep Environment for Your Baby
When I found out I was pregnant, almost instantly I was on Pinterest pinning a million gorgeous nurseries for inspiration. Cribs, bedding, and rugs – oh my! Then I found out there were two babies growing in there, the pinning was at fever pitch! You know what I wasn’t thinking about? Sleep! It was all…
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What Are Sleep Associations?
Exhausted Parents: “Why is my baby waking up all night long?” Me, frequently: “There are a lot of factors that play into healthy sleep, but one of the biggest factors is something we call sleep associations.” A sleep association, also known as a sleep crutch or sleep prop, is anything your baby or toddler has…
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Top 5 Reasons Your Baby or Toddler Is Waking Up Early
Nothing starts the day off on the wrong foot like a morning wake-up time with a 4 or a 5 in front of it! Early morning wake ups are tough on our children and on us parents. We are going to look at the top 5 reasons your baby or toddler is waking up early. When we…
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The Pacifier & Sleep – Friend or Foe?
We talk a lot about the pacifier with our sleep consulting clients. We get asked a lot of questions like… Should I keep the pacifier when sleep training? At what age should I take away the binkie? Some babies LOVE the pacifier from the start. As much of a comfort the pacifier can be for…
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Sleeping at Daycare
“I know they won’t be sleeping at daycare.” I remember when my twins were starting daycare. We had always had in home care and I worked from home so I could see them all the time. I was now trusting my heart and soul to someone else and that was scary. What worried me, almost…
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Teething & Sleep
Teething gets such a bad rap and is often a “catch-all” for most common baby concerns. Extra fussy? Teething. Chewing on hands? Teething. Extra night wakes? Yep, teething gets blamed for this a LOT! It can be so stressful as parents to see our babies fussy, in pain, or otherwise uncomfortable. It feels safe to…
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Daylight Savings Spring Forward 2021
Daylight Savings – Spring Forward 2021. More sunlight. Longer days. More outside fun, especially for those of us who live in the North. Does this also mean less sleep? It doesn’t have to! Daylight Savings Time Spring Forward starts in the US and Canada on Sunday, March 14, 2020, at 2:00 am. What this means…
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Newborn Twin Sleep Tips
“I’ve never written about twin sleep.” As a twin Mom and a child sleep coach that’s helped hundreds of twin families in the past 5 years, I think it’s a little crazy that I’ve never written about twin sleep! So from today forward, that statement will no longer be true! I’m flashing back to those…
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Sleep & Separation Anxiety in Babies and Toddlers
Separation anxiety in babies and toddlers can be intense. Your normally happy, (somewhat) adaptable child may start to act dramatically differently and have some very strong responses to being away from you. It can look like: Clinging and crying when it is time to be apart Crying when you are out of sight Fearful of…
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The 2 to 1 Nap Transition
Ah, the Promised Land! One glorious nap! I absolutely loved this schedule when my son was a toddler. A single, long midday nap gives you so much more freedom and flexibility — two things that are not easy to come by in parenthood. Nevertheless, let’s slow down a bit. While the one-nap schedule is amazing…
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Common Sleep Training Concerns
As a child sleep consultant, I talk with so many parents who are absolutely exhausted and struggling with their little one’s sleep. Many families are ready to sleep train so the whole family can be well-rested, but there are special circumstances that they fear will affect the sleep training process. We hear a lot of “I…
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8 Tips to Stop Poop From Interrupting Sleep
At some point or another in our motherhood journey, most of us exclaim “how can I stop poop from interrupting sleep!?” If you are in this situation or have been there in the past, you know how challenging it is! That is why I call this “The Dreaded Poop.” Pooping at bedtime, during nap or…
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3 to 2 Nap Transition Insight
Another nap transition? Already?! Parenting can seems like it’s just one thing after the next, especially with baby sleep and naps! Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, it changes. Two steps forward and one step back. It can be so frustrating and confusing trying to understand what is going on when your…
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Baby Sleep Cycles Explained
Have you been asking Google questions like this? “Why is my baby waking up all night? I just fed her!” “Why does my baby take short naps?” “Why is my baby restless in the early morning?” Let’s stop the scroll and let me help explain what’s going on… Your baby is having a hard time…
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Working with The Bella Luna Team
It’s New Year’s and a popular resolution is: GET MORE SLEEP! In fact, it was 6 years ago at this time that I began my journey to teaching my twins healthy sleep habits! Maybe you’ve been toying (obsessing) with the idea of getting help for your family’s sleep challenges. Maybe you’ve even been reading reviews…
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#1 Tip For Sleep Training Success
Picture this: you’re in Vegas… you’re not big into gambling, but you found a slot machine, and you sit down to play. You pull the lever the first time, you don’t win anything. That’s ok, it takes a few tries, right? You pull again, nothing. Again, nothing. You’re about to get up and move on…
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Are Babies Supposed to Sleep Through the Night?
“Are babies supposed to sleep through the night?” I have come across this question many times. Usually, it is presented as a reason why we shouldn’t sleep train. So let’s break it down… Literally no one sleeps through the night. Average Night For A Baby All human bodies wake many times during the night, usually…
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2020 Sleep Gift Guide for The Entire Family
It’s that time again! The holiday season is upon us and the hunt for the perfect gift has started. To help you with this hunt, we’ve put together our 2020 Sleep Gift Guide for the entire family. The gift of better sleep is the ultimate gift! We’ve got ideas for your… Husband who wakes up…
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Keep Your Child Well-Rested This Holiday Season
This week in the US, we kick off the holiday season with Thanksgiving. From many families the holiday season may look a little (ok, a lot) different this year due to the pandemic, but it can still be a busy time for families. I’m getting a lot of questions like, “how do I handle sleep…
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6 Reasons Your Baby is Taking Short Naps
If your little one is struggling with short naps, it can start to feel like you NEVER get a break. It can also lead to a fussy, overtired baby who can barely make it to bedtime. You’re not the only one who wants your babe to take longer naps – their little body needs consolidated,…
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4 to 3 Nap Transition Insight
I like to think the 4 to 3 nap transition is a nice little consolation for making it through the newborn phase! Longer naps, a more consistent and predictable schedule, longer wake times – this is what you have to look forward to by the end of this transition! Let’s talk it out so that…
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Halloween Sleep Tips
The Halloween sleep tips below will help you prepare your kids and yourself to have a lot of fun, but also preserve sleep this Halloween. Halloween is such a fun holiday! Costumes, candy and staying up late is kid paradise! As parents, we often have mixed emotions about Halloween. We want our kiddos to enjoy…
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Daylight Savings 2020 Fall Back Sleep Tips
Parents dread nothing more than end of Daylight Savings time change. Except maybe potty training!? Our friends without kids are psyched for the extra hour of sleep. And we are secretly envious of the days when we were “so busy and so tired” before kids! But we get snuggles and baby kisses so I’ll take…
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Soothing Your Baby With the 5 S’s
Babies are hanging out, baking in the womb, eating and sleeping around the clock. It’s dark, warm and snug. It’s also loud and there is a lot of jiggling from Mom moving around. Sounds like a pretty sweet place to be. Next thing they know, they are in the big, bright, overstimulating world and everything…
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Is My Child Ready To Drop Nap?
Let’s talk about the dreaded 1-0 Nap Transition. Was anyone else in denial that their child was ready to drop nap?! My son was just shy of four years old when it was time to say goodbye to his last remaining nap. #RIPnap Honestly, I probably let it go a little too long because I…
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Victoria’s Journey To Sleep Consulting
Hi there! I’m Victoria, I’m so excited to join the Bella Luna Family! I don’t know about you, but I love to hear other’s stories. So today I am going to share my journey to sleep consulting with you and some of my top tips! A couple of years ago, I had my son, Logan.…
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5 Tips To Boost Your Child’s Immune System
It’s back to school, during Covid-19 and the winter months are quickly approaching…PHEW! Let’s take some deep breaths and chat about our 5 favorite ways ways to naturally boost your child’s immune system. Tip #1: Prioritize Healthy Sleep I know…you’re shocked this is my number one suggestion, right? But seriously, sometimes we all need a…
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Back to School Sleep Tips – Covid 19 Style
Anyone else totally over the coronavirus? Glad I’m not alone. “Corona sucks!” My twin boys I can’t argue with them! I prefer they don’t use the work ‘sucks’, but I let it slide in this situation. I’m also over the back-to-school Mommy shaming about the choices each family is making for THEIR family. Whether you…
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What to Expect for Newborn Sleep
I remember the day we brought our twin boys home from the hospital – as we were walking out of the NICU, I was flooded with emotion and thought “I can’t believe they are letting me leave with these two babies! I have no idea what I’m doing!” See the picture below to see how…
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Thunderstorms and Fears – Tools to Help Your Child
Thunderstorms and fears seemed like the perfect topic for today’s post! As I’m typing this, there are loud rumblings outside and the sky is scary dark in the middle of the day. This morning, I had a call with a client whose child is having a difficult time at bedtime due to fears that arose…
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Managing Your Toddler’s Sleep and A New Baby
Many parents are trucking along, figuring out this parenthood gig and once we feel like we’ve got our sea legs, we decide to add a new baby to the mix. Let’s keep it interesting, right? While your toddler / preschooler may thank you later, some kiddos may not love the change at first. Sleep is…
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Why Is Sleep So Important For Our Immune Systems?
My family’s health and safety are always on the forefront of my mind, and even more so now. These are unprecedented times during the COVID-19 pandemic, with still so many unknowns. We are dealing with physical risks, as well as a huge loss of socialization and stimulation, all while trying to establish new routines and…
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Summer Vacation Sleep Tips
Summer vacations are quickly approaching and as parents, this can excite us and/or bring out all the what ifs. Whether you are a winging it parent, a planner parent or somewhere in between, this article on summer vacation sleep tips will help you preserve sleep for your entire family. A well-rested family has a lot…
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Top 10 Baby Sleep Myths & The Real Deal
This is how it goes, right? You have a baby. The advice comes pouring in from well-meaning family and friends and even strangers! (lucky us!) People ask “is she a good baby?” (what does that even mean?!) If you express your baby is having challenges sleeping, even more advice comes flowing in, usually around baby…
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