Tag Archives: sleep consultant

10 Things You May Not Know About Me…

May 24, 2016 Janelle Leave a comment

I thought I would take the opportunity to share a little bit about myself and hopefully I get to find out a little bit about you too. We might have some things in common?? Do we?

1) I can read and write upside down. This has served me well as a teacher seeing I spend most of my days reading and writing this way.

2) I love to travel. Having the “travel bug” is true for me. I literally get this physical pain high in my stomach when I need to ‘escape’.

3) I drink a lot of wine. In fact I probably drink far too much wine.

4) I am left-handed. Even friends I have known for years will suddenly say “I didn’t know you were left-handed” like it’s something quite shocking!

5) I am allergic to the gym. To be honest I HAVE given the gym a fair crack and when people say that overtime the more you go the more addicted you become, really isn’t true for me. I went for a whole year (twice a week) and hated every minute of it. It was torture.

6) I need my sleep. If I am not sleeping well then I am a red-hot mess. I cry and have tantrums like a 2year old.

7) I love watching “The Real Wives of Beverly Hills.” It is my guilty pleasure and makes me feel a whole lot better about my life.

8) I get anxious a lot. It is a daily battle to manage it and I succeed most of the time with strategies I have learnt over time.

9) I have been married for 10years. I went to the UK for a holiday and bought a husband. Talk about having excess baggage!

10) I am an introvert. This doesn’t mean I hide away from society. In fact I love being in other people’s company but when I’m done, I’m done. I need to chill out on my own.

I know this blog post is not sleep related but I want you to know I am human. I am imperfect in the most perfect way. Please leave a comment and tell me something about yourself…

Janelle Jeffery Child Sleep Consultant for Sleepytime — Janelle Jeffery
Child Sleep Consultant for Sleepytime

About Janelle, Baby Sleep, Parenting

The time I gave up and accepted sleep help for my baby.

May 18, 2016 Janelle Leave a comment

Accepting or asking for help is hard but so wroth it.

Currently I am a member of a specific Facebook group where mums get to share and ask for each other for parenting help. I often feel saddened when one poor sleep deprived mum asks for sleep help for their baby or child. Nine times out of ten other mums share their ideas (which is great) but many say “suck it up” or “if you wanted sleep you shouldn’t have become a mum in the first place.” It can be a brutal world out there.

Not that long ago I was that sleep deprived mum, yet Facebook wasn’t a big thing. Hard to believe I know. I was curled up in a ball… my husband came home with advice and tips from another dad from his work, to help us with our daughter’s sleep or lack there of. I had been up every hour feeding, pumping and settling her. During the day I was lucky to get 45mins at a time. I didn’t ask Robert for help overnight because he was out working all day and I was a stay at home mum. This was my job right? Obviously I wasn’t very good at “faking it” or pretending to keep my shit together after all. I was an educated woman with over a decade of experience with children, so why was I finding this parenting gig so bloody tough? I WAS SLEEP DEPRIVED AND I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT THE HELL I WAS DOING!! I am still astounded you can just walk out of hospital with your baby, no questions asked. It’s harder to adopt a pet!! Anyway, I digress.

Ok, back to that moment, the old me would have told Robert to shove his so called “sleep knowledge” where the sun don’t shine. Well, I probably did say something like “so you think I’m a crap mother.” But the next day I digested what he said to me; I did some research, and I started to try a few settling techniques…. And guess what???? EUREKA IT WORKED!!

Now it wasn’t a magic solution, but what I got was guidance and knowledge about baby sleep and what to try to do to help her sleep a little longer for naps and at night. It took patience, consistency and teamwork. It worked because I gave up being stubborn and accepted the sleep help, support and advice I was offered.

The reason I want to share this moment with you is because it was a pivotal point in my life where I understood that asking for help, for anything, was far better than struggling through and “getting on with it.” We are not trained to be parents and we are not perfect. Whether you need sleep help, lactation support or even just a time out to shave your legs – ask for it!! By asking for help you are not a failure, you are finally accepting that you live in a loving community, not in isolation. As my mother used to say “a problem shared is a problem halved.”

Do you want some professional advice about your baby or child’s sleep? Are you looking for a holistic approach and not a quick fix? Do you want help from someone who has experienced what it is like to be a sleep deprived parent? Book here

Baby Sleep, Child Sleep, Toddler Sleep

How to Avoid Summer Sleep Trouble

November 16, 2015 Janelle Leave a comment

Summer used to be my favourite time of year. Late nights, barbecues with friends, lazy mornings. Since becoming a mother, my ideal summer has changed somewhat. Now I have the challenge of a child struggling with sleep. Here are my best 3 tips to help you survive the summer months and promote the best opportunity for sleep for your entire family.

Sleeping in the summer months can be tricky for everyone.

1. Darkness

Our bodies need darkness to produce melatonin. Melatonin is what makes us sleepy. During the summer months, it can still be light outside making it more difficult for your child to fall asleep. Try your best to use thick, block-out or blackout curtains in your child’s bedroom. This is also really important in the morning when the level of melatonin in our bodies is at it’s lowest. The smallest amount of sunlight can wake your child ready to start the day!

2. Temperature

If our bodies are too hot, we find it difficult to sleep. If your child has been running around, offer a lukewarm bath or shower to help drop their body temperature a little. Provide quiet, calm activities before bed.

If you live in a hot house like me, dress your little one in very light layers when they first go to bed. Later in the evening, you may want to add another layer over the top, because as the temperature drops in the early hours, you do not want your child to wake feeling cold. It can be really tricky getting the right balance so sometimes it is a bit of trial and error. For safe wrapping, visit here.

3. Avoid Over-Scheduling

This is a busy time for many families. With so many social events filling up our diaries, it can be hard to say ‘no’. I say everything needs to be in balance. If your child has had a late night or a day of missed naps, then the next day, try to stay closer to home and offer the best opportunity to catch up on lost sleep.

Our children’s bodies do need a certain amount of sleep each day. If that is reduced, then they carry a “sleep debt”. If that sleep debt if not addressed quickly, it will impact on your child’s sleep permanently. A child not sleeping is one tired and cranky household!!

The overall message here is be consistent with bedtime as much as possible. If there has been any missed sleep, make sure your child has a chance to catch up. Make sure your child’s environment is perfect to promote the best quality sleep possible.

Book in a time to chat with me here.

Sleep well!

About Janelle, Child Sleep, Parenting, Sleep Products, Toddler Sleep

My daughter sucks her fingers!

August 20, 2015 Janelle Leave a comment

Sucking fingers or a thumb is a self-soothing strategy.

Before I became a parent I had this mental list of “my child will never…” One of those specifically was “my child will never suck their thumb.” I was really against it and thought it was a “bad habit” kids had.

Once Emily arrived she quickly refused the dummy and decided to suck her fingers instead. I guess technically it wasn’t her thumb!! At first I was really concerned as I had images of my beautiful little girl having horrendous bucked teeth.

Once learning more about infant sleep, I realised that finger and thumb sucking was in fact the perfect “self-settling tool” as the sucking sensation calms and soothes. It was something she could do for herself. Emily was an excellent sleeper and the finger sucking was only for sleep, not all through the day.

Fast forward and Emily is now 5. Recently we visited a dentist and we were told her front teeth were starting to move forward. She advised us that stopping this habit was best done prior to her permanent teeth coming though.

I was dreading tackling this issue because Emily was such a great sleeper and I didn’t want to mess with that, also I didn’t want her to be upset. I’m such a wimp!

So operation finger sucker began…

1) Talk – In the lead up to preventing Emily from sucking her fingers during the night we talked a lot about why we needed to stop the habit. I showed her a couple of pictures of children on the Internet that had bucked teeth. This wasn’t to scare her but to help explain what we were trying to prevent.

2) Reward – We talked about what we could do to reward her for not sucking her fingers. She decided she wanted to have earn a lolly every morning she didn’t suck her fingers. After 10 mornings, she wanted to go ten-pin bowling. Yep, I wouldn’t have picked that one!

3) Begin small – For a fortnight before starting, Emily stopped sucking her fingers during story time. This was difficult but not impossible for her. Giving lots of praise was crucial.

4) Tool – I decided Emily needed a tool to help her, as just asking her to not suck her fingers would be impossible plus I couldn’t watch her all through the night to check. I bought a “T-Guard™” which is basically a device that slips over the fingers (or thumb) to prevent suction. It is this suction that is comforting and pleasurable for children. It is the suction that pulls the teeth forward.

So with everything in place, we started “operation finger sucker”. I am shocked that Emily is doing so well. We are 5 nights into it and so far so good. Not being able to monitor everything that is going on is tricky, so I have to hope that it is working. I wish I had a video monitor!!

Emily is not thrilled about no longer sucking her fingers but she is settling really well at night and after a few early mornings, she is right on track. She is excited every morning to get a lolly in her bag plus a step closer to bowling. It is recommended she wear the guard for 45 nights so I guess we have a long way to go.

Sleep well.

Janelle Jeffery Child Sleep Consultant for Sleepytime Child Educator and Behaviour Specialist. — Janelle Jeffery
Child Sleep Consultant for Sleepytime.

Baby Sleep, Child Behaviour, Child Sleep, Sleep Training Methods

When will my baby sleep through the night?

July 17, 2015 Janelle 2 Comments

How many times have you been asked, “So, is he sleeping through the night yet?” It seems that sleeping through the night is some kind of measure of success as a mother. If your baby isn’t sleeping through then what are YOU doing wrong? Cue all feelings of guilt and failure now…

What does sleeping through really mean?

Everyone seems to have his or her own interpretation of what sleeping through the night means. Some people say it’s 5 straight hours, others say 12hours. I believe, once a baby enters the cot at night, say around 7-8pm, and self-settles through the night (not needing help from mum or dad to fall back to sleep) and wakes any time after 6-7am, is sleeping through the night. As adults, we will wake up through the night from time to time when we are in the light phase of sleep. Babies need to wake too; it’s just that they are a little noisier about it. If your baby has managed to fall back to sleep independently then they are sleeping through!

So, what about feeding through the night? Babies need to be fed through the night. Some babies will drop the night feed as early as 3months old and some babies will still require a feed at 8months old. If your baby is waking through the night for one to two feeds but he can fall back to sleep all on his own after the feed AND he can settle himself other times during the night, then I believe he is sleeping through.

When should my baby be sleeping through?

All babies are different. As said earlier, some babies will drop all night feeds as early as 3months old and can resettle themselves without the help of mum or dad and will sleep 12hours straight. This is not the norm. Lots of babies (if everything goes to plan) will start sleeping through and not needing a feed at about 6months old. Some babies will take a little longer.

If your baby is waking frequently during night needing to be fed back to sleep, rocked, cuddled, bounced etc then maybe it is time to seek help. Good quality sleep is vital for healthy development. Asking for help isn’t a sign of failure as a parent.

Every baby is different and sometimes all you need is a little guidance and support from someone in the know. Book here to have a chat together. During this time we can discuss the needs of your child, the support I offer and how you can achieve sleep success in a caring and loving way! Sleep well!

Help your child to love sleep