The Sleep Mums

This episode might be the only Sleep Mums you ever have to listen to… kidding, listen to them all, they’re awesome. But this is your cheat sheet. The fast track baby hacks to better sleep.

Parenthood has required way more in the way of fast and creative thinking than we ever imagined - fashioning a baby grow out of a scarf after a poonami, not a problem! However, as well as these naturally acquired skills it’s also good to fill your bag with some decent baby hacks too, just leave room for the wet wipes!

As with all our pods, we’ll shar five practical and useful tips and tricks. They might not all be quick fixes but if you stick with them, you and your baby will get more sleep.

1 – Breakfast o’ Clock 2 – Bedtime alarm  3 – Baby Suppers 4 – Another Kind of Baby Bottle 5 – All change at night?

In this episode we’ll look at how much playtime and sleep are linked. And, what can be a tough gig for some parents - how to play through baby’s first year (and beyond) - without being Mr Tumble!

Finding ways to keep your baby awake is just as important as helping them learn how to sleep. Your baby needs sleep to process the world and milk to fuel them but they learn language, creativity and intellectual skills through play. So, yeah, it’s kind of a big deal.

We'll also answer our listener Louise’s question about tummy time for her daughter.

1 – Why play?  2 – Do I need to be a children’s entertainer?  3 – Best toys?  4 – Play through the first year and beyond 5 – Too much play?

This week, we’ll share with you the most important piece of baby sleep advice you’ll ever hear. It’s The Sleep Mums' Golden Rule. A lot of parents don’t like rules when it comes to parenting advice but this rule will give you more freedom, not less. Plus it will help you and your family get more sleep. In fact, this episode is a total gold mine of baby sleep chat!

We’ll also answer our listener Kerry’s request for help on moving her 4.5 month old baby from her Moses basket to a cot.

1 – Sarah’s Favourite Word  2 – The Sleep Mums Golden Rule  3 – Coping with changes  4 – Staying on track  5 – The Golden Golden Rule

There’s a big difference between sleep associations, comforters and sleep props. One can be a useful tool that helps direct baby towards sleep the other is something that can be exhausting for a parent or care giver. But which is which? This week’s episode it's the battle of the bedtime buddies!

We’ll look at different sleep associations, how to ensure they are a positive part of your baby’s bedtime routine and how to make Mr Monkey work for you!

We’ll also answer our listener Laura’s question about how she can help get rid of her daughter’s dummy without messing up bedtime!

1 – What is a sleep association?  2 – What is a comforter? 3 – What is a prop?  4 – Are props bad?  5 – Is a dummy a comforter or a prop?

📌 Please read before listening

This episode was recorded in 2020. Infant safe sleep guidance is regularly reviewed and updated, and some information discussed may no longer reflect current recommendations. We always encourage parents to follow the most up to date guidance from the NHS and The Lullaby Trust (lullabytrust.org.uk) on all matters of infant sleep safety.

When in doubt, please consult your health visitor, midwife, or GP.

My daughter said to me recently ‘I’m so tired of this virus’. I think that’s how we’re all feeling. Everything is more exhausting because we’re having to rethink everything we do, let alone the stresses that so many of us are under. Sleep is often the first thing to go when life’s unsettled and that’s true if you’re a baby, child or a (semi) grown up.

In this episode, we’ll look at five simple things that will help you* and your family get better sleep in these weird times

*lavender pillow spray and whale sounds not included!

1 – How to be a Lockdown Queen 2 – Balancing Your Day 3 – Too Soft? 4 – Too Hard? 5 – Talking About Feelings

This week, we’re busting SLEEP MYTHS. When you have a baby people are always telling you to do this or never EVER do that it can be hard to know who to listen to. Bob at playgroup seems like he knows what he’s talking about, but does he?

In each Sleep Mums episode we usually share five simple things that will help your baby sleep better. This week, we’re giving you five bits of sleep advice you can absolutely IGNORE!

By knowing these myths are as fictional as your babies bedtime story it will help you understand baby sleep better and, hopefully, get you and your baby more kip.

1 – Tired Baby Better Sleep? 2 – Later Bedtime = Later Wake-time? 3 – Never Wake a Sleeping Baby 4 – You Don’t Need to Wind a Breastfed Baby 5– Sleep Regressions Don’t Exist.

Settling is the word that Sarah and I use to talk about how to help your baby to sleep; all the time… but especially when it seems like they really don’t want to!

This episode will arm you with a tool belt of settling techniques that will help you help your baby get off to sleep. We'll also share some coping techniques to get you through the toughest of nights.

Plus, we'll answer this week's listener question - how can I settle my baby without feeding?

Five Things About Settling

1  – What is settling

2 – What is cry it out

3 – Settling techniques 

4 – How settling techniques change with age 

5 – How to cope when it’s feeling hard

Routines and schedules: these are words that can, as a parent, either fill you with joy or absolute horror. However you feel about routines, though, this episode will give you guidance and tips (that definitely won’t fill you with horror!). We'll also give you a crib sheet on what many of the other baby sleep books miss out – how to hack a routine.

We’ll answer our listener Laura's question about routines and putting baby to sleep... awake!

Five Things About Routines: 1 – What is a routine? 2 – What is not a routine? 3 – What do you need to fit in a day? 4 – How to keep a routine. 5 – How to hack a routine.

Cat and Sarah x

The Bedtime Routine is like a big neon sign telling baby it’s time for the BIG sleep. In the early days it can feel like they’re just going down for another nap – I mean you’re definitely going to see them before morning! - but setting the foundations of a routine that will grow with you and baby AND help them sleep is totally worth it.

In this episode we’ll look at what a bedtime routine really is and how you can create one that works for you and your family.

Plus, we’ll answer listener Michael's question about how he can best support his partner at bedtime.

We often focus on night-time sleep as that’s the time everyone in the house would like to get some shut eye. However, one of the keys to good sleep at night is great naps. Sometimes, it can feel like we have to work really hard for these magical beasts of baby sleep but in this episode Sarah and I will share how to make naps work for you, giving you both better sleep during the day but also at night. Win-win.

We’ll also answer one of your questions about naps, putting our advice to practise in the real world.

Listen up and sleep soon,

Cat and Sarah x