Tips for lessening the stress around sleep

It’s a common understanding that sleep is essential for better health. As adults, we’re often advised to keep to a reasonably regular schedule and to get a nourishing eight hours a night in order to feel refreshed and energised. But for the majority of new parents, this ideal is impossible. Long stretches of uninterrupted sleep […]

Things I learned at baby sleep school – Part 2

Once we settled in our new dwellings, I started to make friends with my fellow sleep-deprived mums. One of the great things about such a facility, there was absolutely no judgment from other parents. Just a knowing nod across the hallway and eyes that were met with the greatest empathy. Everyone was in the same […]

Surviving the 4-month sleep regression

One of the best things that happen to parents is when their baby starts sleeping through the night; the worst is when that sleep cycle stops … All of a sudden naps get short, helping baby fall asleep takes forever, baby wakes up constantly, baby wakes up miserable, and simply won’t sleep. You cannot get […]

10 tips for surviving with a newborn and a toddler

The first few weeks with newborn are challenging. The sleepless nights, exhaustion, abdominal pain, engorged breasts, vaginal bleeding, sore nipples, emotional upheaval, the list goes on … Throw into the mix an energetic, possibly needy and confused toddler (or two!) and you are on your way to what I like to call “extreme parenting”. Whatever […]

5 ways to stay sane while sleep-deprived

It’s 3am… and there it is again. I’ve been here many times before – the middle of the night wake-up cry… the sixth since I crawled into bed tonight. I knew when I was pregnant that this was going to happen, but I had somehow successfully wiped any memory of this exhausted feeling from my […]

Sleep tips for parents of multiples

Sleep is a big important issue for new parents. And if you’re expecting twins then there are some extra challenges and specific tips you should know. Here’s some sleep advice for parents expecting multiples from sleep consultant Cheryl Fingleson. Remember that twins tend to arrive between 36 and 38 weeks or even earlier. If your twins are born […]

4 ways to look after your relationship when you have a newborn

Having a baby can add a lot of stress to your relationship. Even the happiest couples find that their marriage becomes strained with the demands of caring for a newborn. Between the lack of sleep, post-natal hormones, and the constant need to care for the baby, most couples struggle during the first three months of […]

How to survive sleep deprivation

Have the first few months (or even years) of parenthood totally messed up your sleeping pattern? Feeling tired and pushing through, maybe with a coffee or a bit of chocolate, seems to be the ‘normal’ way of coping with insomnia and parenthood. Unfortunately sleep deprivation will turn even the sanest person crazy and no amount […]

10 steps to swaddle your baby safely

Swaddling is one of the many choices new parents face. Current research and information is based upon swaddling babies for sleep – swaddling is not recommended during wakeful hours when the infant is moving and more active. Naturally, the baby has a say — some will sleep well when securely swaddled, and others won’t. A common […]

How long can you use ‘baby brain’ as an excuse?

I’m a mum, wife, writer and lover of good coffee and I suffer from baby brain. My symptoms include; inability to hold a conversation for longer than five minutes consistent jumbling of words, sometimes trailing off mid-sentence while having a conversation with a fellow adult, while at the same time trying to keep an eye […]