1. Click the above link to Nominate a Sleep Deprived Crazy Momma of Arizona who is sleep deprived but can’t afford to get personalize help. Tell us a little about what is going on to make her so sleep deprived (must be baby related). And tell me why she is a great mom! I don’t need to hear about her financial details but keep in mind that this is for a mom in need. Post your nomination in the comments.
2.The nominated mom should be a member of my local sleep group https://www.facebook.com/groups/Sleepdeprivedcrazymommasofphoenix/ so please join the group.
3. I will be counting likes for each nomination. Feel free to comment on the nomination with your support. Likes and Comments will help sway the decision to pick the winner.
4. Please include a cute photo of the sleep challenged baby that you don’t mind being used for future posts and tips on my sites. All photos will be saved and some will be used for tips and blog posts.
5. The winner will receive the premium package sleep consultation that was donated by a local mom.
Includes: Sleep history to fill out, videos to watch, an hour phone consultation, up to 6 follow up calls and 2 weeks of unlimited texting for quick questions. https://getquietnights.com/schedule-a-consultation/
6. The nominator of the winner will get a free pass to a future sleep class. No expiry date.
7. I plan to choose the winner by Thanksgiving so we can get her sleeping by Christmas.
Update: THE WINNER IS… Brittany Marie With 48 likes/loves and lots of comments of support! Brittany Marie wins a premium Consultation. It was so close that I would also like to offer Michelle Letterly a basic Consultation and Maranda Shaw gets a mini consultation to help support her. I hope all these amazing Mommas can get sleep by Christmas. Thanks for all your support. Karen Hazelton Gable was the nominator of the winner so she wins a free pass to the next sleep class if she needs it. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
I often get asked about how to help soothe the baby during times of teething or illness. It’s important to note that the world is full of various levels of stimulus and a baby’s ability to cope and regulate depends on their level of maturity and readiness to self-soothe. This ability is “compromised” in times of added stress from sickness, teething or developmental milestones. Extra assistance calming the baby is needed to help regulate their feelings of wellbeing. As babies grow, they will get better managing every-changing levels of stress. The more you help then when they are young, the more likely they will get to more independent levels sooner.
Do you get advice from everyone? A common question is, “How is your baby sleeping?” but that is the WRONG question. The right question is, “How are YOU sleeping?”
Babies don’t have to sleep well to be healthy and normal. But a mom who isn’t sleeping enough isn’t healthy or feels normal.
Many mom’s can cope just fine with a baby who wakes to feed frequently throughout the night and recognizes that it’s temporary and normal. If you don’t have a problem with how often your baby is waking, than it is NOT a problem. Don’t compare your baby to other babies. The range of normal for babies under 6 months old is so broad that there is no normal.
If you are not coping well with a baby who wakes frequently, then maybe there is something you can do about it. Maybe changing your expectations is all you can do temporarily or maybe there are some coping strategies you can incorporate. The baby brain is quickly developing and under 4 months is not the time to sleep train. But finding better ways to read their body language may help. Or changing your room environment may help. Or trying for more naps more frequently during the day may help. Or feeding your baby more frequently during the day may help. Or trying motion sleep, or co-sleeping. All great coping strategies.
There are many books to help with sleep. There are many sleep trainers and sleep coaches to help with sleep including me. There are many Facebook groups to help with sleep including my own Sleep Sisters Get Quiet Nights. If working with a sleep trainer or sleep coach, ask about their method. If they won’t tell you, don’t hire them. The general idea of the methods they use shouldn’t be a secret. You don’t want to get stuck with a cry it out or a modified cry it out if you wanted a gentle method. Gentle methods are responsive and feel good and safe when you get all the details. A sleep plan should also cover your daytime needs so you have a calm (not overtired) baby at bedtime.
I feel sad when a mom comes to me after having a bad experience with another sleep trainer. The method should feel good with your parental intuition. You have that intuition for a reason. Please follow it.
Let me know if you need my help.
Tracy Spackman Gentle Sleep Coach GetQuietNights.com
I was googling myself today in an “incognito” browser so I could see where I was ranking for the common keep words. I used “Sleep Coach Mesa” (since that’s what my current sleepless family used) to see where I ranked and what they saw. I was happy to see I was in the top TWO spots and then near the bottlom of that first page was a post from North Phoenix Family Magazine titled Five Things Keeping Babies from Sleeping which made me stop since that is the title of the talk I give to mom’s groups at hospitals and community events. So I clicked on it and sure enough, it WAS me. It was an article I had written for them a long time ago. Usually I can spend 60-90 minutes on this topic and I remember that I was given a word limit so this is breif and to the point. Check it out Here. http://northphoenixfamily.com/five-things-keeping-babies-from-sleeping/
January 10, 2016 at 3:19pm Taken from the Facebook Group Sleep Sisters Get Quiet Nights Nancy: Ladies, I need you! I’m needing to prove to my husband that Tracy Spackman is worth every penny!!! If you have used her sleep coaching methods will you, please tell me your thoughts! He’s like at the price and I’m like every two hours, every night!! I need this! I don’t mind sacrificing somethings else in order to pay for this but he needs some convincing! Thank you!! Ashley: There is no price for the gift of sleep!! I haven’t used her but anything to help is worth it…I mean they use sleep deprivation as a war tactic because it is hell! I hired a night nanny for my twins and I am now sleep training using the book “healthy sleep habits, happy twins” there is a single version too called “healthy sleep habits, happy child” I am in day 3 of training and wow, it is totally working!!!
Lindsey: Have your husband wake up with your baby every couple hours for a week, maybe he’ll change his mind!! Btw went with Tracy with my 18-month old last month. My son was waking 5 times a night easy and requiring a feeding while sleeping with me and my husband. My son now is on his on crib and sleeping through the night. One wake up here or there but drastically different. No feedings either. Everyone including you and your baby needs better sleep. You’ll literally feel like a different person. It’s amazing and life changing. I didn’t believe it until my sister and with her and I saw the results and decided to make a change myself. It’s expensive but truly is worth it. There’s different packages. Maybe try to swing the middle package seemed to work just fine for us.
Amy: Tracy changed our lives! We were exhausted and within 2 weeks were getting so much more sleep! Do it! It’s the best money you will spend!
Sarah: I agree, it’s the best thing you’ll ever spend your money on. Because you get your sanity back!!!
Sarah: Saved my life. Didn’t sleep train with my first until 21 months. Felt like I was dying at that point. After a few nights, the whole family was sleeping soundly. Couldn’t have done it without Tracy Spackman!
Loren: My hubby was skeptical but now tells everyone it was the best money we’ve ever spent. Baby sleeps 730-730 most nights Still naps 2 x a day and even maintains schedule majority of the time through transitions including teething. (He woke a few nights but back to normal within a week)
Liana: My husband felt the same way, so I equated to a few nights in a hotel …. Vs. Permanent sleep solution! If I would have known then what I know now, 1. I would have done it sooner and 2. I would have paid double!!!
Flora: I agree completely with Liana. Tracy helped our daughter whose little guy had multiple health issues coupled with severe sleeping problems. I was hesitant to think that Tracy could even help. To say the results were miraculous is almost an understatement. She is definitely worth the money! I almost cry when I think about how much she has helped our family. I, too, wish we had used Tracy much, much earlier.
Jennifer: Is there somewhere I can find out how much the packages cost?
Nancy: There is a website. Google her. I will try to find it
Nancy: http://www.getquitenights.com/
Jennifer: Awesome! Thank you!
Tracy Spackman: Jennifer, we can start with a free 15-minute call. I’m available in the evenings or message me or text me your number and I will call you when I have a break during the day tomorrow. 602-524-7610
Jennifer: That would be great!
Nancy: I’m crying guys. Maybe over emotional, maybe extreme sleep deprivation, but I’m so inspired.
Inzer: She also offers group classes for $75.
Nancy: I’m not Local.
Kristi: Best money spent ever! It’s such a gentle way of getting them to sleep and tell him it will give you guys more alone time.
Rosalind: My son was like yours – up every 1.5-2 hours then nurse back to sleep every time. Night 1 he fell asleep in 20 minutes and by night 3 he slept for 10 hours straight. Worth every penny.
Tracy Spackman: I love everyone’s comments. Thank you. There are many pages of success stories on my website. Look for the ones about the family with 6 kids not sleeping. Those are amazing. I just cut and paste comments like this that families send me. (The link to take you to the next page of success stories on the site is a tiny “>>” in blue. I don’t know how to make it say “next page”.) https://getquietnights.com/testimonials/
Nancy: I’m just waiting on my husband to check into his hotel so we can get the ball rolling! He read the testimonials on his plane ride! Now waiting to hear his response!!
Kelly: I have not used her. She sounds great! But there is no price to put on your sanity and your relationships including your husbands!!!!! Sleep training was the best thing we’ve ever done
Niki: Her method works and it’s life changing. The best money we’ve spent on our baby/family. We spend so much money on baby stuff that you don’t really need when sleep effects your (and baby’s) health, mood and relationship. I would rather save the money for sleep training then a baby swing.
Alexia: We did it when my son was 10 months old!!! It was great, amazing actually…life changing!!! My little one was never a good sleeper, we ended up bed sharing for months, he would not sleep in his crib for more than 2 hrs a night and he had to be in a sleep coma…He was always waking up a couple of times a night but after our trip to Greece it was 6 times a night. So I didn’t have any other option, I was the one waking up at night and I had to sleep in his room. It took me a week after I talked to Tracy to start it because I was scared of the whole process as I am against CIO. From the first night of the training, he slept the whole night in the crib and from then on, it got better and better. We had ups and downs, early wakings etc and he was waking up once a night until he was 18 months old but I would put him in the crib awake and he would fall asleep on his own and sleep well…So once a night was amazing…!!! Since he turned 18 months he has started to sleep without wake ups…!!! I would do it again in a heartbeat…Good Luck.
Ashley: You can’t pour from an empty cup. My cup was empty ( sleep deprived) then I meet Tracy and my son started sleeping12 hrs a night. Worth it
Lindsey: I was in your same place with my 5-month old who was waking every two hours. My husband knows I’m a pretty strong person and can handle a lot, but the sleep thing wasn’t working for me at all. The morning of my birthday I melted down, I was sobbing because of how exhausted I was and told him to take back anything he got me and all I wanted was to work with Tracy. So I guess in a way I let him see a side of me that he NEVER sees so that he knew how much it was impacting me.
You could also really play to what your husband values. I talked to him about how Tracy’s information is founded in research and understanding the biology of sleep and that it’s not as natural of a process as we sometimes think it to be. This helped him see the science behind it instead of seeing it as counseling or something along those lines.
Of course now, he says it’s the best money we ever spent.
Lori: I used a different person but similar method and my boyfriend thought it was nuts but I was at the end of my rope! Sleep deprivation was killing me and us and I wanted my baby to get good sleep. At 4 1/2 months, her waking up 10-12 times a night was looney! It was hands down THE BEST money I ever spent. Our baby now sleeps 11-13 hours a night and life became bearable. When we have sleep blips, I have a clear plan to refer to and feel much more confident and not so hopeless. DO it!!
Melissa: Life changing! For us (the parents) the key to success was setting ourselves up for success. We took a lot of time to study the techniques, have our plan, go over our plan, and to get 100% on the same page (mom+dad). Then we made sure to clear our schedule for like 7-10 days so we knew we could focus exclusively on sleep coaching when it was needed. Then we started and within 1-2 days we saw BIG results and within 4-5 days we were sleeping through the night. Insane!! My husband is not one to spend on “luxuries” but he is Tracy’s biggest advocate. When I say we would have paid 10x what she asks if we had known how awesome the results would be – I would not be exaggerating!!! Good luck!
Sedona: I also used a sleep coach with both my kids. Expensive, but worth every penny. Only caveat I would make is to make sure your baby doesn’t have any medical conditions that could get in the way. My second had very bad reflux so wasn’t able to sleep as long as quickly as my first. Feeding her smaller amounts more often actually helped her reflux which meant keeping our night feeds much longer than usual.
Meghna: Happy wife = Happy life. If you’re sleep-deprived, your immune system takes a beating and you get sick more often. If you get sick, your husband will have to take time off work to take care of the baby: $$. If you get sick, your milk supply will suffer. More $$. And you’ve heard of the stories of sleep-deprived parents so tired that they miss their footing and fall down the stairs, breaking various bones? My husband actually almost brushed his teeth with his razor one morning, even putting toothpaste on it! Besides, isn’t HE getting up with the baby as well? If not, why not? He won’t understand unless he takes an equal share of the parenting chores. My husband was—and is—constantly traveling, so for us it was a no-brainer. I started with the lowest tier, but within a day I was so utterly grateful for how much Tracy Spackman was helping us that neither my husband nor I batted an eyelash while we upgraded. I have friends whose babies slept much better than mine, or who took to other sleep-training methods, but mine needed Tracy Spackman’s help, and we’ve never regretted it. When my second son came along, it wasn’t even a discussion: my husband turned to me at the 2-month mark and asked, “So when are we calling Tracy?” LOL.
Nancy: How many days did it take for you? I have a very attached 9-month old.
Meghna: Nancy, Well, I sleep-trained at 5 months. My older son took 10 days, and my younger took 2 – 2.5 weeks.
Carolyn: My husband and daughter were both like your husband and baby. We did a group session which cost significantly less and was very helpful. Our daughter wouldn’t sleep in her crib and was waking us every 45 minutes. I literally went crazy. Tracy helped us coach her and now she likes her crib and wakes 1-2 times per night. So much better!
Update: (January 11 at 12:58pm)
Nancy: Well here we go! I spoke with Tracy Spackman and we came up with the perfect plan for my sweet baby boy. She taught me so much that my mind could explode. Tonight will be our first night of sleep coaching. My husband is out of town. I’m excited and very nervous. I need this to work!
Quiet Night’s Sleep Coaching Receives 2015 Best Businesses of Phoenix Award
Phoenix Award Program Honors the Achievement
Phoenix, September 10, 2015 — Quiet Night’s Sleep Coaching has been selected for the 2015 Best Businesses of Phoenix Award in the Counseling & Mental Health category by the Best Businesses of Phoenix Award Program.
Each year, the Best Businesses of Phoenix Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Phoenix area a great place to live, work and play.
Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2015 Best Businesses of Phoenix Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Best Businesses of Phoenix Award Program and data provided by third parties.
About the Best Businesses of Phoenix Award Program
The Best Businesses of Phoenix Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Phoenix area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.
The Best Businesses of Phoenix Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community’s contributions to the U.S. economy.
SOURCE: Best Businesses of Phoenix Award Program
CONTACT:
Best Businesses of Phoenix Award Program
Email: PublicRelations@BestBusinesses.biz
URL: http://www.BestBusinesses.biz
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It used to be believed that you were teaching a baby to cry more if you picked them up when they cried, thinking that that baby will learn to cry to get attention. The opposite has been proven to be true. When you pick up a crying child, you are helping them to regulate (co-regulation) and they will, as a result, be more resilient, especially when this attention is given in the first year. When a toddler, ages 1.5, 2, 3 (or sometimes older too), has a meltdown and is crying, it is often related to autonomy and security. Their idea of independence and having a lack of physical ability to accomplish what they are imagining themselves doing. They need your positive attention, picking them up, responding with love and patience, please don’t feel threatened. It’s not about you. Dr. Jean-Victor Wittenberg,(child psychiatrist and Head of the Infant Psychiatry Program at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and Co-Chair of Infant Mental Health Promotion (IMHP) which provides teaching for front-line professionals and develops advocacy initiatives on behalf of infant mental health), recently stated thatyou don’t need to squelch that behavior. When they are having a meltdown, It’s about them and their development and personal frustration and insecurities. By helping them regulate, offering help and concern, hugs and attention, it helps them know that this world is a good place and you are not going anywhere. You child may be realizing there are relationships outside of yours and theirs and they are insecure about it. You need to fortify that bond for them. It’s understandable that you want to teach good behavior but it’s the underlying regulation issues going on under the tantrum that need addressing which will bring about better long term behavior with resilience and independence. Learning Self Regulation is a long, ongoing process and in the learning period, there is a lot of co-regulation that goes on between caregiver and child to help the child learn to control his/her emotions and modify them, or in other words, to deal with the big emotions that come with the ups and downs of life. This is why I like gentle methods when it comes to sleep. The temperaments of babies vary and we as caregivers need to modify our responsive to give them the best chance of good mental health and life success. Tracy Spackman is a Certified Gentle Sleep Coach www.GetQuietNights.com https://www.facebook.com/QuietNights 602-524-7610
Early Rising is one of the most frustrating parts of Baby and Toddler Sleeping Issues. You have put great effort into helping your child learn sleep skills and even though they are generally sleeping through the night, the early rising is slowly killing you. (I’m being just a little dramatic)
Early Rising is when the baby or toddler wakes and can’t get back to sleep well before you are ready to wake up and start your day. More technically, it’s likely before 6am. The body’s sleep cycles are different in those early hours and it’s harder to get back to sleep anyway.
Here are the things that typically cause Early Rising and once you have identified the cause, you can work on the solution.
1. Lack of day sleep. Your child’s body has a period of time it can stay awake and when she runs out of energy, she has a sleep window. If she is not falling asleep by the end of the sleep window, her body produces a hormone called cortisol. This is the stress hormone. The fight or flight hormone reaction. It gives you an adrenaline like burst of energy. It’s hard to go to sleep for her nap with that pumping through her system and it stays in your system for a while, messing with naps and night sleep. Often causing early rising.
2. Too late bedtime. Similar to Lack of day sleep, missing your bedtime sleep window also causes a rush of cortisol and its residual affect can cause early rising.
3. Lack of sleep skills from going to bed too drowsy at bedtime. If you used a sleep crutch at bedtime, like rocking or nursing or holding to sleep, your baby didn’t get the practice relaxing their body falling asleep. She will wake between sleep cycles, that’s normal but she will need you to help her fall back to sleep, especially when falling back to sleep is the hardest in the early morning hours.
4. Lack of skills from being put to bed asleep. If you hold or rock or nurse your baby to sleep, they are in a different place when she wakes up between sleep cycles and needs you to help her fall back to sleep. Again, she has insufficient sleep skills. She may get more cortisol in the night from waking and needing help and by the early morning hours, just can’t get back to sleep.
5. Tummy discomfort from food issues. If your baby had a food sensitivity or is having a negative digestive reaction to a new food, that can often manifest in the early hours when sleep is more difficult. Have you ever woken from a bad headache or a tummy ache? It’s inthe early hours that it wakes you over and over again. At least you can mostly go back to sleep. And as an adult, you likely have pretty good sleep skills. It’s a rough time.
6. Developmental milestones like crawling and walking. These are major skills that require brain and muscle changes. When your baby is working on a new skill, they want to practice this new skill when they wake up between sleep cycles. It’s a very exciting time. The sooner she masters the skill, the sooner her sleep can get back on track.
