Good sleeping habits start early.
As you get your new baby settled in at home, starting a sleep training regimen helps a baby learn how to fall asleep and stay sleeping through the night on their own. Some little ones take to sleep training effortlessly and others need a little more patience and encouragement to develop their own sleeping patterns.
Not every sleep training technique works for everyone and with the right support system in place, parents can find the sleep training method that aligns best with their parenting style and the needs of their baby.
When can I start sleep training?
Most sleep training professionals recommend starting a sleep training routine when your baby reaches their 4 to 6 month milestone. By this point, most babies have stopped night feedings and is starting to develop their own sleep-wake cycle. Developmentally, babies of 4 to 6 months can safely sleep through the night in long stretches. All babies are different, and your little one might not be ready to start sleep training until 8 or even 10 months old. Consult with your doctor if you have any questions about your baby’s development or if you’re unsure about when to start sleep training.
Preparing to Sleep Train
Any good night’s sleep begins with a bed time. A good starting place is to introduce a bedtime routine and many parents have night time rituals already in place as early as 6 weeks. It’s never too late for an evening relaxation routine including a warm bath, a bedtime story or a lullaby. Keep bedtime consistent and at the same time each night. Experts recommend 7 to 8pm to keep your baby from becoming overtired and fighting sleep. The predictability of bedtime, nap-time and waking each morning, helps your baby relax and acclimate to a natural sleep pattern.
Set the Scene
Your baby’s bedroom, nursery or sleep space should be comfortable and invite sleep. Keep lights dim and the temperature cool and comfortable at a 65 – 75 degrees. If your nursery is sunny during the day, room darkening shades can help your little one relax for nap-time and help them develop their own circadian rhythm. This rhythm encourages your baby to get sleepy at sundown and wake in the morning. A white noise machine can also be useful in creating a comforting space for your baby to relax and get a good night’s sleep. Lay your baby down while they’re awake to help encourage them to be comforted by the space around them each night.
Technique
There’s tons of sleep training techniques to choose from that includes everything from co-sleeping to “cry it out” and everything in between. A starting point that many parents feel comfortable with is “move the chair.” Use the same calming techniques as you lay your baby down for sleep at night, while sitting in a chair near their crib. Every three nights move your chair further away from the crib until you’re ultimately out of the room and out of view. Keep this move consistent to keep your little one feeling dependent on your presence in the nursery for them to fall asleep.
As with beginning any training or parenting routine with your baby, patience and support is key.
Sleep training can be a frustrating process, but with patience, your baby will be sleeping soundly and all on their own. Not every family or baby is the same and being flexible with your sleep training styles can help you find the method that is right for you and your baby.
If you’re a few weeks away from bringing home baby, you’ll need a safe car seat for your precious cargo.
Car seat safety might be the last thing on your mind if you’re anxiously awaiting baby, but it’s actually one of the most important baby gear items you’ll need. With all the different car seats on the market it can be overwhelming for parents to choose the right one for your family.
Your baby’s first car seat is more important than you think and with some resources and safety facts, you can bring your little one out and about as safe as can be.
Car Seat Safety Basics
Babies are at greater risk of injury in crashes and even small car accidents as their spines are still developing to support their noggins. Having a car seat rear-facing keeps your little one from being thrust forward and injuring their delicate spinal column in a collision. Experts recommend keeping your car seat rear facing until your little one is about 2 years old or just about 35 pounds. The car seat should always be in the back seat of the vehicle with your baby properly harnessed in.
The harness should be snug but not too tight, with straps lying flat and untwisted or bent. It’s important to keep these straps close to their body and bulky sweaters, snowsuits or blankets underneath the harness can keep the straps from holding your little one in the seat properly. If you need to use a blanket, laying a blanket across their lap while they’re buckled safely is usually the way to go. For new babies, a blanket can be a suffocation hazard so it’s safer to use a car seat cover instead.
If your baby’s head is getting close to the top of the car seat, they might be ready for a bigger seat!
Car Seat Safety Check
If you’re unsure about getting your baby’s car seat properly hooked up, getting a safety check is always a good idea. Your local fire department may offer classes on car seat safety and will usually provide a free safety inspection for your seat once you’ve set up your baby’s car seat. As your little one grows you should continue getting car seat safety checks with each seat progression to keep your precious cargo safely buckled.
Car Seat Accessories
Some accessories can make a big difference in your baby’s car seat safety. Shoulder cushioning can keep little shoulders properly harnessed into their seat. These cushions also keeps your baby’s head and neck supported in the car seat while their spine continues to develop. Car seat liners can also support your baby’s body shape and keep them from slouching and preventing the harness from working appropriately. Not to mention, there’s some fun gadgets that can also keep your baby entertained and under close supervision during rides in the car.
Trips in the car don’t have to be stressful.
With the right car seat and a checklist of safety tips, you’ll be ready to go when your baby arrives and it’s time to bring them home for the very first time.
The new year means an opportunity to rejuvenate and refresh yourself.
Incorporating meditation into your day will help you manage stress and stay on track with your healthy lifestyle. Emotional self care will help you improve your concentration and even help you feel more confident. Improved concentration actually increases energy so you’ll have plenty of extra energy for your workouts and playtime with the kids.
Whether your meditation is in a group class or just a few minutes of relaxation at home, meditation is sure to bring you some uplifting clarity for the new year ahead.
Practice Self Awareness
When you take the time each day to wind down, you’ll experience more emotional clarity. When you become more comfortable managing your emotions during meditation, it provides feel-good confidence. Self care isn’t all bubble baths and salon trips. Your daily dose of self care can be as simple as devoting a few minutes a day to yourself.You’ll be able to recognize negative emotions and detach yourself from them, leaving space for positive energy. Meditation puts you on the right track for a happier lifestyle.Meditation can also help symptoms of postpartum anxiety and depression
Improve Physical Health
Meditation doesn’t exclusively nourish your emotional well being and can actually do great things for your physical health. Meditating regularly improves immune system, boosts metabolism, improves quality of sleep and brain functioning. If you’re starting out the new year trying to kick start a healthy lifestyle, meditation should find it’s way into your new routine. Meditation can start your day or help you wind down before bed and after a workout. These relaxation strategies also help alleviate tension related muscle pain, migraines and insomnia.
Stress can create serious cardiovascular problems like high blood pressure and heart attacks. Meditation relaxes blood vessels to regulate blood pressure. When your body is more relaxed, your internal organs work more harmoniously to help you reach your fitness goals.
Improve Relationships
When you meditate regularly, you’re happier and happiness is contagious. Starting a family can create extra strain on relationships, causing some anxiety and tension between new parents. Incorporating some relaxation and meditation each day can be bring parents closer together and help them eliminate stress. Regularly attending meditation workshops with friends can create a strong support system for each other, encouraging you to stick with your meditation routine. New to the meditation scene? Why not try something new and find a relaxing yoga
A strong beginning to the new year starts with a healthy mind and body.
Meditation works in conjunction with your healthy lifestyle changes to give you a fresh start. Start with fifteen minutes a day and you can slowly incorporate longer meditation sessions as you progress.
If you are newly postpartum, your doula can help you find the opportunity throughout the day to practice self care and meditate. Relaxation and meditation is often the best ll-natural medicine for postpartum recovery.
Wouldn’t it be great to have an extra set of hands to help you with newborn care and little tasks around the house while you focus on your postpartum recovery?
You can!
A postpartum doula gives new parents the opportunity to settle into their home with their new baby feeling stress free and confident. This trained baby professional helps parents with every element of baby care with the family’s parenting style of choice as a framework for newborn care practices.
Postpartum Recovery
Newly postpartum moms are cared for and comforted as they relax and recover in the difficult days ahead. Self care is an important element of the postpartum recovery process. Having a doula at home encourages mothers to devote time each day to self care, making their transition home stress free. Parents have an amazing newborn care resource available to answer questions they have or give them some extra confidence as they get the hang of baby care and their new routines.
A doula is there to help you develop a feeding and sleeping schedule, bias free and encouraging the parenting style of your choice. If you are breastfeeding, your postpartum doula can help you learn all the breastfeeding basics and how to make your breastfeeding journey a positive experience. Access to a doula means a variety of modern parenting resources at your fingertips and you can be confident that your family is fully prepared to bring home baby.
Sibling Care
If you have older children it can be intimidating to bring home a new baby. Your doula can help care for your older kids or take over baby care so parents can spend some quality time with their other babies. Especially during breaks from school, a postpartum doula can be the extra set of hands to keep a new mom calm and collected. When you are able to divide your time, there is typically less sibling jealousy and negative behavioral responses to the introduction of a new baby. A doula encourages bonding between parents and baby and their big brothers and sisters.
Meal Prep
Your doula is there to help nurture your entire family and facilitate the transition home with a new baby. While balancing a newborn care routine and household tasks, making dinner plans can be the furthest from your mind. Your doula can help you plan and prepare meals that will boost your energy during the postpartum period and help your body recover. Some extra help in the kitchen will keep your family’s meal routines on track and settling down to new baby life seamlessly.
A postpartum doula is an expert in all things comfort and baby.
Having a postpartum doula is the extra peace of mind for new parents, keeping them fully prepared and supported as they welcome the newest addition to their family.
The holidays are officially right around the corner!
If you’re looking to plan some fun activities with your kids during your winter break, there’s plenty of things to do in the Houston area to make your season a little brighter and a way more fun.
If you’re home with your newborn and you need some activities that are easy on your postpartum recovery, there’s also plenty of low-key holiday events for everyone in your family to enjoy.
We put together a go-to guide for local holiday fun this week, so suit up in your Christmas best and turn up the cheer!
The Texas Bowl
The Texas Bowl is a Houston post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division, FBS college football bowl game tradition that Houston families have been celebrating for over a decade. Sports during the holidays give families some uplifting spirit as they root on their teams as a family after eating a filling holiday meal.
It’s all about the pre-game parties, tailgating and team spirit with family and friends and there’s no shortage of all the above here. Get your gear ready, your game day recipes cookin’ and have some fun at this year’s Texas Bowl! The best tailgate decorations and spirit will be awarded by H-E-B judges roaming the stadium parking lot Team Spirit, Food Presentation (exclusive H-E-B pride is an absolute must) Originality and Hospitality in their search to crown this year’s H-E-B Tailgater of the Game! So get your thinking caps on and your crock pots going!
The Nutcracker at the Houston Ballet
The Nutcracker is an absolute Christmas classic and has become a tradition for many families to watch a Nutcracker performance together before their big holiday celebrations. The Houston Ballet puts on an incredible performance that will leave your little ones enchanted and anxiously awaiting Christmas morning. It’s a perfect way to get a little festive this week before the crazy travel and parties of the weekend.
The Festival of Lights
Moody Gardens hosts the area’s largest display of holiday lights in the Houston area that belongs on everyone’s list this month. The trail features millions of sparkling lights, live entertainment and tons of animated displays set to familiar Christmas tunes. There’s ice skating and a 100 foot long slide! This event is a crowd favorite and is an incredibly magical way to kick off the big holiday week ahead. There’s plenty to do here for the kids and parents, bringing this event to the top of our holiday to-do list every year.
Milk and Cookies With Santa
It’s not too late to get yourself on Santa’s nice list. The Children’s Museum of Houston is hosting a meet and greet with the big man in red himself, where kids can have milk and cookies and submit those last minute Christmas wishes. If you haven’t paid Santa a visit before he embarks on his big trip around the world, the Children’s Museum of Houston has the surprise for you! This museum also hosts different event for your little ones and fun interactive exhibits to explore throughout the year.
If you’re looking for some fun activities to do with the kids while they’re home on their holiday break, you don’t need to go far when Houston has you covered.
Visit some of these awesome local happenings in our area to start feeling a little more festive before all your big plans this weekend!
Have a happy and healthy holiday season from Lone Star Doulas!
This week’s #womancrushwednesday is Nina, a member of our Co-Owner Elizabeth’s family.
My household consists of myself, my two daughters, and Nina. Nina is my rock. She co-parents with me, reminds me of my self worth, and loves and cares for my children like only she could. Nina happens to be an AuPair, but to me she’s family. When people refer to Nina as “the AuPair”, I have mixed feelings.
Yes, she is an AuPair. But she is so much more than *just* an AuPair.
In the time since I’ve met Nina (less than a year) I’ve moved, been pregnant, gave birth, got divorced, and opened a second business. I was certain that so many major life events would intimidate her, and cause her to quit. One thing I’ve learning about Nina is that she doesn’t back down from a challenge, she conquers it. She chose to leave her home country to help my family transition through our daily life, even though my life situation wasn’t typical. She could have chosen any family, but she chose mine. If that isn’t humbling, I don’t know what is.
In a lot of ways Nina is similar to a postpartum doula. She is non-judgmental of my parenting choices and seeks to help me discover my own style of parenting versus pushing a specific style. She supports me through making decisions by letting me process my feelings with her. Most importantly, she’s dependable—I know she will be there when I need her.
There’s so many variations of normal in pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and parenting. Here at Lone Star Doulas we look forward to helping every type of family smoothly transition through every stage of life.
Contact us today to learn more about how our services can benefit your family.
