Sleep Training: How to get your kids to go the F to sleep

When Gemma (my almost-2 year old) started to wake up in the middle of the night and ask for massages, I knew I needed to change something! When she wakes up in the middle of the night, we lose sleep, and the day after, I end up feeling like a zombie. With everything that we have going on (life + opening a restaurant soon), there’s no way we can be our best selves without sleep!

That’s why I was really psyched to host a sleep training event with NYC sleep consultants last week at Union Square Play in NYC alongside my friend and amazing child educator, Jennie Monness of Mo’mommies.com .

At last week’s “Staying Sane” Event, we discussed sleep training and tips to get your baby/kid to sleep well, so you can get more sleep, too. Thanks to my amazing co-host, Jennie Monness of Mo’mommies.com and the informative panelists of moms/sleep consultants, Lauren Wolf of Lololullaby.com, Sari Broda of theChilpil.com and Ruby Sibal of Thisismeruby.com and beyondbabycare.com, I left the event with tons of helpful and practical tips to make sleep easier for me and easier for my child.

Gemma is no longer waking up in the middle of the night and when she tries to delay nap or sleep asking for a massage, I now feel more confident to be firm and not give in. It works! She may not fall right to sleep, but I’ve learned that the more I offer her long, drawn out soothing remedies, the more she will depend on them. Rather, I make her feel comforted in a short amount of time and try to encourage her to soothe herself to sleep.

At the event, moms (and dads) tooks tons of notes, laughed and mingled.

Watch below for tips on sleep routines, recommended nap and sleep schedules, what to do when your baby has a sleep regression and the best sleep products.

As always, I believe no one way or right way of parenting. That’s why I love getting support from other moms and experts and hearing different perspectives and philosophies so I can try out different things that work for me, and our family. Hope this video helps you and your family.

Need support? Or just want some mama/dad inspiration? Stay posted for our next Staying Sane event in NYC – Feb 13th at Union Square Play. Follow along on instagram @bewellwitharielle for updates.