You know what they say, the days are long but the years are short. One moment you’re trying to figure out why baby cries whenever you lay them in the crib, and the next moment you’re wondering if your “big kid” is ready to transition into a big kid bed.

In the current housing climate, square footage can be difficult to come by. As lovely as it is in theory for siblings to have their own rooms, it’s not always practical for us as parents. We live in fear of getting even less sleep than we currently do, because one sibling might wake the other and we might end up lying in bed at night with our partner playing “name that cry.”

This is a common question: Is my child experiencing a Nightmare or a Night terror?

As parents, we completely understand your anxiety about your child’s experience at night. We want them dreaming of raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, not the Gorgon monster from Stranger Things.

Nightmares and Night Terrors are very different experiences, but actually have similar causes. Needing to pee, overheating, and unprocessed anxiety are among them.

You know that moment? Sure you do. That moment when life feels just a bit too good …

You’re sleeping until 7am

You have the time to actually work out or finish a full cup of coffee during a nap

Your baby’s bedtime routine is so on-point that you’ve been able to #netflixANDchill?

You begin to feel human again.

Anna McMillan shares her personal experience as a mom who left her baby for the first time with other trusted family members. She explains the steps she took to prepare herself and her baby for her baby-free weekend.

So you’ve had an amazing get away, camping, Disney, family, whatever it may be… It’s time to come home and the reality of getting everyone back on track is less than appealing.

There’s something so freeing about being on holiday that we relax our routines, go with the flow a bit more and embrace the spontaneous more than usual.

When we come home it’s time to get things into a good rhythm for everyone so then you’re able to return to the groove that makes your home run like a well-oiled machine.

OK so let’s be real mama’s … how many hotel rooms ACTUALLY have extra rooms… and if they do, then it’s a big bill for a couple weeks if you’re away. So most likely you’ll have your baby or toddler in your room while in a hotel or resort right? Right.

You know all those jokes and unsolicited advice people say when you’re pregnant? You know, the “Better sleep now. When the baby comes you’ll never sleep again!” And you look at them and wonder if they realize you’re growing a human inside of you that causes morning sickness, heartburn, takes up space, and makes sleep pretty darn difficult.

When it comes to making the transition from a crib to a big-kid bed, there are two questions that need to be answered.

The first is when and the second is how.

Now, if you’re reading this on my website, chances are that you came here looking for some advice about teaching your little one the skills they need to sleep through the night.

Tell me if this scenario sounds familiar…

Your baby wakes up in the morning after a solid night’s sleep. You feed her, change her, play with her for a little bit, take her for a little walk outside, then rock her to sleep and put her gently into her crib for her morning nap. And then, 30 minutes later, she wakes up fussy and irritable and, despite your pleading, bargaining, and offers of riches, refuses to go back to sleep.

Separation anxiety typically starts to occur around 6-8 months of age, when your little one starts to realize that things continue to exist, even when they’re not in sight. It’s a cognitive milestone known as “object permanence” which is defined as, “the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be observed.”

It hits you when you least expect it.

Life is cruising along fairly well. I mean, sure, “fairly well” these days means exhausted, overwhelmed, and celebrating the little things, but welcome to parenthood.

Then the dreaded thing happens: Baby gets sick.

One of the keys to baby getting great sleep is understanding and following awake time.

Awake time is the length of time that baby can be awake in-between naps without experiencing a cortisol release and becoming overtired.

Can you teach your baby to sleep independently while still needing night feeds?

This is a question that a lot of new moms ask me. And absolutely you can teach them. It is possible that your baby has great sleep skills, while also waking up for the feeds that they need.

Oh goodness you love them … in your mind this is going to be such a wonderful vacation visiting family… but hang on – you have little ones now! How does this work, spending quality time with family while also helping your children thrive in a new environment! Going and staying with family doesn’t need to be as stressful as it seemed when you first thought about the logistics.

I want to talk about a question people often ask me. What is sleep training?

Regardless of how or even if you teach your baby to sleep, this is not a shame or blame post.

I remember feeling really angsty about the idea of sleep training my baby.

Ah, the bliss of newborn life: Sweet snuggles, that fresh baby smell, wrinkly folds of smooth baby skin … I love it. (Yes, I could also talk about chapped nipples, exhaustion, and that soundtrack of crying - but today, we’re keeping it sunshine!)

So today, let's talk about if we should wake up our baby in the morning.Them’s fighting words. I know. If your experience is anything like mine, anyway.

The idea of flying with my little one was daunting … the idea of being stuck in a window seat with a wriggly eight-month old who is use to having free reign to roam the house … this sounded like something I never wanted to do. If I could guarantee she would sleep the whole time, I’d have no problem but the idea of screaming, wriggling and being stuck made me worried.

Well… you’re here… you’ve actually remembered your underwear – TRIUMPH! That’s right, you have managed to pack everything you need for the family … including packing for yourself! But the reality as we head away, whether it may be to a tropical holiday, to see family, or taking the kids on a work trip, it isn’t easy; because once you have packed and survived the flight (more on that later this week!), you then are longing for a good sleep and wondering if your children will even sleep in this new hotel!