A daddy's experience engaging SG Supernanny

Do you ever feel like you're alone with your sleep struggles and it will never get better? You're not! 

This is the personal experience and account from one of my past clients who shared about how it was like welcoming me into his home to help him and his wife who were struggling to put his baby to sleep.

You can check out his story here.

SG Supernanny in Asiaone Women!

The full article on Asiaone news!

SG Supernanny is in the news!

My work as a baby and child sleep expert has been featured in The Straits Times, Sunday Life! Thanks all for your support! I am very thankful that I can continue to share my passion to help more sleep deprived families out there.

My Child Sleep Problems - Where do I even start?

When we're dealing with sleep issues with our children, it's easy to become overwhelmed trying to figure out a place to start. I remember having to tackle so many problems such as breastfeeding, trying to synchronise my twins feeding and sleeping times and how to stop them from waking up so often.

Often, we just give up because we're so tired and it's easier to go back to what we know works, even it's continuing to prolong the problem.

My sleep tip for you today is to not try to tackle everything at once. Pick one very small item and begin to work on that before trying to change anything else.

For example:

Let's say your 6 month old baby is waking up for feeding a few times a night, taking short naps and needs to be rocked in the hammock/yaolan for 40 minutes before every sleep period to get to sleep.

Instead of trying to change everything at once, focus on just one area so that you aren't overwhelmed.

You might decide that you will only address the night time feedings and instead of feeding 3 times a night, you might want to only feed twice a night.

Or, it may be more important to you that your baby takes longer naps so you work on those (or even just the morning one) first.

By breaking down the pieces into small manageable tasks, we can help to eliminate some of the confusion and frustration that can accompany changing sleep habits.

What's one small goal you want to work on this week? Comment below!

Was this article helpful to you? If so, please like facebook.com/sgsupernanny for more sleep tips for baby and kids.

We offer plenty of sleep packages at sgsupernanny.com/private-consultations for those who need more in depth help with their children sleeping needs.

Top 8 Reasons to Teach Your Child to Sleep Better

1) If you are struggling with your child’s feeding sometimes, you will find that once your baby sleeps better, their feeding will improve as well. This is because sleep regulates your child’s appetite and your baby will be less tired and fussy when it comes to eating.

2) With better and longer sleep, your baby will wake up happier. If you find your baby waking up crying chances are, your baby is overtired (as long as they are not hungry).

3) Increase in growth. Babies and children grow when they sleep. Your baby will start to gain weight well when he/she sleeps better.

4) Better communication. For older children, if they are tired, they would prefer to grizzle and whine over speaking. If your child is well rested, then their speech and language skills will improve greatly. 

5) Your child overall well being will improve. Children who foster healthy sleep habits are optimally awake and alert to interact with their environment. These children are self assured, happy, less demanding and more sociable. They have longer attention spans and as a result become faster learners.

6) Your own mental and physical well being will improve with more sleep. Doctors agree that prolonged sleep deprivation is one of the main factors in triggering postnatal depression. A good night sleep will help you function and think better.

7) Being able to feel like a better and more patient parent, the way you knew you wanted to be. Some mommies cried when I visited them and quite often it’s because they are very sleep deprived and they are just at their wit’s end not knowing why their babies just won’t sleep. They would tell me that they feel bad and guilty about being grumpy, impatient and snap easily at their children and their husband. Now I personally don’t think you are failing because I have been there myself but sleep deprivation does make us have shorter fuse and we do blow up at the smallest things. Every time I hear success stories from my clients telling me that they feel much better now that their child is sleeping better and longer, it just warms my heart.

 8) Your marriage and family will grow stronger and perhaps bigger. Sleep deprivation and stress can really test any marriages. So many couples I have met feel their marriages are better and stronger after having taught their baby to sleep well and actually being able to prioritise themselves as a couple in the evening again. And perhaps you might even think of having another baby once you got your baby to be a competent and independent sleeper.

These are very important reasons on why you should get your child to sleep well. If you would like some help teaching your baby to sleep, check out our packages here. We would love to help you!

How my twins got me where I am today...

8 years ago, my twins were born and nothing could have prepared me for their arrivals. Like any first time parents, I was excited and anxious at the same time. My husband and I bought two of everything (almost!) and we were ready to welcome them into our lives. Holding them both in my arms for the first time was a nice and surreal feeling. When we took them home from the hospital, we really didn't know what to expect. Our sleepless nights began pretty much that very same day. If you think one was hard, try having two crying babies at the same time. Who do you attend to first? At one stage, I even have to learn how to breastfeed both babies at the same time. Well if they are both hungry, a Mom's gotta do what a Mom's gotta do right?

The first few months were the hardest as we struggled with settling them to sleep. I remembered one would wake up for feed at 2am and the other at 4am. It was really literally no sleep for me at all those days. Looking like a zombie and having no sleep, I was totally dazed and that really kept me from enjoying my babies. A good Samaritan came along and she told me to read books on how to settle baby to sleep.I realised we needed to do something and make some changes and get them to sleep for longer stretches which led me down the road on this journey of where I am today. Anyway, I started to equip myself with the knowledge and tools required to get my twins to sleep through the night and also teaching them the art of self settling. After 10 weeks onwards, my twins started sleeping through the night and I remain forever grateful to my lovely neighbour, Vania who gave me the precious advice. I paid it forward and helped many of my friends who were struggling with their overtired babies as well. Today, it has become my passion and business to help sleep deprived parents get back their sleep again.

If like me, you are struggling with your baby sleep and you are feeling exhausted and sleep deprived, you don't have to keep on struggling anymore. As a baby sleep consultant, I am here to help you with a private consultation at the comfort of your own home and instead of months of exhaustion, you will soon be getting back your sleep again once your baby is old enough to do so.

Check out our private consultations packages here http://sgsupernanny.com/private-consultations/

Why is it so important for my child to get enough sleep?

So you may not mind waking up at night for the night time feed because it doesn't take too long for baby to nurse and then fall back to sleep. You wouldn't want to change anything just in case he starts waking up more frequently. But what if I tell you that your 7 month old baby doesn't actually need to wake up for those night time feeds anymore? Would you be able to stop the night time feeds altogether?

Why is it so important that your child learn to sleep through the night and have a good long consolidated sleep without any disruption?

Maybe you’re still a little unsure whether or not my sleep consultation is right for you. That’s perfectly normal. After all, you’ll be making changes to your child’s sleep routine, and you want to be sure you’re doing the right thing!

I just want to share one truth that I learned when I first started this journey of sleep training. The truth is sleep is incredibly important for our children – no matter how old they are! Doctors agree that healthy sleep habits are just as important as a diet and exercise – and some argue it’s even more important.
So why is it that some parents are so concerned about giving their children a healthy diet but when it comes to sleep, they are a bit lax about it?

Here are some facts I found about the importance of sleep for our children.

• Children who sleep longer have higher IQs. (Sleep Med, March 2010)
• Boys who sleep well are at a significantly lower risk for hyperactivity. Sleep deprivation and ADHD  are both overlapping problems. (Pediatrics, November 2009)
• Children who sleep well score higher on all kinds of tests, including math and literacy. (SLEEP Abstract, 2010)
• Babies who sleep well at night consistently perform better on tests designed to assess memory, emotional control, and organization. (Child Development, Nov/Dec 2010)

Based on the scientific studies and our common sense, we can agree that sleep is really, REALLY important for your child not just for you! If your child is not taught the necessary skills to sleep well, you’re putting them at a dramatically increased risk for the things that all parents want to avoid!

I’m not saying this to scare you… I’m just really passionate about how important sleep is for kids – and I think it’s our job as parents to give our children every advantage we can! I do practice what I preach and seeing my children having enough sleep from a young age and waking up feeling refreshed, energetic and happy, that's the best gift I have given to my children since they were babies.

I really believe my sleep program will be able to teach your child these skills quickly and easily, so I hope you will give me a call or email me and give it a go. My success stories so far speak for itself on how effective my program is.

Top 5 Mistakes Parents Make about Sleeping (me included!)

These are common mistakes parents make about their child sleeping and I made the same mistake too with my babies when I was a new parent. Click on the link below to find out more!

http://sgsupernanny.com/top-5-mistakes-parents-make-about-baby-sleeping-sleep-mistakes-baby-how-to-get-baby-to-sleep/

Can sleep deprivation ruin relationships?

"I have no doubt that sleepless nights can bring out the ugly in parents. We have shorter fuses when we are exhausted, and it's completely natural to feel resentful if a partner pretends to (or really does!) sleep through the little night howls."

If you and your partner are exhausted from night wakings or fighting a lot more due to sleep deprivation, then it's time to get help. It might even be that you find that you don't have time to spend with your older children anymore. Contact me now for a free 15 minute sleep assessment to find out if you can use the assistance and guidance of a baby sleep training expert. You will be glad that you did so, because in just a few days, you and your family will be well rested again.

http://www.essentialmums.co.nz/mums-life/relationships/8469722/Can-sleep-deprivation-ruin-a-relationship

What do you do with your children when you are out dining at a restaurant?

A mother was asking me yesterday to share what I did with my kids when they are out at a restaurant because she has two very active kids. This was my reply.

Oirene, I was in your position too with my twins and I was also guilty of just opting for the easy way out by offering them gadgets especially when they were around the 2-3 years age. But soon I realised that wasn't healthy as they always expected gadgets as soon as we sat down at a restaurant. Once they could understand consequences well, I told them there would be no gadgets as we want to spend time together as a family, talking and getting to know each other better. If you have younger children, then I suggest you bring colouring or sticker books along, or just any toys, puzzles or Legos that will keep them occupied without resorting to them playing iPad. My twins now no longer ask for gadgets when we go out. The only time I give them gadgets to play is when we are out with friends and we just want them to occupy themselves while we entertain our friends. But even then I would set a time limit and get them to self entertain before they resort right away to gadgets. I also do point out to my kids whenever we go out, how many tables of families with children who are all looking and playing their gadgets and not even looking at each other at all or spending time with one another. I think that is just such a sad sight, don't you think? Call me old school, but I just remembered those fond memories of families eating together and chit chatting and laughing with one another. That is what I called Quality Time.

I think as parents we need to set good examples to our children first before they can model our behavior. I know it's tempting to use the gadgets as our electronic sitters while we do our adults' stuff, but we got to learn to cherish the time we spend together as a family. Because that's what counts at the end of the day. Our family.

Why we all need more sleep?

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley have revealed that couples who regularly get a full night’s sleep are more likely to have positive, successful relationships. 

It's important that we tackle all these sleep problems early and nip them in the bud before the situation gets worse. If you are sleep deprived, please get help now. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/9823934/Why-we-all-need-more-sleep.html

SGSupernanny.com is officially launched!

I have officially launched my new website www.sgsupernanny.com I am Singapore’s baby sleep training expert. I know there are many parents out there who are sleep-deprived and are wanting to know how to get their babies to sleep through the night. My passion is to help parents and babies get the sleep they deserved, one family at a time and I am confident, you will be glad that you choose to do so now rather than later.

My thoughts on baby sleep training

I have met many parents over the years and while many agrees with sleep training, some are a bit hesitant. The question I always get asked is this:

Does it involve crying? 

To which I have to answer, yes because that is the only way baby knows how to communicate with us. 

Why do some parents shudder at the thought of sleep training?

Does the thought of their baby crying make them feel like bad parents?

Do they already feel like bad parents because their baby isn't sleeping?

There are so many methods of training baby to sleep out there and they all involve some degree of crying. Why? Because like I said before your baby will object to the new routine you are implementing and the only way she will be able to communicate her objection is through crying. Let's face it, no one like changes at first, but after a while you will learn to adapt.

Before I help my clients start their sleep training, I look at the overall picture first. Remember, sleep training is only one piece of the puzzles. Before sleep training can be implemented, we need to assess other pieces of the puzzles.

I believe that when sleep training is implemented on a healthy baby, loving and caring environment overseen by the parents, baby will be able to learn to sleep well and through the night in no time at all.
It's much better to let your baby learn the week long sleep training programme through some degree of crying than endure months of sleepless nights which would result in overtired babies and exhausted parents!

Contact me now if you want your sleep back and ultimately a good night rest for you and your baby. Every night. 

Why is self settling important?

When I was living in New Zealand, a lot of parents I met talked about self settling and how important it is for a baby to learn to self settle. In fact I must admit, self settling was one of the best things I did raising up my twins.

In Asia or more specifically Malaysia and Singapore, I realised that this is not such a popular notion here. Parents here tend to want to carry or rock their baby to sleep instead of implementing self settling method.

But why is self settling so important? Why should you bother with teaching your baby to self settle? Why not just keep feeding them or rock them till they sleep?

Well if you are happy with the amount of sleep you and your baby have, then I guess self settling isn't important.

But if your baby needs more sleep during the night, and you find him or her catnapping a lot and just seem rather tired and fractious during the day, then perhaps learning to self settle is the key solution to your problems. 

Your baby may not feel the direct effects of sleep deprivation, but what about you? Are your physical and mental health suffering due to lack of sleep? Sleep deprivation will make life with a baby much more stressful than they are and it can impact your relationships, your marriage, your work, your outlook and enjoyment of life with your child.

So don't delay anymore. Get your baby to learn self settling technique from young as you know it gets harder as they grow up. If you need any help and guidance in this, please contact me, happy to help you, your family and your baby get that sleep that you all deserved!

You will be surprised at how quickly your baby will learn to resettle himself once you learn the technique and stick with it consistently.

Why do we need parenting coaching?

Parenting is one of the hardest jobs in the world and yet as parents we are not given any manuals and guidelines when we bring our baby home from the hospital. There are neither classes nor schools for parents to attend or graduate from.

Parenting is certainly no sport for the weak. The games are packed with obstacles and challenges that you may not be familiar with. Just like in sports, from badminton to swimming, you wouldn't dream of excelling without a coach. Parent coaching like all other coaching helps by letting you see your potential when you are feeling lost and hopeless. A coach helps by seeing the desired results, plan with you the steps towards your success and patiently reminding you of those steps.

Many of my clients have engaged me for help because they simply want someone who can walk with them shoulder to shoulder in their struggles with their parenting journey. Sometimes just getting someone from the outside looking in is all you need to create a new perspective and to help you see things from a different angle altogether. I always remind my clients that they are the expert of their own family. We simply co-create the future together. Think of parenting coach as a trusted family member with the top-notch know-how.

Being a parent myself, I know how big and scary this role of a lifetime can be. We all just want to get it right. But everyone's "right" is different. I believe there is no one right way of doing things. Otherwise our parents' approach of bringing us up would have been passed down from generation after generation. Parenting is about change and growth - ours and our children's.  There is no easy and simple formula. It's about knowledge, flexibility, teachability and hard work. If that's how you see it too, then parenting coaching may be right for you.

Contact me now for a parenting coaching session and you will be glad that you have taken the first step to feeling more confident and empowered in your parenting journey.

Effective Communication

It's been a while since I last posted. Life has been rather busy with 3 sick and vomiting kids, parenting talks and coaching sessions. I would like to share with you a topic that I recently shared with parents at a primary school.

To have an effective communication with your child, first you gotta have good listening skills. What's a good listening skills?

Well you need to use active listening skills when your child starts communicating with you. What is active listening skill? Active listening skills is when you encourage your child to express himself verbally without influencing him with your own preconceived notions or opinions. 

Your child will get to express himself while you just simply listen without forming any opinions. It does require a lot of practice and patience to be good at this, but I do hope you will try it out. Your child would then be able to share more with you without fearing about what you may judge or think. 

Tabletop Family Bonding Programme

I will be conducting a family bonding programme at Nan Chiau High School tomorrow morning and this is my personal favourite as I would be sharing my passion for board games with other families.

I love board games since I was a child. When I was in NZ, I discovered a whole new world of German board games which are not mainstream games like Monopoly or Scrabble. German board games require more strategy thinking and less luck is involved. There is something special about board games, something unique. They have the power to fascinate, to charm and to educate you. Albert Einstein once said "Games are the most elevated form of investigation." When you play board games, all your intelligence and attention are focused into solving the problems of the game. Playing keeps you creative and it makes you learn.

I love spending time with my children playing board games. Children loves to play and as adults we don't play enough. When we play board games with our children, we are allowing ourselves to be on the same level playing field as our children, and children will tend to open up more and share with us more when they feel relaxed and calm.

It is my sincere hope that more families will come together to play board games and have a great fun and laughter bonding together through games.

If you are interested to find out more about playing board games and would like to introduce to your family, your work, your school or your community please feel free to contact me at 92388060. I will be happy to run a workshop to introduce you to this wonderful world of German board games.

Upcoming parenting and family life education talks

I will be giving parenting talks at schools in the coming months as we get into the full swing of 2014.

Some of the topics that I would be sharing with parents will be:

• Help your child beat exam stress
• How to get your kids to listen without yelling, reminding and nagging
• The importance of family bonding
• Board games family fun

If you would like to find out more, do email me and join me as we navigate together through this journey we called parenthood.

Happy, Healthy and Prosperous Chinese New Year!

It would be a busy busy time during Chinese New Year for me and my family as we celebrate the year of the Horse together. I just want to take this opportunity to wish all my readers, my clients and the parents out there a blessed, wonderful and prosperous Chinese New Year.

I told my kids that it's important to spend time and absorb the wonderful moments and memories of CNY with your family and loved ones and not just be absorbed in their world of gadgets. Otherwise, when they grow up, they won't remember much about the quality time that they spent during CNY but rather just the memories of playing Temple Run, Clumsy Ninja or even Angry Birds.

I know it's much easier for us parents to use gadgets to entertain our children and to get them occupied. But I urge you as parents to find the time to spend time with them and perhaps play some board games with them during CNY - memories of shared fun and laughter will linger on and will be cherished even more as they grow up.

Are you having any of these sleep issues with your child?

If you are still sleep deprived, then I would suggest getting a sleep training package. Sleep training solution is for parents who would like their child to learn to sleep independently. An email and phone package is very effective, thorough and convenient and you will get lots of guidance and support throughout the process. Now your child may have all or some of the following sleep challenges for us to solve:

• Waking during the night 
• Life changing events - affecting sleep
• Early riser 
• Cat naps? This is not healthy sleep habits 
• Do you NOT have a routine? Don't you prefer to live life knowing what's next? Well, so does your child! 
• Are you over rocking your baby for hours?
• Is your child cranky and exhausted easily? 
• Have you accidently created a sleep habit for your child that is not working anymore? 
• Struggling to remove a dummy or another sleep habit that is not working for you anymore! 
• Expanding your family? A 2nd or 3rd child is much easier to introduce if you are sleeping! 

Have you had enough of sleep deprivation?

If you have then it's time to take that first step towards getting back your sleep again. Make 2014 a year where you can get back your sleep and start teaching your child that very important skill of self-settling. I can assure you it will be the best decision you ever made.

Contact me now!

Happy New Year 2014!

To all my readers and parents out there, I just wanna wish you a very blessed new year and may all your year be filled with more love, joy, laughters and blessings! Here's to a great year ahead!