Baby sleep success story from a wonderful mother of twins

I’m Serene, mother of 5.5 month old twin boys John and Nate. 

BEFORE ENGAGING SLEEP SUPERNANNY

Before we engaged Zoe, our daily routine was chaotic and in a mess. I was feeding my twins on demand and nursing them to sleep and it felt like a never ending cycle. They also needed to be carried and rocked to sleep. We tried giving them pacifiers, but they didn’t take to it.

When they turned four months old, suddenly their sleep became even poorer - nap times were shortened to 20-30mins, and they kept waking up very frequently during the night. We had to rock them to sleep for a much longer period now and even when we put them down gently, they would rouse from their sleep and we would have to carry and rock them to sleep all over again. My husband and I were really sleep deprived and exhausted. Furthermore, I was starting work the following week and was very concerned for my parents who would be the primary caregivers for the twins during the day.

AFTER ENGAGING ZOE SUPERNANNY

Desperate for a solution, I contacted Zoe, who was really accommodating to come down at a short notice. She shared with us the sleep training plan and encouraged us to implement a proper routine with the EASY cycle. Initially I had concerns if the plan would work for my twins as it seemed that they would wake each other up with their cries. However Zoe reassured me that it would work. We decided to implement the plan after the Chinese New Year holiday.

For the first night of the sleep training, we did our usual bedtime routine and then put them in their cots awake. As expected, they cried and protested. To my surprise, the older twin fell asleep quite fast, but after 30mins he was awoken again by his brother’s cries. In total they cried on and off for a good 1hr 20min before finally falling asleep. I felt very lousy, but Zoe encouraged me to persevere on. Thankfully, I also had the support from my family members that helped make the process easier.

The crying got lesser each day, and the boys eventually also got used to each other’s cries and were able to sleep through it. Now I’m happy to say that they are able to fall asleep without being nursed/rocked/carried to sleep. Their naps are very solid as well - sometimes we face a (good) problem of them napping for too long and we having to wake them up! The boys are more alert and refreshed, and in a much better mood than before. It has definitely been much easier for my parents and I to care for them now. With Zoe’s help in implementing a more predictable routine for the twins, we now have time for ourselves which is a plus for all of us too!

Thank you and appreciate your invaluable support and guidance throughout this whole sleep training process, Zoe!!

Serene, mother of twins

Baby Sleep Talk with Prudential - Planning With Love Seminar

On the 18th April 2018, I was invited to speak at a seminar called Planning With Love which was organised by Prudential. The event was held at M Hotel.

I am extremely privileged to be able to share my expert advice and tips with parents who are struggling to get their child to sleep well. To those who attended, thanks for being such a fantastic and teachable audience. I shared lots of tips, debunked some baby sleep myths and ultimately my 5 steps system to better night's sleep.



Many of you came to speak with me after and showed your appreciation and gratitude. I have also received lots of emails and private messages from many of you. I am truly grateful for your lovely feedback. I sincerely hope that more tired families out there will be empowered to teach their children healthy sleep habits so that everyone in the household can get good night's sleep once again.



Special thanks to Prudential Singapore for recognising that there are many tired and sleep deprived families out there needing help with their child's sleep issues. I look forward to working with more companies, hospitals and families in the future to teach this important topic about sleep!

If you think your company and your staff might benefit from a talk about how to get baby to sleep well, feel free to contact me at info@sgsupernanny.com or call me at +6592388060.

Featured on Lian He Zao Bao

I have been featured on Lian He Zao Bao with my baby and I shared my job as a baby sleep expert with readers and also sleep tips to get baby to sleep through the night.

It's been a long time since I sat down to blog. Lots have been happening. Where do I even start!

Well maybe I could start by sharing my biggest news, I have given birth to baby number 4, Alyssa my little princess. She was born on the 3rd of August 2016. She weighed a whopping 3.52kg (definitely my biggest baby!). I gave birth to her naturally just using the laughing gas. It was my first time not opting for epidural due to my traumatic experience of suffering from 7 days of epidural headache when I gave birth to my son previously. The labour was intense and painful (super painful!) but my recovery was super quick too as I didn't have any tear which was surprising considering how big she was!

Anyway, I have been busy with her spending the whole month of August doing the traditional confinement, recuperating from the birth and looking after my precious newborn. I joked with my clients that I now can relate to what they are going through much more now that I am back to having sleepless nights and spending most time either feeding or pumping. ;)

This month of Sept has been particularly busy as most of my clients have been waiting for me to finish my confinement so I can go back to work. I appreciate your time waiting for me and supporting my business. Thank you so much for your continuous support.

This is also a special month as I have been featured in not just 1 but 3 news media. I was interviewed by Lianhe Zaobao about my work and I was featured together with my baby girl on the 19th Sept newspaper edition. Expat Living also did a write up on me and I shared about some sleep training tips with their avid readers. Last but not least Singapore Motherhood magazine wrote an article on 12 Ways to Get Baby to Sleep and I contributed my thoughts on some of the ways to get babies to sleep well and through the night. Well there you go, it's been a busy busy month like I said. Tomorrow my baby girl will be 8 weeks old. She is already sleeping through the night consistently for the past 3 nights from midnight to the next morning. At least 5-6 hours overnight. That's probably why I have the energy to sit at my laptop to blog this. :)

Remember healthy sleep habits, happy child! You can start them from day 1!

If you are a sleep deprived and exhausted parent with toddler...do read this

Ever since my son was born, I had never had a good night's rest. He never once slept through the night, as I had been breastfeeding him to sleep since the beginning, he was used to frequent night waking (sometimes every hour) and latching to sleep again. This took a toll on my health over time and I decided, when my son was 20 months old, that we needed help for both of us to sleep better at night. 

After much research, I found Zoe and engaging her help was one of the best decisions I have made. Within a night, my son was weaned of his night feeds. He was also able to sleep in his own bed in his own room instead of co-sleeping with me. Although we saw some success in the first couple of nights, sleep training a stubborn toddler proved to be tougher than I had imagined. The subsequent nights that followed were hell as there were times when my son went through sleep regression. It took a lot of determination from my husband and I to persist with the plan, and I broke down several times in the process. 

However, Zoe was very encouraging and assuring, and most importantly, she was there to answer my questions, address my fears and comfort me at all those times when I needed it. That was what sleep training books and all those information online could not provide at the critical times. More than two months on, my son has been sleeping though the night consistently on most nights and finally, we can both get the good night's rest that we deserve. My son's teachers have also noticed that he has been making marked improvements in his learning in the past two months! I attributed it to having sufficient sleep that led to better concentration in the day. My most heartfelt thanks to Zoe for making this possible, when this had been unthinkable just a couple of months back. I highly recommend Zoe to parents who need help in sleep-training their children! 

Angela, mother of one.

Another success story

People used to tell me babies, when they are tired, will sleep by themselves. I wished this was reality. 

When my boy was 10 weeks old, I realised that he wasn't sleeping by himself and if he was, I was nursing him to sleep, rocked him on a swing, or carried him around in a baby carrier. As first time parents, we thought that this was 'normal' as we have also met other parents who did likewise. We also observed that he refused to be put down during evenings, be it on a chair or the cot, and wanted us to carry him around. He would also cry and fuss during feeding time then. Both my husband and I thought that he was a high need baby. 

When he turned 14 weeks old, his naps suddenly shortened to 30 minutes and I knew sleep regression has caught up with him. He was also waking up 4-6x a night. Initially, I thought he was going through a growth spurt but it was happening almost every other night! In addition, he did not want to feed in at least 2 of those wakings.

With insufficient sleep, I was exhausted and frustrated. I was unable to interact well with both my husband and my son. A friend recommended me to approach Zoe for her guidance in sleep training and we are glad we made this decision. Zoe was clear in her instructions, gave us sound advice and encouragement, and was always there to clarify our doubts and the misconceptions surrounding sleep. Her experience and knowledge are indispensable to the success of our son's ability to sleep independently. 

I have read several books on sleep training but they gave conflicting procedures. Zoe's personalized sleep training program was effective, well-defined, and concise. By the second night, my boy was sleeping through the night (after a dream feed). By day 7, he's taking longer naps (1.5h to 2.5h) and he looks more well rested than before. He was also breastfeeding properly, no longer snacking by the hour.

I highly recommend Zoe to parents who need help in getting their babies or toddlers to learn the skill of sleeping. We cannot thank you enough for being a blessing to our family. Thanks a lot, Zoe! 

Geraldine, happy mommy of one

SG Supernanny's Sleep Tip of The Night

SG Supernanny’s Sleep Tip of The Night: 

If you find it challenging to get your child to nap well, the first area to tackle is their sleep debt. If they have been missing a lot of sleep for even a few days, then it is likely that they are overtired and resisting settling down for naps because of this. Make sure their naps are well-timed and that bedtime is very early. This will help them to start catching up on their sleep and over time, allow them to fall asleep easier for naps.

Testimonial from a lovely client

I first engaged Zoe when my little one was 3.5 months old. She was cranky, angry and never seemed to have a good night's rest. My sleep was as affected as hers. Putting her to bed was a tiring routine. Zoe's tireless encouragement helped me through the most difficult phase of parenting. Through her guidance and advice, my husband and I are able to successfully execute a sleep routine tailored to her. Our LO is now able to sleep through the night and nap without much effort. She wakes up cheerful and her parents are now less sleep deprived. I am a happy mummy and I can't recommend her enough!

Dr Peggy, Happy mommy of one

Baby won't sleep

If you’re a parent of a baby who won’t sleep and you are looking for sleep advice for your child, it can be a confusing endeavor. There are thousands of sleep resources out there. Just google and you will find lots of sleep tips and advice. One book contradicts another book and they never seem to answer the questions you have for YOUR situation. When you ask your friends and families for what they did, you will get so many different answers with various different personality types of children. It’s enough to make a tired parent go crazy! That is why I am in the business of helping parents get back their sanity again and put you and your family on the right track of getting sleep back in the household again. 

To quote one of my favourite clients' review about my sleep services after I helped her 7 months old child sleep through the night again..."Who says having babies equal to sleep deprivation? Not anymore for us! Thank you Zoe!" 

Contact me now 92388060 or email me info@sgsupernanny.com so I can help your family get back your well deserved sleep and rest! You can also check out my website www.sgsupernanny.com to find out more about my sleep packages.

 

SG Supernanny featured in the Harper's Bazaar Junior Magazine!

Sleep consulting is the latest must-have for parents in Singapore who are exhausted and sleep deprived. 

I am very pleased to be featured in the Harper's Bazaar Junior magazine as one of the 12 best courses for parents in Singapore when it comes to teaching babies to sleep better.

 

Testimonial from a client with twins

One of the things I love about my job besides being able to help parents and babies get back the sleep they deserved, is that I get to meet lovely clients who are just the nicest and seeing their babies sometimes reminded me so much of my own children when they were babies. 3 weeks ago, I met Melissa, mommy of a lovely set of twin boys and talking to her and seeing her cute twins, just reminded me so much about my days with my twins. 

Anyway, I got a lovely testimonial from her this week after starting my sleep program.

At 9 months, my twin boys were still waking up in the middle of the night to feed. They also had difficulty falling back asleep by themselves between cycles, and often woke up crying. My husband and I decided to work with Zoe to see if we could try to help our boys to sleep better and more independently. Zoe convinced us to go cold turkey with our boys. 

The first night was tough. The boys were crying for an hour before settling down. It broke our hearts. But by the second night, both of them fell asleep within 10 minutes, and slept through the night. It's been a week and our twin boys continue to sleep through the night. They are getting better quality sleep and wake up happy. 

Both my husband and I are also more rested and have the energy to engage our babies the way we want to in the morning. I admit that I was very hesitant about sleep training, but I'm happy that we did our research and gave it a go. I am surprised at how quickly my babies adapted to the new schedule and learnt how to self sooth. 

Thank you Zoe for all your help, support and constant encouragement!

Melissa, mother of twins

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.