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.