Taking on bedtime with a toddler and a newborn has the potential to feel like a marathon, especially if you’re doing it alone! I have four babies of my own, so I’ve done this a time or two! I wanted to share some tips that help make bedtime easier on all of us.
Read MoreWe’ve all been there…you get invited to dinner at 7pm on a Friday night. The problem? Your baby goes to bed at 7pm! You don’t want to miss out, but you also don’t want your baby to get overtired, or worse, completely ruin their sleep! Sound familiar?
If so, you’re not alone! As a baby sleep consultant, I’m here to tell you that you’re totally allowed to take your baby out late every now and then, and that it is not going to ruin their sleep. You heard that right. You can take your baby to dinner, holiday parties, or wherever you’re wanting to go and not ruin their sleep. Why? Because sleep is a SKILL that is not suddenly forgotten because you had an off day or night!
Read MoreThis is going to be your year, mama. The year you prioritize YOU so that you can be the best version of yourself . The year you prioritize your health - both your physical and mental health. The year you discover and focus on the things that make you happiest. Because when you take care of you, you can better take care of your babies:)
Read MoreThe entire goal with Melli Baby is to help make your nights a whole lot better. I want to support the healthy sleep habits that you've worked so hard to create. I want your independent sleeper to continue to sleep like a champ, while feeling both safe and comfortable.
Read MoreI’m just here to tell you that you are exactly the mom that your baby needs. Nobody will ever love them better than YOU. Nobody will ever know their needs more than you. And all your baby really needs is YOU! Exactly as you are. You were made for this. Trust your gut. Do your best. And know that you are doing better than you think you are.
Read MoreBut in case you need permission to simplify this year and just say no to burn out, here it is:) I give you full permission to put your mental health above everything else.
Read MoreBut in case you need permission to simplify this year and just say no to burn out, here it is:) I give you full permission to put your mental health above everything else.
Read MoreI’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: babies are not robots. This means your baby WILL have off days, and it’s going to be okay! Your baby will take short naps, skip naps altogether, stay up too late or sleep in too long. Not if, but when these things happen, it’s super easy to get back on track.
Read MoreI don’t know about you, but over the years I have let the holiday season drain me to below empty, and that’s not how I want to live! When that happens, not only do I suffer, but everyone around me suffers as well🙈. The holiday season can be magical, beautiful, peaceful and FUN! But only if you have the capacity to enjoy it and not spread yourself too thin. Now that I’ve learned this, I do everything I can to avoid burn out so I can genuinely enjoy the entire season.
Read MoreLet’s talk about the 12 month sleep regression. I’m sorry to tell you this but…it can be a doozy!
Before we dive in, it’s important to remember that a sleep regression is simply a developmental milestone. Nothing has gone wrong here so there’s no need to panic! In fact, when your baby hits a regression, it means they are developing right on track. That’s comforting, right? Until they start waking up in the night or refusing their naps…😅
Read MoreSadly, one of the biggest misconceptions about sleep training is that if you teach your baby how to sleep, you’ll never get to snuggle them. Can I just end this once and for all and say this is totally false? In fact, I encourage contact naps — especially during the first four moths.
Read MoreIf sickness comes for days or even weeks at a time and throws off your baby’s schedule, all is not lost! Once they get better, If your baby is already sleep-trained, know that they will go back to sleeping through the night in no time.
Read MoreThere will be times when your baby takes a short nap (or two), skips a nap altogether, wakes up early, goes to bed late, and everything in between. Not if, but when these things happen, follow what I like to call the “15 minute rule”. This means that whatever happens, you can adjust your baby’s schedule in 15 minute increments to get back on track by bedtime
Read MoreAs a new mom, I was a wreck. I felt SO prepared going into motherhood then once my baby arrived, I felt like I was dropped into a foreign land with zero instructions and zero confidence. I felt lost, confused, and extremely inadequate. It was rough, to say the least.
However, we slowly but surely figured things out together, started sleeping through the night around 10 weeks (this made ALL the difference for me), and learned some really incredible lessons along the way.
Read MoreResearch tells us again and again that capping off naps while your baby is learning to sleep can actually be beneficial to their ability to sleep at night. Why? Because if your baby sleeps all day long, chances are they are not going to want to sleep all night long as well. So, waking your baby from a nap during the sleep training period is a huge part of teaching your baby to sleep.
Read MoreImagine how much easier your life would be if your baby slept through the night? I’m here to help you do that in a safe, gentle and loving way.
Read MoreUp until four months, your baby goes through “newborn sleep cycles”, or short and irregular ones. Once they hit that four month mark (give or take a few weeks. Every baby is different!), their sleep patterns start to turn into “adult sleep cycles”, where they become more consistent and more predictable. With all of that change and development going on in their little brains, of course there will be some interrupted sleep! It’s a big deal to go through these changes!
Read MoreThe good news is, you're not alone if your baby is struggling with short naps! The bad news is, if your baby is under 4 months, this is completely normal.
Read MoreI've briefly mentioned this on Instagram, but I'm in the middle of my hormone healing journey and I said I would keep you updated because let's be honest, who doesn't need to heal their hormones? Between pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, toxic beauty products, cleaning supplies, food and everything else we go through as women, I think we are all a little wrecked in the hormone department, right?😂 Some more than others, I'm sure🙋🏻♀️.
Read More"Jessalyn, I'm feeling kind of defeated. My baby has perfect wake windows, he's eating and growing, he knows how to fall asleep independently, but he will not stay asleep for the life of me." Sound familiar?
Well, after doing some digging (I kind of feel like a detective 🕵🏻♀️ when I do this, especially in consultations. Not mad about it!) she said that her baby keeps making noises and grunting in the night, so in fear of him waking up, she hurries over to him, pops the binky in to help him "stay asleep", and within minutes he's awake and crying. This entire process repeats over and over throughout the night.
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