There's a Monster in My Closet

10/14/2022

Night terrors and nightmares can increase during times of transitions (hello start of school!)

If you are experiencing this with your toddler or preschooler, this article is for you ❤️

Learn why they occur, what they look like, and what you can do to help.

Are you struggling with Nightmares & Night terrors? Let's chat about what is happening and how families can get back to restful sleep.

09/09/2022

I am SUPER excited to announce the launch of MimC's first children's book!

This has been a labour of love and such a fun collaborative project!

Featuring incredible illustrations by the talented Travis North, this book takes the science of sleep development in young children and smooshes it together with the raw and relatable experience of families everywhere, as always with a little help from some lovable sleepy time pals ;)

Available for purchase at www.theresamonsterinmycloset.com/a-bedtime-story

FREE local delivery available at check out.

03/25/2022

This testimonial is precisely what I dreamed up with the creation of these cuddly plushies:

With one watching over you, there’s no need to be afraid of the monster in your closet.

So gift the gift of SLEEP! 🎁💤😴

To yourself.

To your little one.

To a friend or a loved one.

The Sleep Monsters are ethically sourced, sleepy time pals for kiddos. One of those timeless comfort items. 🧸

Each monster represents a stage of sleep development and embodies many of the common behaviours and milestones that you will experience with your little one.

And each one comes with our Healthy Sleep, Healthy Start guide, trusted, evidence-based support for navigating childhood sleep (ages 0-5 years). 📔

Visit the MimC Shop to learn more! (link in bio)

03/18/2022

World Sleep Day is an annual, global call to action about the importance of healthy sleep. ⁣
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Today marks the 15th annual World Sleep Day, with the slogan: 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩, 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝, 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝗪𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝⁣
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And because this account is all about healthy sleep for kids, here are a few tips that you can use to help your little ones get their best night's (and day's) sleep:⁣
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1. Stick to a consistent (and early!) bedtime every night. This helps set the internal rhythm.⁣
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2. Young children are polyphasic sleepers - they sleep in multiple bouts. Check in with the recommended wake windows and sleep durations for your child based on their age⁣
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3. A consistent, positive bedtime routine is among the top sleep promoting elements of the daily rhythm! ⁣
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4. Make sure the bedroom is sleep friendly– cool, dark, and quiet.⁣
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5. Mimic 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness in your child's environment - get lots of exposure to natural light during the day and dim those artificial (and device!) lights down at night.⁣
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6. Have your child avoid heavy meals and vigorous exercise close to bedtime - a short "get your sillies out" period before or after dinner can help with that peak evening energy!⁣
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7. Keep sugars to a minimum, especially leading up to bedtime⁣
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8. Have your child keep a regular daily schedule, including consistent mealtimes, 7 days a week.

03/17/2022

Ever wonder how much sleep is really necessary for your baby’s development? ⁣
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Perhaps you’ve heard that we all have different sleep needs, so maybe you're wondering if your baby is unique in their sleep needs too.⁣
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Rather than focusing on the specific numerical values (this many naps per day for a total of _____ hours plus precisely x number of hours at night), let's take a moment to consider why babies sleep more than adults.⁣
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When we are awake, our brains are receiving all the “newness” of our day to day lives. We can ignore what isn’t relevant and focus on what is.⁣
Sleep is the time that we process and store all that relevant new information. For adults, this usually equates to 7-9 hours of “processing” per night.⁣
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But for your baby EVERYTHING is new. They can’t really decide what’s relevant or not, because they have no prior experience in the world. And they can only take in so much newness until they need to sleep, process, and reset the stage for the next bout of waking (this is called polyphasic sleep).⁣
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As your baby gets older, less is completely new and so sleep intervals become less frequent. They can attend to the world for longer and longer wake periods. But still not at the level of an adult.⁣
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Prioritizing sleep and setting the conditions for your baby to get regular, restorative bouts promotes a wide eyed and eager ability to receive the world around. It's not so much about duration as it is about regularity to reset the stage for the next bout of waking. ⁣
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So if you're finding it hard to fit in to all the specific sleep charts out there (mine included), focus more on establishing a consistent rhythm with regular bouts of restorative sleep to keep that wide eyed wonder!⁣
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03/16/2022

I had the absolute pleasure to be interviewed on the podcast by my (nearly) life long friend, Marc! ⁣
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The episode is chalk-full of information about why we sleep, what happens to us when we become indebted, and how we can prioritize optimal overall wellness both day and night to get the best sleep possible.⁣
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This one extends beyond healthy sleep for kids (though they are not left in the dust) and emphasizes healthy sleep for all - something I am practicing in my own life every.single.day. After years of feeling the debilitating effects of postpartum insomnia, sleep health has become a topic that I cannot help but devour. ⁣
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Check out the full episode over at: 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟏𝟖 - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩 streaming on Apple podcasts and Spotify. ⁣
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𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘮𝘢'𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘯𝘪𝘢, 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴!

03/10/2022

We all experience our little ones' behaviours, and in this case sleep, according to a set of practices and norms set by the society and culture in which we live. ⁣
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Things that are are considered highly normal and expected in one circle may be challenged as problematic in another. ⁣
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There is no "right" or "wrong" way to experience something (yours is valid and real) but it is important to understand the context under which we develop our expectations. ⁣
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If the answer to the question above is: according to YOU (in other words, if you are struggling to manage and cope due to the overwhelm that baby sleep can present), then seeking support is a priority. ⁣
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BUT if you find yourself implementing strategies, trying to fit your baby into some set of expected parameters, or feeling at a complete loss for why your baby doesn't fit into some mold being communicated at you through all the information channels (friends, family experts, social media), then stop and ask yourself:⁣
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𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲'𝐬 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞. ⁣
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Because I'll let you in on something I've learned - 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦. ⁣
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So you do you. Your intuition knows better than anyone.

03/08/2022

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03/06/2022

03/04/2022

Did you know? March is Sleep Month! And we are dedicating the whole month to revealing the most up to date, important aspects of infant, baby, and childhood sleep health and wellness - https://mailchi.mp/theresamonsterinmycloset/did-you-know

03/03/2022

𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥?⁣
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One of the things I tell parents all the time is to envision what they want their sleep routine to look like. ⁣
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❓Is co-sleeping important to you or do you want to have your bed to yourself? ⁣
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❓Do you want to be there each night to help your little one fall asleep or would you like some freedom to your evenings and the possibility of another caregiver taking over bedtime? ⁣
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❓Do you or your partner commute and you wish that your babe’s bedtime could be just a little bit later so that you both get time with him at the end of a long day?⁣
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When making decisions about sleep, it’s important to consider the needs and wishes of your whole family. ⁣
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❤️ It is possible to tweak schedules, routines, and systems in a way that is still restorative for your little one, but fits in better with your family’s daily rhythm and unique values.⁣
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Before you jump to any strategies OR compare your baby to everyone else's, ask yourself: “𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 (𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝)?"⁣
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Have you implemented strategies that “go against the grain” but work for your family? ⁣
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Comment below ⬇️ I bet there’s someone else out there that could benefit from your experience.⁣
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03/01/2022