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Elle Bowes | Charlotte Based Blog | Heart & Home

Heart & Home: Stories from a heart warrior's mother who attempts to keep it all together, including her formerly put together home.

Family

GENTLE SLEEP TRAINING TIPS | HOW TO GET YOUR BABY TO SLEEP

LET’S TALK SLEEP… AND HOW TO GET MORE OF IT

SLEEP TRAINING IS A LIFE SAVER FOR BOTH MOMS AND BABIES. MY GENTLE GUIDE IS FULL OF GREAT TIPS (FROM THE TOP PROFESSIONALS IN THE INDUSTRY) AND TRIED AND PROVEN PRODUCTS THAT HAVE HELPED OUR BABIES SLEEP PEACEFULLY.

Somehow we make adorable children but they naturally are just not great sleepers. Since sleep happens to be one of my most favorite things, I knew I had to figure out how to raise babies AND get sleep. We are 4 years into this parenting deal and we have finally come up with a list of things that have helped both our children sleep. Even with sleep regressions, teething, growth spurts, and endless other road blocks, babies can sleep and so can you!

Disclaimer: We are very “meet the needs of the baby” type parents. That means the months Emerson insisted on sleeping in our bed at 3+ years old, we supported. He smoothly transitioned back to his room without one fuss and has slept great since, going down easy and waking up happy. Your kids are going to need you through various phases and giving them reassurance and comfort will only help them be confident sleepers and overall great human beings!

MY MUST DO’S AND HAVE’S FOR SLEEP

  1. Work with a professional! They know the ins and outs of sleep and have ideas that even experience mothers haven’t tried. I am highly recommending the BEST in sleep training, The Cradle Coach, that was founded before Emerson was born. They are experienced, professional, so very sweet, and most importantly, effective in getting you and your baby sleep. Not to mention, they’re all a blast to work with and worth every penny (although they are also affordable).
  2. Nursery Setting: Very dark, 68-72 degrees, sleep light bulb, white noise, and safe.
  3. Calming products such as lavender, teething relief, and natural sleep aids
  4. Routine. Routine. Routine (I learned this from The Cradle Coach when I was a new mama to Emerson and wasn’t sure why he slept all day and wanted to be up all night).
  5. Be gentle. I support all moms and each mom knows what is best for their child. That being said, I am a gentle parent and am an advocate for not having to use the CIO method. The Cradle Coach will work with you on however you parent and what you’re comfortable with. My words to their founder, Melissa, were “I can’t do any crying.” After dealing with colic and PPD, I wanted Ryann Whitney to sleep but hearing her cry was unbearable. Melissa was so gentle and accommodating which made me confident as a mom.

SLEEP TRAINING THE GENTLE AND EFFECTIVE WAY

I first mentioned to work with a professional because we sometimes forget this part! We hire professionals to do just about everything else (even things we know how to do, like cleaning) so why not hire for sleep? The Cradle Coach has regional coaches that are available for home visits but often times, like for me, it’s a simple phone call, FaceTime, or Skype that gets me and my babies sleeping. Check out their website for packages and their Facebook page for additional information. They are amongst the highest recommended sleep trainers and have left many moms, dads, and babies feeling fully rested!

how to get your baby to sleep through the night

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE CRADLE COACH: Website / Facebook / Instagram

SLEEP PRODUCTS: NATURAL, EFFECTIVE, AND NECESSARY

LET’S TALK ABOUT MY TRIED AND TRUE PRODUCTS THAT ACTUALLY WORK.

Lucky for you, I paid the trial and error fee on these. As y’all know, I am an Amazon Queen. I will try anything and read every review! If it doesn’t work, you won’t hear about it! It took about 6 months to really find products that I could stand behind. There were a lot of fails to get to this list and I believe these 16 items play a big role in how my babies sleep!

INFANCY MUST HAVES:

Real black outs: I hide mine behind my pretty curtains and this is the newest addition to the nursery. After having trouble with Ryann Whitney’s afternoon nap, The Cradle Coach suggested darkening the room. Ding ding, worked like a charm! These blackouts are less than $9. Worth.every.penny. I hung ours up behind the decorative curtain with inexpensive tension rods.

Baby Sleep Light Bulb: This is a light proven to start the production of melatonin naturally by offering a warm light to the room. Turn this on leading up to bed time and during the bed time routine and you will see a big difference in your child’s sleep and how easily they go down.

The Magic Sleep Suit: It’s magic. It saved our lives. It WILL save yours. We used this from about 6 weeks old to nearly 6 months. BEST THING EVER especially if you have a baby that wants to be swaddled. It is a great transition sleeper as well and helps when moving to a crib.

White Noise: This is beneficial for all ages! I like this one and this one best. The top selling one is actually not my favorite and I had to add in a 2nd noise machine to compensate for it.

CALMING PRODUCTS TO CONSIDER:

Diffuser with Lavender: This has helped us tremendously to just bring an overall calming sense to the room. You can also dilute lavender and apply with a massage to your baby.

Calming Tablets: I love this brand and I find giving a few of these in the hour leading up to bed time is very effective.

Teething Help: Honestly, teething affects babies from 2 months to over 2 years old. It is one of the biggest interruptions to sleep. I have tried every teething options and these are what I like best: teething oil, teething gel, and camilia drops.

Sleep aids: I don’t use melatonin nightly but I do use the Sleep Drops and they are fantastic. Here is a brand I have been loving: Wink Melatonin Melts. They also make a great Lavender Chest Rub for congestion that is definitely the best I’ve tried!

SHOP THE SLEEP PRODUCTS

You can click each item to read more about them or click on the number below that corresponds to the item you are interested in.

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16

Here are some shots of my new blackouts with the amazing sleep light bulb on and some with it off so you can see the warmth it gives off. I had the chandelier on but normally the room will have a soft, warm tone to it versus the bright, time to wake up light that other light bulbs give off. The sleep light bulb is also an LED so you won’t be buying this more than once! The blackouts make the nursery as dark during nap time as it is at bed time. Absolutely amazing! A dark room has major health benefits on top of helping your child fall asleep easier.

HOW TO GET YOUR BABY TO SLEEP HOW TO GET YOUR BABY TO SLEEP HOW TO GET YOUR BABY TO SLEEP

I hope by now you have a few ideas up your sleeve that will lead to more sleep for those babies and for you! Remember, you’re the mama and you know what is best! Go with your gut and thank God for sleep coaches and Amazon to fill in the rest!

Sweet dreams!

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Hi, I'm Elle! I'm a wife to Everett and mother to Averie, Emerson, Ryann Whitney and Remy.

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Swipe to see the cutest progress of helping his ch Swipe to see the cutest progress of helping his chapped lips ☺️ This sweet face is much happier after we have been using @pipettebaby’s balm on his chapped face and lips!! Everything else left him so red and burned him :( I love how easy it is to apply and I bring it with my everywhere now! Pipette gave me 20% off code for y’all! Use ellebowes20 when you shop at Pipettebaby.com! 🎀#pipettemamaandbaby #gifted
A year before these were taken, she would swing he A year before these were taken, she would swing her head up so fast if I tried to pet her face. She thought I was going to hit her so she’d quickly throw her head up to avoid it. Slowly, she learned that I wasn’t there to hurt her. This was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had!
She rescued me in more ways than I rescued her 💕 I’m so grateful I have these forever memories captured by my sweet hubbie!
Remy Update ❤️‍🩹 Thank you for the prayer Remy Update ❤️‍🩹 Thank you for the prayers and support for Remy as always! We had so much encouragement in December when Remy did a 7 day Holter monitor on his heart. It’s not easy to get a 4 year old to wear a monitor attached to his chest 24-7 for 7 days but he did so amazing. We waited what felt like ages to hear from Dr. Brothers since it was over the holidays. Everett was next to me when the preview showed up and all we saw was, “I reviewed the heart rate monitor which was reassuring.” We both were shaking immediately. The emotions take over so quickly!! Remy’s overall results were great! He does have some PVCs (premature ventricular complexes). We will follow up in one year to make sure the frequency of them is staying low. These are very rare and are usually seen a normal heart which is interesting. So far, nothing to be concerned with! We are so grateful! Grow, Remy, grow! ❤️‍🩹
All my girl mama dreams came true with this room! All my girl mama dreams came true with this room! 🎀 Ryann and Emerson have shared a room for 5 out of the 6 years of her life. She was ready for her big girl room and it was so fun to surprise her with this dreamy ballerina room!! Bow curtains to be put up next! Swipe for how it sparkles at night ☺️
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🎀 thanks @whitneybilhorn for capturing our fami 🎀 thanks @whitneybilhorn for capturing our family 🎀
Happiest birthday to my sweet peach!!! 6 years 🥹 She is the reason why some people want a girl…. She’s sweet, loving, affectionate, kind, snuggly, loves all things pink, twirls around like a ballerina all day, and makes everything better!!! We are so thankful she’s ours!! 🦄🎀💕🌈🛍️
It’s been years since I’ve had to walk through It’s been years since I’ve had to walk through these fears and emotions. Unfortunately, I am asking for some big prayers so we can avoid the hospital. Remy has a bad cough that has come and gone and now returned. His saturations are dipping from low 90’s to high 80’s which I normally would call 911 for. I just texted his doctor and we are working hard to keep him from an ambulance ride. Please pray 🙏🏼 Thank you so much!
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As a seasoned "flock lady", here are my recommende As a seasoned "flock lady", here are my recommended trees! For 7 years now, I have loved sharing my favorite winter wonderland posts!! I sorted through to make sure most were quick ship trees, highly rated and affordable! Ours has held up great for 4 years now! These sell out FAST so grab yours, before you know it, they're gone!
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4 years ago… taken 25 days apart. No change in m 4 years ago… taken 25 days apart. No change in medication, medical care, nothing! Our miracle baby who was waiting on the heart transplant list was transformed and kept his heart. He looked like the left for 2 months… no improvements. Then God:)
Remy loves a good rainy day nap… and a custom so Remy loves a good rainy day nap… and a custom sound of nature to accompany it 😂
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