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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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My handsome boy could swim all day long! He thinks My handsome boy could swim all day long! He thinks he’s close to doing an iron man because he bikes a 5k next to Everett while he runs and then swims 😂🤣
Happy 4 years of conquering cardiac arrest to our Happy 4 years of conquering cardiac arrest to our miracle boy! Thank you to each of you that stopped in the scariest moment of our lives to pray and stuck with us for soooooo many months and years.
My girl in pink is too much! All I can think of is My girl in pink is too much! All I can think of is “I’m a Barbie girl in a Barbie world!” Everett sings, “I’m a Darby girl in a Darby world” to the same tune 💗🤣
After celebrating with the littles this morning, A After celebrating with the littles this morning, Averie and I surprised Everett with a very fun afternoon with delicious authentic Italian food, got him fitted for new running shoes, and then off to the shooting range! We had the best time! The custom socks were his favorite! I asked the littles to draw their favorite thing to do with him: Ryann is riding her bike, Remy is swimming in the sun, Emerson is throwing the football and Averie is custom Gracie socks 🤣. It was wonderful focusing on him and spoiling him today! He’s always putting us all before anything and he more than deserved an amazing Father’s Day!
🤍 Happy Father’s Day 🤍 to our most amazing 🤍 Happy Father’s Day 🤍 to our most amazing, loving, selfless, intentional, fun, silly, hands on, snuggly, Godly, handsome, and best daddy ever!!! We love you so much @everettbowes and cannot imagine our family without you! Thank you for making our days so wonderful and for always putting your family first! You are the biggest gift and blessing to all 5 of us!
Averie and I love getting our nails done together. Averie and I love getting our nails done together.. this time we decided to do them at home and they came out so cute!! Mine are the pink and hers are the pink/white with dots! 💅🏻
Our sweet Remy’s birthday is on my blog:) Thank Our sweet Remy’s birthday is on my blog:) Thank you for all the sweet messages and memories!! He had a wonderful celebration! I tried to link everything y’all asked for. If I missed something, comment or message me!! We did a very simple and affordable party!! It was so enjoyable for all of us! 💙
I guess for normal parents, these thoughts don’t I guess for normal parents, these thoughts don’t cross their mind on big days like their child’s birthday. For us, not only is it on special days but it’s every day that we think, pray about, talk about or talk to so many of the incredible medical angels that worked tirelessly to save our baby. I can’t go to sleep tonight without thanking each of you so very much for these days. I thought as time went on, I’d think of you less. But the opposite has happened. Because I get to see so many new things with Remy each and every day, I think of you more. Because I don’t have to visit him on this day at a grave site, I think of you more. Because I don’t have to imagine what these days would have been Iike, I think of you more. Because I don’t have to draw in my head what I think he’d have looked like at 4, I think of you more. Thank you. You all deserve the world for what you do.
happy official birthday to our FOUR year old!!!! R happy official birthday to our FOUR year old!!!! Remy, every day and every night with you is a gift from God. I’m so thankful we have these days with you. You fought so hard to be here and you bring so much joy to your family! We love you, sweet boy!
Happy birthday to our little Rem Rem! The world mu Happy birthday to our little Rem Rem! The world must have needed you… you made it through so much and through the critical years of 3 and 4. We can’t begin to describe how thankful we are to celebrate you today and every day we have you with us! Happy 4th 💙💙💙💙
4 years ago today I was 48 hours from welcoming ou 4 years ago today I was 48 hours from welcoming our miracle baby Remy!
Summer picnic and some sun bathing with my 4 loves Summer picnic and some sun bathing with my 4 loves 🎀💙🎀💙
🎀 bows on bowes 👯‍♀️ 🎀 bows on bowes 👯‍♀️
Oh my heart. I left it in Colorado, AGAIN!!! 26 ye Oh my heart. I left it in Colorado, AGAIN!!! 26 years ago, my hubby met his best friend, Sean, and because of that we all have been extremely blessed to have each other!! The amount of integrity, support, adoration, faith, selflessness and out of this world love that bursts from this family is indescribable. They are successful, they are godly, they are fun, they are everything you want in a family and more! I know all of their blessings are there because God knows their hearts and sees their actions and pours it on them!! They aren’t friends, they’re family. They’re sisters and brothers, fighters for us in the valley and cheerleaders for us on the hills. All I could have ever wanted is there when we are all together!! You all know it because none of us stop saying this but we absolutely love you and miss you and adore each of you from the tops of your heads to your cute little toes!!! Bringing our answered prayer, Remy, to y’all in 2020 and now our Averie in 2022 was absolutely out of this world. Thank you Holt for marrying our precious Mikayla so we could have the best time ever!!!! 💓💓💓💓💓💓
The last few days have gotten away from us but sit The last few days have gotten away from us but sitting here with some quiet time, I went through our old pictures. We just celebrated our 10th anniversary of getting engaged and the butterflies hit all over again!! I’ve happily said yes to @everettbowes every single day since then and I am so grateful to have such an incredible partner in raising our children, best friend beside me, and my absolute favorite person in the world. Marriage for me showed me how blessed I am and Everett has only shown me a better and better version of himself as the years have passed. We have walked through the best and coolest experiences together and also the hardest battles with nearly losing a child. I go to bed excited about him every night and wake up excited to see him. Not everything in life feels this way but for us, I’m thankful this area of life is a fairy tale. I love you @everettbowes. You have intergrity, kindness, love and intention in your heart and in everything you do. Your children and I are honored to be yours 💓
Today was a very special day for our baby girl! Sh Today was a very special day for our baby girl! She swam SO well without her floaties, got her first official haircut, has another wiggly tooth, took her first shopping trip to Claire’s AND got her nails painted by yours truly. She is the sweetest thing on the planet and makes our family feel so loved! It was a joy for all of us to see her enjoy the day!! I can’t believe she’s going to kindergarten in the Fall. We are so grateful beyond words that she is ours! 💗
I was on a cloud 9 yesterday… I couldn’t stop I was on a cloud 9 yesterday… I couldn’t stop smiling! Darby’s progress has been amazing! For the first time yesterday, I was able to sit on her. I love her so much!
Tacked her up English today:) I love her more than Tacked her up English today:) I love her more than words!! 🐴
Happy Mother’s Day!!! 💐🌸💗🌷There is t Happy Mother’s Day!!! 💐🌸💗🌷There is truly no love, no experience, no bond that compares to motherhood. 💓💙💓💙
One of my greatest joys of being a mom is when oth One of my greatest joys of being a mom is when others recognize and love my children as much as we do. That happens all the time with Averie. I’m so proud of her character, work ethic, dedication, and how she loves others so well! She’s so easy to love and appreciate, I’m so thankful she’s mine! 💞
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