Hello! I’m Amy Martino, Holistic Sleep and Parenting Coach located here in Seattle.

I’ve supported infants, children and families for over 35 years in many capacities including, Teacher, Nanny, CNCS, PPD, sleep and parenting coach.  My passion is guiding families through struggles and finding what works! I’m intuitive, and one of my tools is astrology, specifically understanding personality and temperament through sun and moon signs.

Currently an empty-nest mama, student, and full time nanny to twin 3.5 year olds.

Please visit www.sunandmoonchild.com to learn more about me!

Q&A

Question:

What are some tips to help wind my child down at the end of the day or before nap time?

Answer:

Routine and consistency are key, plus establishing good sleep hygiene. Reducing or eliminating a child’s exposure to disruptive sounds and blue light during sleep, (and at least one to two hours prior to bedtime), can make a noticeable difference in your child’s ability to drift off to sleep.

A good wind-down period at the end of the day is important to bring-on and maintain production of melatonin.  This can be achieved my having no blue light (screen time), dimming the lights in the house, as well as reducing the noise level, and only engaging in calming activities.  Over activity ramps up cortisol, which is counterproductive to sleep, so active play should take place earlier in the day.

Sleep is brought on by sleep pressure build-up. The spacing and length of naps is important to stave off over-tiredness which can lead to a restless night.  The timing and need of naps changes with the age of the child.

Question:

I’d love any great tips to help toddlers drop the nap and keeping them rested so we don’t hit complete exhaustion by 5pm. My child is still wanting to nap at SLC (school), but doesn’t want to miss out on anything during the weekends, and it’s tough once we get to dinner time without a tired and sometimes fussy boy.

Answer:

FOMO is real!  Naps are important until they’re not.  If your child is still showing strong signs of needing a nap, it’s helpful if you can create the availability of down-time on the weekend.  This can sometimes mean that the whole house goes into ‘quiet time’.  They are less likely to feel they are missing out if there’s nothing to miss out on.  The step-down from nap is quiet time.  A time to rest their bodies.  This can be accomplished in their room with very dim lights (reduce blue light…try red light), or even resting on the sofa with all the blinds pulled.  Be boring at nap time!

Question:

From a teacher: We have a few kids who are visibly extremely tired- heavy eyes, constant yawning, crankiness and will a lot of times be asleep or so close and then wake themselves up- either rubbing their eyes so hard, hitting their heads, or just not willing to keep their bodies still at all and would love to have some feedback on that and any tips!

Answer:

Oof! I’ve been there!  I worked in a child care center many years early in my career.  I will share what I did.  I would ‘make the rounds’ in the room shushing and patting those children first. Often times, the children near them that were less likely to fight sleep, would also drift off while listening to the patting and shushing of the child(ren) I was sitting with.  Placement of the children was helpful as well so you can pat-shush two at once.  The environment was also key, keeping the blinds drawn and having calming music or sound machines playing…and calmly reminding children that it was time to rest their bodies and their minds.  Using ‘that voice’ that would put anyone to sleep, is also key.  Be their guided meditation!

Question:

How do I transition my child from a crib to a bed?

Answer:

So much depends on the age of the child transitioning.  I recommend parents wait as long as they can, doing as much as they can to drop the crib mattress all the way to the floor and other tricks, to hold off as long as possible.  The longer a child has had to be in a well established pattern of sleep, the easier the transition is.  Once everyone’s ready, I recommend moving everything out of the room that can be moved out. Nothing but their bed, some blankets, and lovies.  Things can be slowly returned to the room once there’s a routine and it’s going well.  Having a solid plan in place that they are a part of, and knowing that it will take time and consistency on your part.  This often includes many nights of returning them to their bed…many times.  Consistency, consistency, consistency!

Question:

I have two children that will be sharing a room soon. What are some ways to help make that transition smooth and ensure they both get a good night sleep?

Answer:

Much will depend on the ages of the children. Understanding their particular sleep habits will help determine which child should be put down first etc.  Have a plan. Be consistent and be willing to adjust as you move forward.  It will take time.  Placement of a sound machine between the children can be helpful in creating a ‘wall of sound’ so they are less likely to disrupt one another.  You might have a few days or weeks of adjusting…but, hang in there! Keep the things that are working, while adjusting the things that aren’t.

We would like to thank Amy for taking the time to answer our questions! If you have any other sleep related things you would like to talk about please do not hesitate to reach out to either us or Amy for additional resources.

“Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning.” Diane Ackerman