Sleep Solution Specialist

In my job as a maternity and newborn boutique photographer, I have the privilege of meeting a lot of families with itty-bitty babies. Despite all the differences between parents, babes, and family situations, there is one struggle that often surfaces during my time with my clients… SLEEP! With little ones at home, sleep can be hard to come by, so I’ve teamed up with a local pediatric sleep consultant, Brittney Stefanic, to offer you some newborn sleep tips and other sleep advice. I am excited to be offering these resources to my clients because I know how important sleep is for parents and children alike!

Meet Brittney!

Exhausted parents, we need to talk.

If you can’t keep your eyes open due to your child’s tricky (or non-existent) sleep, I can help. As a Sleep Sense™ pediatric consultant, my passion is helping families to create healthy sleep habits for the whole household. I educate and support families in finding sleep solutions for newborns, babies, toddlers, and school-aged children.

Before becoming a parent myself, I was a science teacher, working with high school and adult students. I have a B.A. in Biology from the University of Colorado and an M.Ed. in Science Education from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Sleep consulting in Elko County?!

My love of the sciences and my passion for teaching led me to The Sleep Sense™ Consultant Certification Program which allows me to utilize my education and experience when working with families. If you’re ready for some sleep, I’m ready to help.

I was born and raised in Colorado, but have called Spring Creek home for the last five years. It has taken time to adjust to life without Target or Costco. In small-town life, many services are out of easy reach, but getting help with your child’s sleep is not one of them. Whether you live next door or across the globe, I can help.

Parenting can feel isolating, no matter where you live, especially if you’re exhausted from sleepless nights. So I am thrilled to bring my pediatric sleep consulting services to our local community here in Elko County.

Since you are likely reading this with a baby on the way or a brand new bundle of joy at home, I’d like to share with you some newborn sleep education. I will break down the tips and tricks into two different ages groups for simplicity sake because….. #tired!

Here we go!!!

Sleep from birth to 6 weeks old

Focus on clearing up the day/night confusion. One of the best ways to clear up the day/night confusion common during weeks 0 to 12, or the 4th trimester, is to expose baby to natural light during the daytime and keep them in a dark room during the night to allow their circadian rhythm and hormone (melatonin and cortisol to name a few) levels to start to adjust to life outside the womb. I always recommend to my prenatal and newborn clients that feeding their new baby the first feed of the day occurs in a room with as much natural light as possible, rather than in a dark bedroom or nursery. This tiny trick can make a big difference in expediting how our little bundles adjust to the day and night needs.

Example Daytime Schedule: Up to 6 weeks it is typical that little ones are unable to stay up beyond the 35 to the 40-minute mark. This means that they are essentially awake to get cleaned up, put on a new outfit, get a full feed, get cleaned up again, get another new outfit, and then nap again! Sometimes there isn’t even time for a wardrobe change! Around 6 weeks, this awake threshold is right around 45 minutes, which still goes quickly! During this phase of adjusting to life with new baby, it is most important to ensure that their feeding and sleep needs are being met. The only “sleep rule” for this young age, is to ensure that baby is sleeping in a safe sleep environment without added items in their crib or bassinet and laid flat on their back. If ever in question, remember the ABCs of safe sleep as set out by the American Academy of Pediatrics: Alone, on their Backs in an empty Crib or bassinet!

Sleep from 6 weeks to 12 weeks old

Focus on introducing healthy sleep habits. Though there are no strict sleep rules for newborns, it is never too early for parent education on safe, independent sleep and avoiding come common sleep pitfalls! As with the development of all skills that our babies learn, the more opportunities that little ones have to practice the skill (yup, sleep is a skill) of independent sleep, the more proficient they will become and the more quickly that will occur. I work with many parents of newborns who support this skill-based mindset for sleep in their house, and they are pleasantly surprised when their newborns fall back to sleep quickly after eating in the night and take predictable daytime naps as a result of their own knowledge about infant sleep!

Example Daytime Schedule: Even by 12 weeks old, the total time that babies are able to remain awake without becoming overstimulated or overtired is only 1.5 hours. Remember this is time spent awake from the end of one nap to the start of the next, and it should include a full feed! Though this is a big jump from the quick 45 minutes at 6 weeks old, it still can speed by for a lot of parents, especially if they are trying to fit in running errands or taking care of things around the house. In these cases, it can be helpful to set an alarm or timer when the baby gets up from their nap to help remind parents when it is time to start the next one!

4th-trimester sleep, in general

The most common question I get about newborn sleep: When can we “expect” (of course every baby is different) our baby to start sleeping for longer stretches? Nighttime sleep can consolidate early, especially if newborns learn the skill of connecting sleep cycles without having to be fed to sleep from an early age. I have worked with many families that approach a solid 6 hours stretch of sleep after bedtime by 6 weeks old. A few of my well-rested newborn clients have shared their success stories on my website. I’d love for you to give them a read and learn more about how they are sleeping so well, again!

These tips are great, but what if we need more help?

I am eager to find out more about your family and would love to support you in reaching your sleep goals. All client’s of Kandi Anderson Photography have access to a FREE 15-minute no-obligation evaluation call with me. You can find my booking calendar here and find a time that works best for you. Since sleep is vital to a healthy family, I would be honored to help you on this journey to restful nights.

Cheers to parenting, cheers to snuggly little babies and cheers to sleep!

Sleep well,

Brittney