Category: ’Nighttime Parenting’
Set Yourself Up to Succeed
Success has always been important to me. It had been easy to define—good grades in school, positive feedback in my workplace—until I became a parent. Now the idea of success is a little more ephemeral, harder to grasp. Who says whether or not I’m a successful parent? My twins are only 11 months old. Their communication isn’t yet developed enough … Read More…
11 Comments | Posted in Attachment Parenting, Breastfeeding, Cosleeping, Family Safety, Feeding With Love, Gentle Discipline, Nighttime Parenting, Parenting Philosophies, Responding With Sensitivity, Safe Sleep
The Family Bed
Throughout my pregnancy I had this vision of a baby sleeping peacefully all snuggled in a bassinet. I had no idea that some babies didn’t just stay asleep when you put them down. I also had no idea that newborns had a Moro reflex or even what a Moro reflex was! We never intended to bedshare, but our family bed has … Read More…
4 Comments | Posted in Balance, Breastfeeding, Cosleeping, Family Structure, Feeding With Love, Nighttime Parenting, Safe Sleep
Bed Sharing with Two (or More) Children
We have loved sharing a bed with our first son, Everett. The snuggles are an immediate reward, the attachment and sense of security in him is the long term reward. So when our second son, Kellan, was born, without a thought or doubt about it, he joined our bed every night. Since then, however, I’ve had friends and acquaintances ask how we handle bed sharing with two kids. Read More…
9 Comments | Posted in Attachment Parenting, Consistent Care, Cosleeping, Family Safety, Nighttime Parenting, Parenting Philosophies, Routines and Schedules, Safe Sleep
Five Benefits to Cosleeping Past Infancy
Cosleeping, also known as “sharing sleep” or having a “family bed,” is a parenting practice that still smacks of taboo in our Western culture. But recent scientific studies are building a much stronger argument for the benefits of sharing sleep with our children.1 Yet even with the scientific support and the changing cultural perception of cosleeping, the subject is typically … Read More…
180 Comments | Posted in Attachment Parenting, Consistent Care, Cosleeping, Gentle Discipline, Nighttime Parenting, Parenting Philosophies, Responding With Sensitivity, Safe Sleep
Boundaries, Breastfeeding, and Sleep
An NPN reader asks our natural parenting mentors: We are struggling with sleeping right now. My youngest son is 26 months. My eldest son is nearly 5 years old. We coslept with my eldest, and then he moved into his own room when I was pregnant, but he often ended up back with us. I am tandem breastfeeding. Now he … Read More…
6 Comments | Posted in Ask an NP Mentor, Attachment Parenting, Balance, Breastfeeding, Breastfeeding Past Infancy, Cosleeping, Feeding With Love, Gentle Discipline, Nighttime Parenting, Parenting Philosophies, Responding With Sensitivity, Safe Sleep
Hug It Out
People I know have been forcing their babies to cry it out since I’ve known people with babies. I rarely voice my objection publicly. Read More…
8 Comments | Posted in Attachment Parenting, Babywearing, Cosleeping, Nighttime Parenting, Nurturing Touch, Parenting Philosophies, Responding With Sensitivity, Safe Sleep
Why Nighttime Breastfeeding So Important
It’s an evolutionary trait that moms are wired to be responsive to their baby’s cries. Babies wake up at night because it is what nature intends them to do. Nature also intends that babies drink breast milk. Contrary to what you might hear, it is not normal for a baby to sleep through the night. And breastfed babies wake more frequently than their formula fed counterparts because breast milk gets digested more quickly, thus making them hungry. When we nurse them back to sleep, not only are we satiating their hunger, we are letting them know that they are safe and that their cries will be heeded. We are building a trusting connection with our babies based on respect and responsiveness. Read More…
56 Comments | Posted in Attachment Parenting, Breastfeeding, Cosleeping, Feeding With Love, Nighttime Parenting, Parenting Philosophies, Safe Sleep
Wordless Wednesday: Nighttime Parenting
This week we asked: What does nighttime parenting look like? It was only a few hours before we needed to put up this week’s Wordless Wednesday post, and we still had only a couple nighttime pictures — we put out another call and ended up with this smashing smorgasbord! Enjoy seeing all the different (and adorable!) ways naturally minded parents … Read More…
17 Comments | Posted in Cosleeping, Nighttime Parenting, Safe Sleep, Wordless Wednesday
Sometimes I Wish We Coslept
My mom coslept with my younger siblings. They’d start out the night in the crib, and be in and out of my mom’s bed at various times in the night. I don’t think she coslept with me; in fact I think she must not have, because I have a really hard time sleeping if anyone is touching me. I like … Read More…
11 Comments | Posted in Attachment Parenting, Breastfeeding, Cosleeping, Feeding With Love, Nighttime Parenting, Parenting Philosophies, Responding With Sensitivity, Safe Sleep
Struggling to Sleep
Our mentors give some helpful advice to a mama with a two year old who is hitting and kicking while nursing to sleep. Read More…
Leave a comment | Posted in Ask an NP Mentor, Attachment Parenting, Breastfeeding, Breastfeeding Past Infancy, Consensual Living, Consistent Care, Cosleeping, Feeding With Love, Gentle Discipline, Nighttime Parenting, Parenting Philosophies, Responding With Sensitivity, Routines and Schedules, Safe Sleep
