I get it. I really do. After all, I’m a mother myself. The absolutely primal and uncontrollable impulse to stay close to your baby is so deeply rooted in our DNA that it’s almost frightening sometimes.

What is it about you having a lousy night’s sleep that makes everyone else so awful? It seems that way, doesn’t it? You have a night of broken, interrupted, just plain lousy sleep, and the next day people are driving like they’ve been lobotomized, humming and hawing about their Starbucks order in front of you.

Sleep has always been, and will likely continue to be, a bit of a mystery. As of yet, the scientific community hasn’t been able to tell us exactly why we sleep, but there is definitely a consensus among researchers (and new mothers) that adequate sleep is good for you in a whole bunch of ways.

When I was expecting my daughter, I probably did more reading than I did throughout my entire academic career. I was determined to know everything there was to know about having a baby, raising a child, and everything that had anything at all to do with parenting.

We’re all willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that our babies are properly nourished, obviously, but as anyone who’s been through this glorious journey of motherhood will tell you, kids are unimaginably clever.

It is totally possible to keep good sleep habits while you are on vacation. Here are my top 5 tips to a successful (and restful!) vacation with your wee one!

I can clearly remember, like most mothers I’m sure, the very moment I gave birth to my first child. I was absolutely buried in feelings of love and gratitude.And then, about ten to fifteen seconds later, I was equally buried in advice, suggestions, and information.

As professional sleep consultants, we hear the term “regression” used in regards to just about every imaginable circumstance. Essentially, if baby doesn’t sleep well for a couple of nights, parents start dropping the ‘R’ word.

Raising kids is a high-stakes responsibility, and in this age of social media and easy access to information about anything and everything, parents are easily overwhelmed with feelings of guilt and inadequacy. As sleep consultants, we see this all the time from parents whose babies aren’t sleeping well.

Today I want to talk a little bit about playing in the crib. If you are a veteran of the Sleep Sense program, this might sound like something you’ve experienced. If you’re not, this might sound like the craziest thing ever. If you’ve got a child who’s not sleeping well, the idea that they might be playing in their crib is probably pretty crazy to you, but it happens.

I’m hoping that I might be able to change some minds here today. It won’t be easy, obviously, because when is it ever? But on parenting issues, there are so many emotional ties and hardened beliefs that enter into the equation that make swaying someone’s nearly impossible.

“Will putting cereal in my baby’s bottle help him sleep better?” We hear that all the time. I know it’s an old wives’ tale. Your grandmother probably told you, “Oh, put cereal in the breast milk or the formula, and this baby will sleep all night.” The truth is that is not true. You want to be very careful and cautious about when you introduce solids to your baby.

Between the travel, the excitement, the constant attention and then travel all over again, the holidays are the single easiest way to throw all of your hard work out with the wrapping paper and turkey bones. But I’m happy to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way! With some strategic planning and an iron will, you can keep that carefully orchestrated routine running just the way you did at home.

That’s right, I said it. Your baby will never sleep straight through the night. And neither will you, for that matter. In fact, pretty much anyone who isn’t heavily sedated before going to bed can expect to wake up multiple times in the night. This isn’t due to stress, caffeine, lack of exercise, or any other factors that can contribute to a lousy night’s sleep.

You heard it ladies! For months you have been getting up with babe (because the only way she will settle is for mom!) and while, yes, dad has had compromised sleep as well (in most cases) you may feel as though the onus has been completely placed on you to get up with your babe throughout the night - not to mention the physical toll on your body after having grown and delivered and now nourishing your child 24/7.

Hands up if this sounds familiar… Your fussy baby finally falls asleep for her afternoon nap and you sit down for a much needed moment to yourself only to hear a car with a broken muffler roaring down the street. Just like that, Sleeping Beauty is wide awake and mad… NOT a good combination.

Do you want to know something that really gets me fired up? It’s when Moms (either online or in real life) are talking sleep, and I hear comments like this: “You should just enjoy getting up to nurse all night – someday he’ll be all grown up and you’ll miss it.”

So my plan in life was always to find a great man, settle down, get married and have babies. My great man would step in and help me during night wakings even though he had to work in the morning - because he was a real-life Superhero. Nobody would be tired. We would all get 12 hours of sleep and spend the days frolicking in a field of flowers.

My little one has been sick this week -- and that means I have too, because what's hers is mine and whats mine is hers (my fork, my toothbrush, my water bottle -- all interchangeable). I can remember when she was younger and I was always petrified of her getting sick because it meant our nights (and days) would be worse then they already were (and oh, they were bad!)