Crying It Out

by | Mar 29, 2019 | Parenting

In Episode 2 you hear us talk about sleep training a bit and the ‘cry it out’ method. We know there is so much debate about this online and among various groups but after sleep training 7 kids between the two of us, we both strongly recommend this process. It has worked well for both of us in training our children to put themselves to sleep at night and for nap-times. So, here’s a few tips for how we do it.

1.) Pick the right time. Make sure baby isn’t sick, or going through a growth spurt. Or that you haven’t recently moved or will be traveling soon. You want to make sure there is as much consistency as possible around baby to support the sleep training.

2.) Make sure baby is ready! I never recommend cry it out before 3 months old or before baby reaches 16 pounds. I was once told by our pediatrician that at 16 pounds a baby weighs enough to sleep through the night (now – I’m no doctor so take that for what it’s worth!)

3.) Use your intuition. As mom, you know your baby the very best. You know whether they are waking up in the middle of the night due to hunger or if they are just looking for a little social time or just to see your pretty face. If you feel confident that baby isn’t hungry through the night (and if baby’s doctor is OK with it) go for cry it out!

4.) Get ready! Before starting cry it out, make sure everyone in the house is on board and ready for a little noise. In all honesty, I have had some children who have only cried for 20 minutes and some who have cried over an hour. Either way, get ready for hard night.

5.) Just do it. Make sure to shower baby with lots of love all day. Fill up their love tank and make sure that they are well excerised and tired for that evening. Implement a bedtime routine if you don’t have one already (we do bath, pjs & prayer). After the bedtime routine, take baby to bed and give a hug and a kiss. Say to baby in a loving, soothing voice “Mommy loves you. Have a good night’s sleep… I’ll see you in the morning”. Then with lights off, walk out and close the door.

6.) Monitor the Situation. I have used video monitors for most of my sleep training. I like to be able to see how baby is doing and gauge the crying. It’s comforting to me to know that they aren’t crying because their arm is stuck in the crib or something has happened. So, if you have a video monitor handy, use it! Also, keep track of the time. I don’t advise letting your child cry for more than 50-60 minutes. At that point, I would go in and check on them and make sure everything is OK (no poopy diaper, no throw up, etc.). But I would do this WITHOUT SAYING A WORD and WITH NO EYE CONTACT. Baby needs to know that social hour is over and there won’t be any interaction during sleep time.

7.) Stick with it. It may take 1 night, 2 nights or a week – but it will work! I personally have never had cry it out last longer than 1 night. Our children are much smarter than we give them credit for. Once they realize the new norm they will jump on board.

8.) Enjoy your Evening! Once sleep training is accomplished, sit back, relax and relish in the quiet! Be proud of yourself for teaching your child how to be an independent sleeper and use the time to reconnect with your spouse!

All About Our Cleanse

by | Mar 29, 2019 | Health & Wellness

In Episode 1 of The Mom Voice, you hear us talk about a Detox Cleanse that we took on together. Both of us were feeling pretty sluggish after the holidays and were really just looking for a way to reset our bodies and hormones (uh, those darn hormones!). So, after lots of research online, we decided that the Dr. Oz 3-Day Detox Cleanse was going to be the one we were ready to commit to… and that’s just what we did! We both lost 4 pounds (that we’ve kept off!) and gave it an overall thumbs up.

We were attracted to this particular program because of how simple it was to prep for and that it doesn’t starve you like so many of those juice detoxes out there. Day 1 was really great… we felt full and satisfied all day with very little to no food cravings. Sarah did have caffeine withdrawals that evening, but other than that there really weren’t any bad side effects. Day 2 went by very much the same, feeling full and satisfied. By Day 3 we were ready for FOOD again but really feeling great inside. We were feeling lean, less bloated, energized and well rested. Isn’t it amazing how good you can feel when you give your body the right foods?!

The Quick & Dirty Review: The breakfast smoothie was best (savor this one). The lunchtime smoothie was sort of brutal to get down (think ground up grass in a cucumber juice – blah!). Very little cravings. We felt full. And we dropped a few pounds. Totally worth it.

Interested in resetting your body and diet? Give this a try! We’d love to hear how you liked it. Here’s a quick and easy guide. Enjoy!