KoalaBabies.ca, Hamilton, ON (2025)

12/18/2022

Um, it's all just a little confusing, isn't it? Here's the thing - you get to choose how you feed your baby. No one else. You have to choose what works best for you and your family.⁣
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There's so much pressure and judgement from society no matter what you choose, so do what is best for you. ⁣
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Maybe you intended to breastfeed and had to stop, or you are breastfeeding for an extended period, or you combi-fed, or you started on formula from day 1. This is up to you!⁣
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Infant feeding can be so complex. In some cases there is limited research that suggests breastfeeding can improve maternal mental health. On the other hand, women who intended to breastfeed but were not able to do so can have psychological consequences.⁣
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What is most important is that mothers need support. There needs to be better education on all things surrounding breastfeeding and formula options. I see so many newly postpartum mothers suddenly trying to figure out pumping or troubleshoot latch issues or allergies. More support is needed before delivery and beyond to help a mother reach her goals and ease the postpartum stress without throwing in feeding issues. Lactation consultants should be easily accessible and affordable (and luckily in some areas they are but many new parents may not be aware).⁣
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We also need to stop judging others for their personal choices. This is hard enough as it is!⁣
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With the holiday season and potentially being around more of those judgy family members/friends (who I am sure mean well) keep in mind that you are not alone. And it's okay to shut down the comments. Your choice is your choice.

12/18/2022

Ahh, the holidays. How can such a magical time bring so much more stress when little ones are involved? Especially those with challenging sleep needs?

Swipe through for some tips on getting through this season! If you're signed up for my mailing list, keep an eye on your inbox for a longer Holiday Guide with some more categories and tips.

And for those of you looking for more help, I'm keeping availability open over the holiday season.

Happy Holidays to all the koala babies out there.

12/14/2022

Instagram doesn't like to add my posts here in a timely manner. Make sure to follow me there for more content!! .ca

12/14/2022

Prepping for newborn life, or being in that newly postpartum phase can be stressful enough. Here are a few less things to worry about!

If it helps, these don't even really matter much in the first year. The fourth trimester is just especially difficult and should be a time to focus on rest, feeding, contact and that precious little human of yours. If this isn't your first you also have to juggle siblings in all of this. Let go of those things that don't matter and give yourself some grace. It's cliche, but it does get better!

What did you feel pressured to do in the fourth trimester? Any advice for our fourth trimester mamas?

Comment below ❤️and share this with a pregnant or freshly postpartum friend!

12/14/2022

Is there anything more frustrating than a child waking in the night and being ready to party for hours?? This is different from a typical wake up where they quickly resettle, but instead want to stay awake with what seems like no end in sight. Split nights involve taking a reaaaally long time to settle and fall back to sleep.

Split nights can happen for a number of reasons - during developmental leaps, unbalanced daytime sleep, bedtime is too early, or parental expectations of total sleep in 24 hours is off. There needs to be enough sleep pressure for them to both fall asleep, and stay asleep long enough to make it through that long night.

Keep in mind, your child isn't purposely trying to destroy your life with these middle of the night parties! It isn't harmful to them in any way either. However, it isn't conducive to our lives (unless you're able to make up for lost sleep throughout the day).

What can be done about split nights? This is really dependent on the cause and if it's developmental, really only time can help that one.

If daytime sleep is unbalanced, or sleep schedules are off however it would require some tweaking in order to find your child's sweet spot when it comes to sleep timings (and being flexible because that is also bound to change).

If you need any help with this, please reach out for a consult!

11/18/2022

I can't tell you how many times I've been triggered by the sound of one of my crying children. Especially my eldest who is highly sensitive. I remember thinking to myself "there's no way a baby should be crying THIS much?! what am I doing wrong?!"

I also remember when someone told me this phrase - that my child wasn't giving me a hard time, but that they were having a hard time. Suddenly my perspective changed.

This mindset shift has made a big difference in how I respond and help my children. No matter how exhausted I am, I know that it's not personal and I have to remain calm and in control.

Still to this day I find this incredibly difficult. But I find myself repeating this phrase to remind myself to be empathic to my little one's struggles. To respond with love. And to try to find out why they are communicating in this way - are they tired? hungry? need some quiet time? sensory overloaded? feeling pain or discomfort? need more one on one connection? separation anxiety? overstimulated? etc etc.

Whether it's your newborn, toddler or preschooler expressing big emotions - try to remember this phrase. Because it's true. They don't have some secret goal to make things incredibly difficult for their parents - they are communicating a need. They need you to help them regulate and learn how to mange those overwhelming feelings. Tune in to them and try to figure out what they are trying to tell you.

You won't get it right every time. You won't remember this phrase every time. You may lose your cool. That is all okay too - but if we can respond with empathy and love and from a place of calm, it can go a long way in helping our children learn how to regulate these emotions on their own as they grow. It also teaches them that we are their safe space and their needs will not be ignored, regardless of their age.

08/25/2022

Just wanted to share my Instagram post here as well! Go over to Instagram https://www.instagram.com/koalababies.ca/ and find this post to enter the Giveaway.

⭐️Giveaway time!

To celebrate my eldest's 4th birthday today and 100 followers let's have some giveaway fun! 🥳

I am excited to be giving away your choice of one of the following: 1 hour phone consultation or a copy of my Night Weaning guide.

To enter giveaway:
1. Like this post
2. Follow .ca
3. Tag a parent of a 0-36month old or a soon to be parent.
4. Share this post in your stories for an extra entry!

Contest open until Saturday August 27th.

*This contest is in no way affiliated with Instagram.

08/25/2022

Reposted from

Your worth is not measured by percentiles or averages or milestones reached.

Your worth is not measured by the number of hours your baby sleeps.

Your worth is not measured by your (un)willingness to separate from your child.

Your worth is not measured by your ability to “bounce back”.

Your worth is not measured by how closely you meet society’s expectations.

Your worth is not measured by clean floors and empty laundry baskets.

Your worth is not measured by your ability to pretend you’ve got this.

Your worth is YOURS to determine.

Your worth is measured by baby laughs, shared naps and cheeky smiles.

Your worth is measured by midnight snacks, milk-stained sheets, and well-worn shoulders.

Your worth is measured by your child’s feeling of safety; by the depth of their belief that they are never alone in this big, wide world.

Your worth is measured by your ability to surrender; to bravely step into the darkness with your eyes closed, your heart open and your soul curious.

Your worth is measured by your willingness to respond rather than react; to see your child for who it is they are, rather than what it is they are doing.

Your worth is measured by your ability to bravely hold the space for your child to express their big emotions, no matter how inconvenient, triggering or difficult it may be.

Your worth is measured by your ability to lean into discomfort; to stare down your own insecurities and dare them to melt away in the presence of unconditional love and acceptance.

Your worth is measured by your willingness to be needed, truly needed; to recognize that you are your child’s true north, you are their compass guiding them home.

Your worth is measured by your willingness to fail gracefully, to forgive easily, to apologize wholeheartedly, to show up imperfectly and to evolve with enthusiasm.

Your worth is measured by your ability to withstand judgment as you trust your intuition, making your choices based on love, not fear.

But, above all else, your worth resides in the hearts of your children and, for them, it is immeasurable. You are the sun and the stars and the moon. You are the infinite possibility. ✨️

08/16/2022

Babies want to be near us ALL THE TIME. As exhausting as this is, it is completely normal.

Separation anxiety occurs when a baby fears they will never see you again. Due to their underdeveloped brains, babies do not understand that when you leave, you are coming back. The trickiest times of peak separation anxiety tend to occur at 9, 12, 18 and 24 months.

Night is typically the longest period of separation for babies, which is why many babies do not like to sleep in a crib or away from their parents. Since they attach through the senses, if they can't see, smell or touch you they do not understand that you are going to return.

It is important to remember that babies are designed to be in close proximity to their caregivers. We are meant to be there for support. At a peak in separation anxiety, it can be very trying on a parent as it can feel like they cannot get a moment to breathe. When we go through this, we need to do some work on self-reflection and have a plan for supporting our baby’s emotions with empathy and compassion and also make sure that we are calling on our village to help - you cannot do it all on your own.

Know that this is normal, that it is a phase, and that with the right response, you can continue to build that attachment and connection, which will be critical for fostering independence down the road.

We have lots of tips to help with easing separation anxiety in infants and toddlers. It can make a big difference for sleep if you can recognize and ease that stressful experience for them!

08/11/2022

Today we are talking all about the sleep environment!

While there is no magical combination that will ensure your child sleeps without waking, optimizing the sleep environment CAN be helpful for promoting a calm, restful space for sleep.

Baby does not have to have their own room either. It is recommended that they are in the same room with their caregiver for at least the first 6 months (preferably up to 1 year) to reduce the risk of SIDS.

You will also want to ensure they are on a safe surface (mattress must be firm). Otherwise you do not need any fancy gadgets or expensive items to promote sleep.

Some babies will literally sleep anywhere, but there are many that are very sensitive to their sleep environment. If it is too hot or too cold, or the slightest noise or bit of light may set them off. You know your baby best so you will have to set up the environment that best suits them.

I am working on a crib and floor bed guide I am so excited to share with everyone when it is ready and it will have SO much more about setting up a sleep space for your little one.

Do you have any questions about your child's sleep environment? Ask below!

08/08/2022

Here's the thing - there's no one answer or quick fix when it comes to your child's sleep. If anyone is promising you such a thing, you may want to look for other options.

As Baby-Led Sleep Specialists we look at a large number of factors in order to support longer stretches of sleep without sleep training. It is not just as simple as making a schedule change.

However, once all of the pieces of the puzzle have been addressed and considered then we can not only make changes to help your family get more sleep but also help you to feel more confident in the decisions you make for your child moving forward.

The pieces of the puzzle:
nutrition, environment, medical, birth, development, temperament, emotional well-being, routines/patterns, parents (self-care, mental health, etc), culture/lifestyle and sleep needs and requirements.

If even one piece of the puzzle is out of place we could see night waking beyond what is normal, early rising, short naps/no naps, false starts, refusing bedtime, split nights and more.

The goal is to find the missing puzzle piece and get to the root of what is going on so we can create lasting healthy sleep habits.

So while this approach may take a bit longer it will maintain the attachment relationship while supporting everyone's needs.

What do you think might be the missing puzzle piece for your little one? Comment below!

08/02/2022

This one I hear all too often - so many parents are worried about their little ones waking at night because they've been told or have read that babies need to be sleeping through the night by 'x' age in order to get the sleep they need to develop and be healthy. That the 'gift of sleep' is so important for their little one's health.

This is why I struggle with this one. Based on sleep science, even adults do not sleep through the night. As we move through the cycles of sleep we all experience partial arousals, although as adults we rarely remember this and quickly go to the next stage of sleep. Or, for adults that will mean a quick trip to the bathroom, a sip of water, or moving positions, and/or adjusting a pillow/blankets and going back to sleep.

Babies tend to have shorter sleep cycles and spend more time in active sleep which is a light sleep. This allows them to wake more easily if their airways are restricted, or if they are hungry, cold, hot, wet or not breathing. Waking is a protective mechanism that they have built in for their own safety and this lighter sleep cycle is also ideal for brain development. Nutrition at night is also important so they get the calories necessary for growth and development.

The quiet state of sleep, when babies are less likely to wake, is when there is an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

When babies wake, they tend to call for their caregiver for help with whatever need they have at that time because they are unable to meet that need themselves. They also have no idea about time so they are not waking at night to manipulate you in any way. In fact, sleeping through the night for babies is considered to be 6 hours. Not 10-12 hours straight.

Now, there is also a difference between developmentally normal wakes and waking hourly. Typically hourly wakes are a red flag of something more going on!

But otherwise, sometimes understanding why babies don't 'sleep through the night' helps us to frame night wakings differently. Instead of seeing it as a problem, we can see this as a way of staying alive and doing what is normal.

KoalaBabies.ca

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