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Embrace these Six Areas of Independence as Your Tween Heads to Middle School

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First-time middle school mom, here. You caught me standing in amazement as my children mature into tweens before my very eyes. Far from its reputation as a daunting transition, starting middle school has proved to be the just-right next step for my 11-year-old twins. Since their graduation from elementary school, they have stepped up into the behaviors and level of responsibility expected of middle schoolers. As I gradually loosened the parenting reins over the last 12 months, I discovered that my kids were ready to embrace each type of independence I allowed. Every time I look up from my younger kids to check in on my sixth-graders, I discover some new, delightful development. Even their occasional puberty-inspired moodiness doesn’t seem so annoying when coupled with the joy of seeing them grow up. Plus, because they have handled the transition to middle school so well, it has freed me up to dive deeper into my own volunteer job as PTA President at our elementary school. My twin
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Sleep Strategies for the New Parent

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Let me guess: You spent nine months becoming an expert on pregnancy and childbirth but forgot to read up on how to care for your newborn? The adrenaline and pain killers have worn off and a few sleepless nights have made you realize that so much of parenting revolves around sleep? This series will use the lens of sleep to guide you through the early days of motherhood. Grab some goals along the way so you can emerge unscathed from the fog of new parenthood. Read the full sleep series here: MONTHS 0-1: Recover and Recreate Womb MONTHS 1-2: Correct Night vs. Day Confusion MONTHS 2-3: Establish Structure and Habits MONTHS 3-4: Set up Bedtime Sleep Expectations MONTHS 4-12: Sleep Through the Night
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Sleep Strategies for the New Parent: Months 4-12

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Let me guess: You spent nine months becoming an expert on pregnancy and childbirth but forgot to read up on how to care for your newborn? The adrenaline and pain killers have worn off and a few sleepless nights have made you realize that so much of parenting revolves around sleep? This series will guide you through the early days of motherhood using the lens of sleep. Grab some goals along the way so you can emerge unscathed from the fog of new parenthood. MONTHS 4-12 Goal: Sleep Through the Night Once solid food enters the picture and naps start to drop, baby will be ready to sleep through the night. Night feedings, once so essential for nutrition, shift to comfort feeds and eventually disappear altogether.   As the months pass, your baby will start to consolidate stretches of sleep, dropping a nap in the process. For instance, your newborn will sleep away most of the day, waking only to feed. But soon you’ll notice some sleep patterns emerge. Baby might nap early morning, mid
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Sleep Strategies for the New Parent: Months 3-4

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Let me guess: You spent nine months becoming an expert on pregnancy and childbirth but forgot to read up on how to care for your newborn? The adrenaline and pain killers have worn off and a few sleepless nights have made you realize that so much of parenting revolves around sleep? This series will use the lens of sleep to guide you through the early days of motherhood. Grab some goals along the way so you can emerge unscathed from the fog of new parenthood. MONTHS 3-4 Goal: Set up Bedtime Sleep Expectations As month three approaches, it’s time to take a serious look at your sleep expectations. For some families, sleep training will be more necessary than others. Your baby may already be sleeping through the night at this point as a result of the sleep practices you’ve put in place from day one. For others, this is your moment to lay down the law and teach your kids once and for all what bedtime means. For all families, it’s especially helpful to get baby used to your family’s night
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Sleep Strategies for the New Parent: Months 2-3

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Let me guess: You spent nine months becoming an expert on pregnancy and childbirth but forgot to read up on how to care for your newborn? The adrenaline and pain killers have worn off and a few sleepless nights have made you realize that so much of parenting revolves around sleep? This series will use the lens of sleep to guide you through the early days of motherhood. Grab some goals along the way so you can emerge unscathed from the fog of new parenthood. MONTHS 2-3 Goal: Establish Structure and Habits As you enter your third month of parenthood, put some thought into how you’ll structure baby’s day to facilitate healthy sleep habits. Develop a pre-sleep routine and launch into it when baby shows signs that she’s tired. Have fun playing with baby during the longer windows of wakefulness that emerge and reclaim a restful life as baby continues to consolidate sleep. As much as possible, let sleep be a normal, predictable, peaceful part of the day rather than a sudden surprise.
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Sleep Strategies for the New Parent: Months 1-2

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Let me guess: You spent nine months becoming an expert on pregnancy and childbirth but forgot to read up on how to care for your newborn? The adrenaline and pain killers have worn off and a few sleepless nights have made you realize that so much of parenting revolves around sleep? This series will use the lens of sleep to guide you through the early days of motherhood. Grab some goals along the way so you can emerge unscathed from the fog of new parenthood. MONTHS 1-2 Goal: Correct Night vs. Day Confusion With one month under your belt, it’s time to step out into new parenthood with confidence. You are the authority figure in your baby’s life, so it’s up to you to set the stage for success. You’ll find that calming techniques and sleep aids such as a sound machine, pacifier, swaddle, and motion still work at this age. Keep these tools at the ready as you start to teach baby the difference between night and day. When I was pregnant, my growing babies seemed so much more active at
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Sleep Strategies for the New Parent: Months 0-1

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Let me guess: You spent nine months becoming an expert on pregnancy and childbirth but forgot to read up on how to care for your newborn? The adrenaline and pain killers have worn off and a few sleepless nights have made you realize that so much of parenting revolves around sleep? This series will use the lens of sleep to guide you through the early days of motherhood. Grab some goals along the way so you can emerge unscathed from the fog of new parenthood. MONTHS 0-1 Goal: Recover and Recreate Womb Hi, new mama. Getting any sleep? Parenting is hard enough work as it is, without the entire household being sleep-deprived. Safeguard your family’s sleep by establishing healthy habits for your growing brood, starting with day one. Sleep is the best medicine for both you and baby as you recover from the trauma of pregnancy and birth. Both your bodies just underwent an exhausting process, whether it took the form of stretched skin, poking and prodding, a difficult labor, major surgery, p
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