LullabyLuna

As a mother of three children, I have seen my fair share of sleepless nights. Over the course of raising my two daughters (5 years and 9 months) and son (2.5 years), I have tried nearly every philosophy and sleep gizmo under the sun, and in the process, have learned a lot about creating the habits, attitudes and environment to ensure well-rested children. Sleep is one of the most vital ingredients to a child’s development (and to maintaining your sanity as a parent!). Children who sleep well are often happier and healthier as the quality and quantity of their sleep impacts their emotional, mental and physical development. According to the National Sleep Foundation's 2004 Sleep Poll, "It is clear that we need to focus as much on the sleeping half of children's lives as we do the waking half. Children are clearly not getting enough sleep. And a remarkable number of children have some kind of sleep problem. We need to help parents to become better educated about positive sleep practices so that their children can get the sleep they need to be able to function at their best during the day. The poll results indicate that on average, children get less sleep during a 24-hour period than recommended by sleep experts."

Though I have worked as a private sleep consultant in Southern California since 2006, Lullaby Luna was formally launched in 2008 as a place to share advice, provide information, and support parents dealing with sleep issues. With nearly a decade of elementary and middle school teaching experience and a Masters in Education, my hope is to continue my passion for teaching by helping parents who are concerned about their children’s sleep habits.

I initially became interested in child sleep out of necessity. As a first-time mom, I read all the pregnancy books, took prenatal classes, wrote out an extensive birth plan and had my hospital bag packed weeks before my due date. But as often happens, my labor did not go as I had planned. Nevertheless, 29 hours later I had my beautiful baby girl in my arms. She was beautiful, amazing, wonderful…and crying. I fed her every 2-3 hours, changed her diapers, and bathed her, but still she cried. Sleep didn’t come easily for her either –– she always needed to be moving, rocking, swaying. Days of this became weeks and weeks turned into months. She was tired. I was tired. Something had to change.

At that time, I didn't belong to a mom's group or have many friends that were parents. Without many places to turn to for advice, I began reading. My bookshelves were littered with sleep books, and I tried nearly every technique they suggested. Co-sleeping? Done it. Cry it out? Been there. From blankets and binkies to sleep schedules and the 5 S’s, I’ve tried it all. My husband still jokes about me optimistically saying, "Babe, this is the new sleep plan. This is it!" time after time.

At five months, I finally made some big changes and my sweet daughter started sleeping through the night and taking two regular naps a day, both of which dramatically reduced her crying. I returned to being a functioning adult too which was fortunate because about this time, I went back to work part-time.

I am thankful to have gone through these struggles with my first baby because I learned so much that was helpful for my second and third babies. Based on the skills and techniques that I acquired, my second and third have regularly taken consistent daily naps and slept continuously through the night since infancy.

I was once an over-tired mom with an under-rested baby. Some people presume that this is an unchangeable aspect of parenting. But this is not the case. You and your children deserve to be well-rested. If you’re not, welcome to Lullaby Luna. I hope that you will find ideas, tips, support and creative solutions to your sleep woes. Click here to take our sleep quiz to see if your or your child’s sleep habits could be improved. Click here to subscribe to our daily blog and find sleep tips, product recommendations and discussions with other parents on sleep concerns. Click here to visit the Resources page to find helpful sleep-related websites or click here to contact me directly to share your success stories, ask a question or request a sleep consultation via email, phone or personal visit.

Whether you are planning ahead for a new baby or currently struggling with your child’s sleep issues, I hope this site provides you with the resources, information and encouragement to start you on the road to having a well-rested child.

Happy sleeping,

Courtney Graham