I’m an expert when it comes to caffeine science and energy drink safety. With my expertise, I help people survive sleep-deprivation. However, it’s also important to treat the root cause. Have you ever tried to convince a toddler that, yes, in fact, it is Bed Time? Do you dread waking up at midnight and 3 am to take care of a newborn? Getting better sleep means needing less caffeine. This is why I decided to team up with a fellow Mompreneur for some sleep tips for newborns and toddlers.
Meet Erin Meinel, Sleep Consultant
As the wife of a first responder, I have been no stranger to struggles with sleep…and having to stay awake when fatigued. Early in our marriage, my husband worked third shift and got plenty of overtime. Between working and trying to sleep, there wasn’t much time for anything else. We tried all the tips and tricks in the book. He’s now working second shift, still gets a TON of overtime, but now also has to wake up earlier than he’d prefer to help care for our two little boys. We are now part of the “2 Under 2” Club, having both a 22-month-old and a 4 ½-month-old. I thought our schedules before kids were crazy; fast forward a few years. We NEEDED to make sleep a priority so we could function during the day, both to make a living and to care for our children.
Between prioritizing sleep in our household and utilizing some of Danielle’s caffeine hacks to maximize our efficiency and energy when we are awake, I guess you could say we have gotten pretty good at juggling all the things!
I thought that having a background in early childhood development and education would serve me well when I became a mom. It did, and has, with many things…just not sleep! I had no idea there was so much science behind newborn and infant sleep, nor was I aware this was something I needed to learn about when I became a parent…until I was in the thick of it. After the birth of my first son and experiencing the sleep deprivation that accompanies life with a newborn, I became motivated, wait, let’s find a better word – INSPIRED – to help other new parents find their way out of this form of torture.