Between sleep training and simply having a six month old that has real emotions, I’ve been working on my “mom tool box” to help both my daughter and I through the rough patches. One of the things that I’ve found works really well for us both is deep breathing. I’ve found this to be especially effective during the sleep training when she is VERY worked up.

To do this, I hold my daughter up to my chest and take loud exaggerated inhales followed by loud exaggerated exhales. I find the exaggerated sounds help get her attention. As she soothes and stops the tears, I tone down the exaggerated breathing and get into my own deep breathing rhythm. At some point, our breaths become one and when this happens, it’s pure magic. It reminds me of our connection when she was in the womb. We breathe together for as long as either of us need, and when we’re done, it feels like a complete reset.

Has anyone else tried this? What else is in your mom tool box?