Those night feeds, though…

Parents of children who wake frequently often come to me out of desperate exhaustion. When your child wakes several times a night, doing whatever you can to keep them asleep often feels like the only option. It’s easy to fall into the trap of needing “sleep props” (those things a baby relies on to fall asleep, such as a pacifier, being bounced to sleep or the most common of all — feeding to sleep) when you haven’t had any solid sleep for a long time. I mean, a little sleep is better than none, right?

Thankfully, that isn’t the only option, and you and your baby can both get the sleep you need! So, are you ready to start sleeping through the night? By teaching your child the skills needed to sleep for long stretches, your child will be better rested, and you’ll have the opportunity to rest too. Ideally, even ALL NIGHT LONG!

I’d like to share some stories from families who tackled frequent night waking by investing in one of my sleep consulting packages, and following their sleep plan with consistency.

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Sleep skills make all the difference for sleeping through the night

When Siri, mother of a 1 year old, returned to work, her daughter started waking up 4-5 times each night. “I think the guilt I felt about leaving her during the day compelled me to pick her up even more and eventually bring her to bed with me,” Siri said. Often only getting about 4 hours of sleep per night, Siri and her husband were exhausted.

They contacted me, desperate to help their daughter learn healthier sleep habits. Teaching their daughter to fall asleep on her own, and to stay asleep through the night, were the most important issues to tackle, and I was thrilled to help them. Together, we created a customized sleep plan that worked for their family.

“Brittney immediately made me feel at ease and I instantly felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. She designed a thorough sleep plan for our family and it worked. Ruby is now sleeping 12 hours through the night.” By following their new sleep plan consistently, they were able to teach their daughter how to go to sleep, and stay asleep.

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Consistency is key

Tanya, mother of a 20 month old, came to me after trying everything else she could think of to get her son to fall asleep at bedtime and finally start sleeping through the night. Often spending over an hour trying to get her son to sleep, she was in need of a change. Developing an effective nighttime routine was important, and so was getting her son to sleep in his crib.

Once she began following the sleep plan I created for them, Tanya noticed quick results. “By night two, our little guy showed HUGE improvement… It only got better from there! He is now going to bed without crying and sleeping an average of 11.5 hours a night.”

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Sleeping through the night with no more sleep props

Christina and her husband, both family medicine physicians, contacted me because they had concerns about their 6 month old son’s growth. They (and their pediatrician) believed his lack of restful sleep was a factor with his lagging growth, and they wanted to help him sleep better. Before they invested in the silver sleep package, their son needed to be rocked to sleep with a pacifier, and he woke up several times each night.

After implementing the sleep plan I created for them, Christina reported “Our son is no longer relying on being rocked to sleep, the pacifier, or nursing in the middle of the night to fall back asleep. He is falling asleep on his own in the crib after putting him down wide awake. We believe him taking more naps and sleeping better at night has helped with his growth and he is now back on his growth curve!”

When your baby is awake for the 4th time and it’s only 5 am, I know it can feel like getting your baby to be sleeping through the night is out of reach. But there’s light at the end of the tunnel, I promise! Making a few changes, such as establishing a solid bedtime routine, providing your child with a space that actually encourages sleep, and teaching them independent sleep skills will help the entire family get the sleep they need.

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When to seek support

Sometimes getting your baby to sleep through the night can be complicated. Maybe your baby isn’t responding well to the changes. If you are one week into your night weaning plan and your child is still not sleeping through the night, it is likely that your approach needs modification.

If you would like customized support, accountability, and guidance in reaching your family sleep goals, head over to this link to book a free sleep introductory call with one of our pediatric sleep consultants so we can get to know your family and chat about how we might be able to help.

And if you’re still in doubt, head over to our reviews page to read how impactful teaching independent sleep was for our clients. Lives change when everyone in a family sleeps!