Okay, so you've read through my emails on safe sleep, and you ticked all the boxes to make sure that your baby's sleep environment is safe.
But your baby isn't sleeping.
So who cares about the sleep environment if the baby doesn't actually do any sleeping??
Well, that's the thing, isn't it?
Many parents have tried ALL the things.
The bouncing, the rocking, the soother, the special supportive pillow, the jiggling bassinette, the wrap carrier, the structured carrier, the many car rides...(you get the picture)
But the baby still isn't sleeping.
The thing is, that even though these things in themselves aren't bad, they may be what is holding your baby back from a great sleep.
Now I'll back up quickly and say that there are factors that are important to consider with that last statement, such as the health of your baby, their age, and weight.
When you have a fresh newborn, you just know that you're probably going to lose some sleep (okay, more than probably)
Though if your baby is over 3-months of age and things are not improving, don't wait too much longer to start implementing some small changes.
One thing that I know has helped so many parents is moving the bedtime feed earlier in the routine so they aren't feeding their baby to sleep. (Take a mental note of this because it's true, tried and tested pro-tip)
My next pro-tip is looking at awake times.
I've seriously heard it all (but am willing to hear new stories!) about how someone's baby doesn't need sleep, but when I look at that baby all I see is a cranky, seriously overtired, sleep-deprived child.
Your baby does need sleep. Period.
Yes, some babies take shorter naps and some longer.
Some sleep 11 hours at night and some 13.
But the thing that I know is true is that babies and young children need to nap during the day.
Depriving them of daytime sleep gets them into a really difficult cycle of sleep deprivation and high-stress hormones making it tough to calm down and fall asleep.
So the pro-tip here is to look at what is an appropriate amount of awake time and look at how much they should be napping (approximately) and work at meeting those needs.
Fortunately, I've added a chart for you to reference below:)
Okay, so what if you've made changes to their schedule and moved the feedings further away from sleep and things are still not improving?
Well, that's why I'm here.
I help tired parents work through this. Help teach their child to sleep well consistently and get out of the sleep-deprivation cycle and start to feel human again.
I had this client Stef & Nile (you can read about them on my website!).
First off, Nile gave us both a run for our money. He was a tough, tough kiddo!
But Stef persevered and in the end, had a great sleeper. She regained her evenings back and had some downtime during the day while he napped. One thing she said to me as we wrapped up was, she didn't realize how grumpy Nile actually was prior to working together.
She just thought that was how he was!
But he was sleep-deprived and was perpetually grumpy. She even noted that he used to hate the car and now was a happy camper!
Not getting enough sleep is like being love-sick.
Can't eat, can't sleep, all you do is think about it, your emotions are all over the place (you get the idea...)
We need it. It's as simple as that.
Even though it's a biological need, it doesn't mean it comes easy for everyone.
If you're reading this and you're thinking "This is me; I'm thinking about the sleep I'm missing, my baby is grumpy and I'm on the edge of losing my sanity..."
Don't despair!
When I work with parents, we typically see results within the first week and the nighttime usually improves within the first few days. The second week is a bit of tweaking and making sure that we're on the right track.
ONE WEEK.
You and your baby could be getting better sleep in as little as one week.
Ready to find out more?
Click the button below to get in touch!
We can have a chat and discuss some possible solutions that work for you and your family.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Chat soon!
Melody Patton
