It's time to sleep well.

When you identify there is a problem.

I’m a big believer that a sleep problem only exists with a baby if a parent identifies one. Simply because your best friend does things in a different way with their baby, or a woman in your mothers’ group suggested you change a habit, does not make this a sleep problem.

If you’re not getting adequate rest and feel exhausted, and run down, it suggests that both you and your baby may not be getting the sleep that you both need.

I like to see big changes within the first 2-3 nights of working together. If we don’t experience this then often it means the method is not the right fit for the baby’s temperament or that the parenting style doesn’t marry up well with the technique. These are aspects of sleep training that I always factor into writing my plans so it is rare that we need to change tact. 

Within two weeks we will see sleep patterns change consistently overnight and some babies sleeping throughout the night without any feeds (if this is a goal of the parents).

Crying is one of the few ways a baby can communicate. It is important as parents that we learn our baby’s crying and recognise that it is not always due to pain, discomfort or sadness. And instead of trying to stop the tears, seek to understand where they are coming from and how we can solve for the root cause.

For example, if a baby is overtired and extremely unsettled and sometimes hysterical at bedtime, address their awake times and ensure that bub is getting adequate sleep throughout the day so that bedtime can be a seamless time.

In addition, if baby is waking unsettled and crying between bedtime and midnight it is common that a sleep association may be at play. Let’s look at the way that baby is falling asleep to try prevent these awakenings and give baby a more restorative sleep. 

Learning a new skill can be frustrating for baby and learning to fall asleep independently is no different. Night one is always the most challenging for babies as they are experiencing something that is brand new and this often brings up a lot of resistance and crying. As we move past night one we tend to see less resistance and more understanding of what is going on.

I do not support the cry-it-out method of sleep training. I know that there are much gentler and kinder approaches to sleep training and they are the methods that I choose to endorse.

I do support the need for babies to communicate through their crying and think that it is very healthy and very normal. It is rare that a baby will not cry at all during sleep training as we are introducing something brand new for them.

However, I believe in giving babies the right amount of physical and emotional support so that they know that they are safe and that their parents are close by, while also allowing them the space to see what’s possible in terms of falling asleep independently.

As long as our response to our babies remains the same from night to night, then their sleep patterns will remains mostly unchanged and very consistent throughout their childhood. It is common that when a baby becomes sick, or families travel, or babies experience a sleep regression, that the response from parents can change and therefore new habits are formed.
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However, I usually find that a baby that has been sleep trained and knows how to fall asleep independently will be quite resilient and move through periods of sickness, travel, teething and even some sleep regressions quite unfazed.

Typically teething will only impact a baby's sleep for a couple of nights. If you suspect that your baby may be teething beyond this, my suggestion is to look at the way that your baby is falling asleep and being resettled overnight.

All sleep regressions are temporary and a baby will move through a sleep regression in a matter of weeks (typically 1-3 weeks). The only exception to this is the 4-month sleep regression.

The four-month sleep regression can occur anywhere between three and five months and is a permanent shift in the way our babies sleep. It is a period of time when a baby’s sleep matures and sleep can become more consolidated. If there is an external sleep association at play (eg. the dummy, feeding / rocking /motion to sleep etc) then it is likely that a baby’s sleep will become fragmented and short once the four-month regression has hit.

Creating a healthy and safe sleep environment right from newborn will support you little one's sleep right from the beginning. This includes a dark room, white noise and sleeping in their own safe sleep space.