What is baby sleep training?

Sleep training is teaching your child how to fall asleep without additional help from you, connect sleep cycles, and overall feel well-rested. It might seem odd to think of sleep as a skill that needs to be taught, but every parent goes through some process of sleep training at some point as they move away from things like rocking, feeding, and holding your newborn to sleep.

 

Baby sleep training looks different for every family based on their needs and what they are comfortable with. It’s not a one size fits all approach and it’s not “Cry It Out.” Each training method allows you to offer support and reassurance to your little one throughout the entire process! I want you to be able to lay your Wee One in their crib or bed awake and leave the room confidently knowing they will fall asleep on their own!

When I work with families, I develop a comprehensive plan that fits your parenting philosophy and child’s temperament.

Will my baby cry?

I can’t guarantee a tear-free solution. Nobody can. There are are a variety of sleep training approaches to independent sleep that are more gradual, where the parent is more heavily involved which can help to minimize crying.

 

Crying is your baby’s form of communication. They cry when they are hungry, tired, need a diaper change, or get frustrated. Your baby will be learning a new skill during this process and some degree of crying is expected. There are various methods of sleep training and each one I use allows you to provide reassurance and support during the process to minimize crying.

Is there an ideal age to start Baby sleep training?

You can start laying healthy sleep foundations for your baby from day 1! I have a newborn guide that covers sleep and feeding basics for the first 3 months of life to help you put those healthy sleep foundations in place.

I recommend sleep training to families once your baby is 4 months and 12 pounds. This is a great age to work on independent sleep as your baby’s sleep cycles are changing and a more predictable schedule is emerging. Throughout the process of sleep training, we work together to achieve consolidated sleep and more restful nights.

Do you work with older babies and toddlers?

Yes! I work with children from birth to age 5! There are sleep challenges that come with all ages, not just young infants.

What types of sleep issues can you help with?

I work with families on a variety of sleep issues including weaning night feeds, sleep regressions, early morning wakings, nap transitions, short naps, middle of the night wakings, the transition from crib to bed, cosleeping, newborn sleep patterns, night terrors, and much more.

What types of feeding issues can you help with?

I work with families on a variety feeding issues including latch with breastfeeding, establishing milk supply, pumping, introducing a bottle, introducing solids, and much more.

Do your kids sleep through the night?

Yes! I have two young children that both sleep through the night thanks to using a sleep training method that we were able to stay consistent with. One started sleeping through the night after 3 nights and the other after 7-10 days. They continue to be great sleepers to this day.

How long does sleep training usually take?

Every child is unique when it comes to sleep, development, and temperament, but you can expect to see improvement in the first 1-2 weeks if you stay consistent with my plan!

Do you work with twins?

Yes! No need to worry about double the price, but there is an upcharge of $149.

Why is sleep so important?

Sleep has numerous benefits to our physical health, emotional well being, mood, appetite regulation, and ability to learn. Sleep is especially important in the first 3 years of life due to the incredible amount of brain development that occurs while your Wee One is sleeping.

While your Wee One is asleep, they are forming memories and storing what they’ve learned that day.

Connections between the left and right hemispheres of the brain are also strengthened in children during sleep. Having both brain hemispheres symmetrical and well connected is the key to maximizing learning, memory, and creativity (Bergland, 2013).

A baby who gets enough sleep is generally going to be more agreeable, eat better (which is important for development!), less fussy, easier to soothe, more responsive, etc. A well-rested baby is a happy baby!

A 2008 study from the journal “Sleep” found that children sleeping less than 10 hours a night before age 3 were more likely to have language and reading problems, and even ADHD.

A British Medical Journal 2013 study of 11,000 children showed that children with irregular bedtimes up to the age of three had more difficulty in reading, math, and spatial awareness than children with more consistent bedtimes. As researchers continued to follow these children, they continued lagging behind by age 7, with girls being more affected than boys.

Do you offer a discount for returning families?

Yes! I love getting the opportunity to work with families again! So much so, that I have special pricing just for them. If we’ve worked together in the past and you have a new baby congratulations! All packages are available at a 10% discount.

What’s the process to book a service?

• Start off by booking a free 15-minute consultation with me to find out which plan is right for your family.
• Purchase plan from website or appointment booking page
• Receive email from me with history and intake form, and an app to download for tracking feeding and sleep.
• Start tracking all of your baby’s feedings, sleep, and activities in app
• Receive your sleep plan from Well Rested Wee Ones by email
• Schedule your phone call to review sleep plan
• Start the sleep training process and keep me up to date with all your progress and receive support and guidance from me!
• Share your progress on social media and tag @wellrestedweeones