Sooo, you’re exhausted and wondering if this is just the way your life is going to be from now on. Instead of spending hours google searching or scrolling Facebook “mom groups”, I want you to grab a cup of coffee, sit down, and take 5 minutes out of your day to read this post where I am going to share 5 things to help your baby sleep through the night.

Is this even possible?

I love when parents ask me this. Hellll yes this is possible. You’ve probably heard other sleep-deprived mamas say that it’s “normal” for a baby or toddler to not sleep through the night and it’s just something you need to get used to…

But let me stop you right there. No. Just because that may be that mama’s “normal”, doesn’t mean it needs to be your “normal”. Babies and toddlers all around the world are sleeping through the night – It’s not this crazy, unheard of thing! It doesn’t have to be like this. You can have an infant or a toddler and still get a full night of sleep (because your little one is sleeping peacefully through the night, too).

Once an infant is 4-6 months old, their sleep cycles have matured and they are developmentally capable of sleeping through the night; they just need a little help and support to get them there.

But first…

I’m going to keep this post short and sweet because if you’re here reading this, I’m sure you’re tired. But I want you to know that with the right methodology (*ahem* the Rested Results methodology), we can get your infant or toddler sleeping peacefully through the night in less than 2 weeks. Trust me. Send me a message or schedule a free consultation call if you’d like to learn more about my sleep consulting services and how I can help you get sleep under control in your home.

Okay, okay! Here you go!

There are some really simple things you can begin doing so that your baby can get long, quality, uninterrupted sleep. Here are 5 things you to help your baby sleep through the night:

1. Schedule and Eat-Play-Sleep Routine

Getting your baby on an age-appropriate schedule (while also paying attention to baby’s cues) will help to make sure your little one isn’t over-tired, under-tired, and is getting a healthy amount of sleep.

The Eat-Play-Sleep routine helps to eliminate a feed-to-sleep association. This routine is actually something that I suggest parents begin while sleep shaping their newborns. When on an Eat-Play-Sleep routine, you’ll feed baby shortly after they wake, at the beginning of their wake window. Next, you’ll play, change their diaper, take a bath, or anything else you’d like to fill the wake window with. Lastly, you’ll put them down for sleep about 5 minutes before the wake window ends. If you’re feeding your baby at the end of the wake window, they are likely to fall asleep during the feeding which will then create a feed-to-sleep association. The problem with this is that your little one will expect that feeding to fall asleep at bedtime and also in the middle of the night. Instead, you want your little one to be able to soothe themselves back to sleep rather than rely on a feed each time.

2. Putting down calm and fully awake

When you’re putting your baby down for sleep while they’re calm and awake, you’re allowing them to try to fall asleep on their own. This really is what sleep training is… teaching your child to fall asleep independently. If you put baby down in their crib when they’re too drowsy or already asleep, they’ll wake up in the middle of the night confused as to why they aren’t in your arms. A “how did I get here??” kind of moment.

3. Consistent and enjoyable bedtime routine

Establishing a consistent bedtime routine helps to cue baby’s brain that it’s time for nighttime sleep. Enjoying a bedtime routine together is also great for bonding, which is helpful for little ones who experience separation anxiety.

4. Ask about night feeds

If your baby is healthy, growing, and has surpassed their birth weight, they might be ready to wean some nighttime feeds so that they can get longer stretches of sleep at night. This is something that you should always chat to your pediatrician with first. If your pediatrician gives you the OK, there are ways in which you can gradually wean your little one from nighttime feeds.

I’d like to mention that nighttime weaning and sleep training are not the same. It is absolutely possible to sleep train even if you still choose to offer nighttime feeds to your baby.

5. Develop a plan

Lastly, it’s important to develop a plan in how you will handle bedtime and any middle of the night wakes. When sleep training your child, there are many variables to consider. If you’re looking for some guidance and one on one coaching, schedule a free consultation call with me to discuss your child’s current sleep habits, struggles, your goals, etc. During this call, we can decide if we are good fit to work together. If you’d like to move forward with a Rested Results sleep package, I will work together with you to implement a sleep training plan that feels comfortable to you and that will yield results. Every sleep plan that I create is different; made specifically for the needs of your little one and your family.

Your sleep bestie,

Jamie