Well Rested Sleep Coach

Consistency is so important for sleep training. I was speaking to a mum this morning at swimming and she couldn’t understand why her little ones sleep still wasn’t improving.

A little digging and it turns out they were making 2 mistakes
1) each parent was responding differently when their little one woke during the night
2) their night waking routine didn’t match their daytime routine

Both of which were sending mixed messages to their little one. I’ve advised they ensure consistency between them and also during each night waking. I know it’s hard when you’re tired (I’ve been there!) but honestly, it’s key

My little one is right on the cusp of switching over to 3 naps a day vs the current 4 she is on (she’ll be 4 months old on Sunday)

What am I doing to prep for the 4 month regression?

1) ensuring we’re getting in 1 good length nap a day (1 hour 30 or 1 hour 45 - I do this ideally at the start of the day as it sets us up for a good day ahead)
2) monitoring her wake windows closely - I use an app called Baby Sleep Timer and this tracks her wake windows for me so I can review them each day without have to retain any info in my head 😂
3) starting to get a bedtime routine in place - she’s so much more aware right now, so having a simile routine each night means she is more aware bedtime is coming

Routine for a 4-5 month old 💕

- Remember this is a guide and wake windows can be shorter if you’re having an overly stimulating wake window.

- Keep an eye out for sleep cues especially when your baby is closer to 4 months and they start to stretch out their wake windows.

- Timings can vary depending on if your little one take a 1.5 hour or 2 hour nap for the first 2 naps of the day

- People often question the 3rd nap being at 4pm and wonder if it’s ‘too close to bedtime’. At this age, wake windows are only around 1.5 hours, so putting your little one down for a nap at 4pm for an hour and half is perfect if you’re aiming for a 7pm bedtime

New blog is now live over on my page. It seems like everyone is struggling with nasty bugs at the moment, so I thought I’d pull together some top tips for getting sleep back on track after illness. Follow the link in my bio to go straight there

What is a split night?
A split night is when your little one wakes during the night for over an hour and does not settle back to sleep.

They are WIDE awake and don’t appear to be tired at all. In fact, they usually want to party as if it’s morning time.

These will happen consistently over a period of time. Some littles can experience split nights during a development leap, but will return back to their ‘normal’ routine.

But what happens if they don’t?
- Check their bedtime vs their wake window. Are they going to bed too early and therefore don’t have enough sleep pressure?
- Are they having too much day time sleep and therefore filling their tank during the day?