They say they roll up the sidewalks in Ottawa after the parliament buildings empty out. Every new parent in Canada’s capital region can tell you that is simply not a true story – the party goes on all night in their sleepless households!
Forgive us for joking when you’re really, really tired. We know it’s very hard to take care of yourself and your baby when you haven’t slept for longer than two hours at a stretch in weeks or even months.
If you’re one of those exhausted new parents who feels like you’re never going to sleep again, we have some good news. YOU WILL!
The Secret to Successful Sleep Training
There is a lot of sleep advice out there, and you can be forgiven for feeling completely overwhelmed. Much of that advice comes from people who had a baby when the special effects in the original Star Wars movies were cool. Feel free to ignore it and carry on with your day.
Ultimately, you will do what works best for your family. If that stops working, you will do something else.
The best thing about having a whole team of sleep experts is that it gives us access to their collective wisdom. Here are a few of our secrets to keep in mind when sleep training:
- It’s not really a secret. A lot of things could be causing your child’s sleep disruption. Teething, growth spurts and developmental leaps are just a few of the likely culprits. Trying to figure out why your baby isn’t sleeping won’t help your family get the sleep they need, it’s learning how to consistently guide your baby through these changes and create proper sleep habits, that makes all the difference.
- Sometimes there are tears. Tears don’t always mean there is something terrible happening. Babies and toddlers don’t have sophisticated language skills. When it comes to expressing displeasure with a change in their routine, crying is the only tool in the toolbox. That doesn’t mean you should lock the door and throw away the key! It means helping your child learn how to get the sleep they need with love, while keeping your eye on the prize.
- Kids really love routine. We all like to have some idea of what happens next, and babies are no exception. Once you have a pattern to your days that includes opportunities for you baby to sleep when they should, it becomes the known thing of comfort they crave. Your routine can travel anywhere, be that a vacation in a far-flung place or a trip to Grandma’s house.
If you’re at the end of your rope and not sure you can figure this out on your own, don’t despair! Maybe a minor tweak to your existing routine is all you really need. Try booking your free, initial 15-minute consultation to help your whole family get the sleep they need. And if you happen to reside in this sleepless city, we have a local consultant there just for you!