Why won’t my baby sleep!?!?
Today, I am sharing my recent Youtube video. It’s all about how to find the root cause of your child's sleep problems.
If you are someone who likes to read more than watch, this blog is for you!
Hey there, I’m Mac Coward and I am your personal baby sleep consultant. I help parents sleep train their children ages zero to five with a sleep plan tailored to each family and child.
Knowing where to start with sleep training can feel impossible sometimes. I like to look at the big picture because naps can affect nights and nights affect naps. The better the naps are, the better the nights and vice-versa. Something I like to say all the time is that
“SLEEP FEEDS SLEEP!”
Before we start, here are four questions you can ask yourself when in this mindfield.
What is the environment like?
8/10 darkness and if there is a night light that it be a red one.
White noise at 50-60 decibels continues through the night.
I find that most of my clients sleep best with their sleeping temperature at 18-20 degrees celsius (64-68 degrees fahrenheit).
Are they hungry?
9 months and under can still be expected to wake up at least once a night for a feed.
Look at volume in the day versus night and if it needs to be shifted more in the day for longer stretches at night.
If they are on solids, how many meals are they having? Are they getting enough slow release carbs and protein at each meal? (If you have any questions about food and how many calories your child should get per day, reach out to your health visitor, as they have loads of information and would love to help you out.)
Does your child have any sleep associations?
There are no good or bad sleep props, just ones that work differently for each child and family. If any of the following are not working for you and your baby, it’s time to work on breaking that association and replacing it with something that can be a constant for them.
Feed to sleep, dummy or paci, cuddly toy, a special blanket, rocking, holding, moving, etc.
Last but not least,
Are they under or over tired?
These two have extremely similar signs: grouchy, irritable, screaming, arching or pushing away from you, waking often or after a short amount of time, struggle to settle at naps and bedtime.
Every single age has their own awake window. I have a free download on awake windows from birth till dropping naps completely.
If you have any questions about finding the problem before you start sleep training pleast email me at thrivebabysleep@gmail.com or message me on Instagram or Facebook. I’d love to hear from you.
