Does your baby wake overnight? Is your toddler or preschooler still waking overnight?
I am a sleep coach.
But really, I am in the business of helping parents. Parents who are feeling hopeless, helpless, exhausted, overwhelmed.
Almost every parent I talk to says they are feeling "exhausted" and "overwhelmed."
"I need someone to tell me exactly what to do."
So here I am.
If you have a child who wakes overnight or needs you overnight. I am going to tell you exactly where to start.
Where to Begin If Your Child Is Waking Overnight
Begin with bedtime.
Bedtime sets the tone for the rest of the night. It is the easiest time of the day for a baby, toddler, preschooler to fall asleep.
Why? It is at the same time every day, you can create the same perfect routine to occur every night, your child's drive for sleep is the strongest at this time.
If your child needs you present at bedtime (the easiest time of the day to fall asleep), it makes total sense that he or she is going to need you present if they happen to wake overnight.
And if your child needs more than your presence, like laying with them, holding, feeding, rocking, bouncing, you can imagine it gets incrementally more challenging for your child to fall back to sleep independently when waking overnight.
If bedtime is a disaster at your house, you have options.
Check out the following blog posts for a good place to start.
What Is A Realistic Goal?
If you have a baby, toddler, or preschooler waking overnight, you may wonder what is realistic to even shoot for.
I am here to tell you, you can dream big.
A realistic end goal? Tuck your kiddo in (calm and awake!), say goodnight, leave the room, he/she falls asleep on his/her own.
This goal holds true whether you have a 6-month-old or a 6-year-old.
What also holds true is? If you are nowhere near this goal, you don't need to panic.
This is not the goal for day one. It's not even for week 1.
Teaching your child to sleep all night long can take weeks.
My advice? Make small gradual changes and challenges at a time. And continue to make small gradual changes and challenges until your kiddo is falling asleep alone.
So, What Should I Do If My Child is Waking Overnight?
Where to go from here?
For some kiddos, learning how to fall asleep without a parent present will fix overnight wakings.
Often, however, teaching your child to fall asleep independently works as a good solid foundation.
And with intention and consistency, you can teach your kiddo to fall back to sleep on his or her own, and sleep through the night.
AND, if you need help with this, you know where to find me.
Katie Ramirez, RN, BSN, CLC
Born Happy, Owner and Coach
Katie Ramirez is a Registered Nurse, Certified Lactation Counselor, and Coach for parents of babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. She has spent more than a decade serving patients at major university hospitals such as Vanderbilt University and Penn State University Medical Centers. Katie now spends her time supporting and empowering parents of babies, toddlers, and preschoolers as founder and coach for Born Happy.
Katie is the proud mother of two beautiful children, Roberto (age 9), and Veronica (age 7). She has a passion for health, wellness, and happy children, and believes that, with the necessary knowledge and support, all parents can live happy.
Empowering and Supporting
Parents of Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers
I provide individualized
coaching and support
to parents of babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.
I specialize in baby, toddler, and preschooler sleeping, breastfeeding, eating,
behavior, and developing.
Contact me today for a free consultation!
Comments