Episode 13: How to Get Your Baby to Sleep Longer

Today, I’m talking about baby sleep. My first sleep episode was focused on newborns, in this episode I am shifting my focus to talk about babies ages 3-9 months. I’m going to give you my tips on how to get your baby to sleep longer and one of those tips is to hire virtual help!

My goal in this episode is to help you and your baby get more sleep!

What I cover in this episode:

• Discuss sleep regression and sleep training

• Introduce what a sleep consultant is and talk about my experience with one

• How to hire a sleep consultant

• Review my rules for sleep

• Recap resources

Sleep regression  

• Definition: From the Baby Sleep site (article listed in show notes)

  • As baby’s brain matures, around 4 months, sleeping patterns change

  • Cycling between light and deep sleep more often, like an adult

  • BUT baby’s new sleep patterns produce more night waking and short naps

  • When baby cycles into light sleep, there’s a good chance she will wake up

  • Once she’s up, she will need help falling back asleep

• If your child has established a sleeping crutch like nursing or rocking, you are going to have to break them of the habit and sleep train them

  • They will rely on that every time to go back to sleep

Sleep training

• What it is: training your baby to fall asleep on their own and/or go back to sleep on their own

• Sleep Training Methods: this article has a great breakdown of the various sleep training methodologies, categorized by “gentleness”

• Choosing An Approach

My experience

• Wasn’t interested in Cry-It-Out at all

• Read several gentle sleep training books and tried their methods, but it all seemed kind of confusing

• So, I hired sleep consultant when I was at the end of my rope

  • Thankfully with my son, I didn’t have to worry about sleep training…because with him I did it right from the start!

  • Sleep Chart

    • Hired sleep consultant on 1/11, emailed with her until 1/25

    • We were up and down for the first 10 days, then we hit our stride at night!

Grace’s Sleep Chart: zoomed in on night time sleep and the days that our Sleep Consultant was helping us

What is a Sleep Consultant? 

• Person to “hold your hand” while you sleep train your child

• Work with you virtually (usually) to figure out sleep plan that is right for your family

• They walk you through as you execute the plan

  • Daily text messages/emails

  • Phone calls

Cost

• Typically ranges from $300-$500 for custom sleep plan + virtual support for 2 weeks

  • Same price as a few nights at a hotel!

  • It is worth it!

• Budget friendly options:

  • Less “hand holding”

  • Taking Cara Babies Classes

How to hire

• I did a google search for gentle sleep consultants

• Cross referenced with the list from Family Sleep Institutes

My recommendation for dealing with an infant who is having sleep issues (short naps, waking up frequently at night) is:

• Follow my Rules for Sleep for a couple weeks

• If things are not improving, consider hiring a sleep consultant

• (Or just go ahead and hire a sleep consultant right away!)

Rules for sleep

1. Know the appropriate awake interval for your baby’s age.

   • Awake intervals by age chart

   • For 3-4 months it is 1-1.5 hours. That’s it

   • For 5-6 months it is 1.5-2 hours.

   • Do not let your baby stay awake longer than that.

   • Start getting them ready for their nap 5-10 minutes before the awake interval is over.

     • You need time to change their diaper, swaddle them and take them to their sleep are (your room, the nursery, wherever)

   • Also, learn baby-tired cues, if you see your baby do this, start that nap routine and get them down

   • Try to avoid on the go naps as much as possible

2. Don’t let them take a nap longer than 3 hours during the day

3. Sleep environment

   • Dark room

   • Quiet

     • Get a sound machine

     • Room temp between 68 and 72

     • In a crib or pack-n-play or bassinet

4. Create a consistent bedtime/naptime routine and do it every time

   • Keep it simple

   • Shorter for naps: change diaper, swaddle, sing a quick lullaby, turn on sound machine and turn off lights

   • At bedtime you can add a bath before that

5. Avoid creating sleep crutches. Don’t nurse or rock your baby to sleep (try not to, its hard when they are so little)

   • You can try to use a pacifier if they fuss, this is supposed to be good for babys between 1-6 months old for SIDs prevention

     • But if they don’t want it, don’t force it

   • If they cry when you put them down reassure them for a few seconds with gentle pats and a lullaby or shhhing sounds

     • There is a difference between crying and fussing

     • Let them fuss for a minute or two, if they cry then definitely get them and comfort them

Resources

• Books

  • Secrets of the Baby Whisperer by Tracey Hogg

  • The Sleep Lady’s Good Night, Sleep Tight by Kim West

  • Great article with links to baby sleep books by method: http://www.mybabysleepguide.com/2013/04/sleep-books-by-sleep-training-method.html

• Videos

  • Kim West has wonderful videos!

    • https://sleeplady.com/baby-sleep-problems/nighttime-waking-how-to-get-a-baby-to-sleep-and-back-to-sleep/

    • https://sleeplady.com/toddler-sleep/no-cry-it-out-method/

    • https://sleeplady.com/baby-sleep/baby-wakes-for-night-feeds/

• Articles

  • https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-sleep-patterns/4-month-sleep-regression/

  • https://www.mother.ly/child/6-secrets-ive-learned-as-a-baby-sleep-consultant/newborns-cannot-follow-rigid-sleep-demands

  • Short naps: http://www.mybabysleepguide.com/2009/02/waking-early-from-naps.html

  • http://www.mybabysleepguide.com/2009/02/how-to-extend-short-nap.html

• Sleep Consultants site: https://familysleepinstitute.com/graduates/

  • Ones to check out:

    • https://tiredasamothersleep.com/sleep-packages

    • https://www.healthyhappysleep.com/consultation-packages/

    • Budget friendly option: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-toddler-sleep-consulting-services/#budget

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Stay healthy and have a great week!