Convinced your baby hates sleep ?
by Maryanne Sayers
So , you are convinced your baby hates sleep , or battles sleep or doesn ’ t need sleep ? I am going to kybosh that notion , though I do understand why parents would think that when they have been on struggle street with their baby ’ s sleep .
Our babies NEED sleep , our babies WANT sleep and our babies CAN sleep . But before they can sleep well , everything else must be set up correctly for them in regards to their sleep and routine foundations – this encompasses a large range of elements including the setting up of their sleep feed and wake cycles , their sleep environment , their bedtime , their day and night ( i . e their body clock ), their timings , all the processes etc .
When I work with families , I am providing ALL of those families with the exact same information in relation to the setting up of foundations and meeting their baby ’ s basic needs around their sleep feed and wake cycles . It is not a case of providing one lot of information to this family and another lot of information to that family . The information and guidance I provide to all the families I work with is consistent across the board in ensuring that ALL the basic foundations are firstly understood and secondly set up correctly . The foundational elements are the same for all babies . Yes , babies have different temperaments , different personalities , different physical characteristics . Absolutely they do . They are all individuals in that regard . No question on that .
However in relation to sleep requirements , their needs are all pretty much the same relative to age .
So , if we had a 20 x eight-month old babies in a room , they would all have the same or very similar requirements in regards to sleep . It ’ s not like this baby over here – he only needs X hours of sleep in a 24 hour period . And this baby over here – he needs Y hours of sleep . Oh and that one over there , she needs Z hours of sleep . In fact , they all require the same amount to sleep . The perception that all babies have different needs and requirements in regards to sleep has evolved as a product of the overall bigger picture issues around baby sleep . It is an assumption and it is “ perceived ” to be the case by many families . But it is just not something I subscribe to at all . And that is a big part of the message I deliver to families and carers everywhere .
My philosophies are as follows :
• All babies LOVE sleep . They CAN sleep and they WANT to sleep . PROVIDED everything is set up for them . There is NO baby on this earth who hates sleep .
• Routine from Day One for all babies . Routine simply means structure and consistency around their sleep , feed and wake cycles . Babies THRIVE on and NEED consistency to fall into their natural rhythms of sleep times , feedtimes and awake times .
• Independent sleep for babies is what I advocate . Providing a safe sleep space for your baby . Whilst I respect and understand that some families choose to happily co-sleep with their babies , often as part of attachment parenting philosophy , these are not the families I am coming into contact with . Thousands of families are co-sleeping out of desperation and exhaustion , because they see no other way . If this is you , please do know that this can all be resolved , and sooner than you think .
• All babies can put themselves to sleep . Again , provided everything is set up right for them with the routine and the processes ... i . e the FOUNDATIONS . Human babies , like any baby of the mammal species have a primal and biological response to tiredness , which is … to sleep . Trust me when I say your baby wants to sleep just as much as you want your baby to sleep . You are actually both wanting the same thing . But right now , you are both caught in the same exhausting and relentless cycle – which is on repeat day in , day out . Time to break the cycle once and for all . You will see your baby ’ s sleep in a whole different way when you see how easily and naturally it flows , once everything has been re-set and it ' s all set up as it needs to be . There is no baby on this earth who hates sleep !
Maryanne Sayers is a certified Baby Sleep and Routine Consultant and is the co owner / founder of Dream Start Baby , the new comprehensive education online resource for parents of babies aged 0 – 12 months . Maryanne also provides one-on-one consultations to families having sleep issues with their baby . Contact Maryanne phone : 0417 068 545 or via her facebook page or go to www . dreamstartbaby . com . au
30 KIDZ ON THE COAST