Disclaimers
Medical Disclaimer
The information/advice provided during consultations is not medical advice. You are not establishing a medical professional/patient relationship. The advice is for informational purposes only and is intended for use with healthy children with common sleep issues that are unrelated to medical conditions. The information provided is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or the health and welfare of your baby.
Safe Sleep Disclaimer
I am a huge advocate for safe sleep. In my years of education and research, I have come to realize that social media often gives out or displays unsafe sleep practices. Furthermore, not all doctors or nurses are aware of current safe sleep guidelines and often give out unsafe advice to new parents. While many parents do take the time to research and learn about safe sleep and practice, many parents are still left in the dark on just what safe sleep and a safe nursery look like and may unknowingly be putting their baby's life at risk. This is where I come in and can help you in a non-judgmental way!
Part of your baby planning and sleep consulting with me will include giving you in depth safe sleep and safe nursery set up information, as I want to ensure all babies I help are safe and secure. You will sign a sleep waiver before we start working together acknowledging that you have read all safety information and will follow it. You will need to make the recommended changes to your nursery, if need be, before we start sleep training. I am not held liable if you chose not to follow it without my knowledge.
The terms "co-sleeping" and "bed sharing" are often used to mean the same thing and I am here to change that. Co-sleeping is when a baby is sleeping in your room in their own sleep space such as a bassinet, pack and play or crib. Bed sharing is when your baby is sleeping in your bed with you. Despite many claims out there, there is no tried and true safe way to bed share and sadly, thousands of babies have died from this practice. For this reason, I unfortunately won't work with families who want to continue bed sharing during the sleep training process after receiving the safe sleep education. Not only is it unsafe, but it will inhibit the sleep training process and desired results may not be achieved.
Not to worry, though! If you are currently bed sharing and are looking for ways to move your baby to a safe sleep space and teach them to sleep on their own, I can help you make that transition successfully! I am here to educate and empower you to help your baby have a safe sleep environment. We will go at your pace and use methods you are comfortable with. I truly want to help ensure as many babies as possible are sleeping safely and soundly.
Crying Disclaimer
Many parents think that sleep training is putting baby to bed, leaving the room and letting them cry it out until they fall asleep. This is not my go-to method, but I can offer information on that method, if it is something you want to do.
I would never suggest you should leave a baby to cry it out without checking on them and letting them fall asleep out of exhaustion from crying. Bedtime should be a pleasant experience, not something you and your baby dread. Your baby should be loved before bed, comforted when upset, and responded to in a reasonable timeframe. But it's important to have a realistic idea about crying, because it is not possible or realistic to expect no tears during the process of sleep training.
Babies will cry during the process because you are changing your baby's routine and trying to break a habit that is hard to break and to show dissatisfaction, the only way your baby knows to communicate is through crying. Your baby is not crying out of fear, abandonment or sadness. As long as your baby's basic needs are met and you are responding when they cry, you are not abandoning them or scaring them.
Crying is not always a sign of distress. Babies cry to communicate many emotions including anger, frustration, overtiredness, over stimulation, discomfort, sadness, etc. Babies sometimes cry while in their car seat, but you know they have to stay in the car seat for their safety, so you don't go and take them out of the car seat. This is similar in sleep training, in that, there will be some crying as they are learning, but you know teaching them this skill is important for their health and development. Babies often cry when they are learning a new skill. You shouldn't run and stop your baby from crying when they are learning to roll over, crawl or build with blocks, so you also shouldn't run in to stop your baby from crying when they are learning to sleep on their own. If you keep running in to stop the crying how will they learn? This is what sleep training is about. Not about letting your baby cry it out but giving them the opportunity to learn to fall asleep on their own, with your guidance, support and reassurance.
I know it is hard to hear your baby cry, but just remember that you are doing what is best for your baby. You want your baby to be well rested and happy so that they can practice milestones and have fun during the day without being overtired and cranky. You want your baby to sleep through the night, without waking up and needing you to put them back to sleep. Crying is just protesting and is usually short lived. Once your baby realizes that you won't be putting them to sleep, the crying will stop and your baby will put themselves to sleep all on their own. If you work with me, I will provide a plan tailored to your comfort level and do all I can to help minimize tears.
Feeding Disclaimer
Some babies eat in the middle of the night because it has become a habit that they want and not because they actually need to. Sometimes they eat during the night because it's being offered to them to put them to sleep instead of allowing them to fall asleep on their own. Milk has a natural sleep inducing effect, so naturally your baby will take the feeding if offered to help them fall back to sleep. It doesn't always mean they are actually hungry. Your baby spends more time in deep sleep at the beginning of the night and then sleep gets lighter and lighter. Sleep is lightest in the early morning hours, so this is when you might see your baby waking up after several hours of light sleep. You may then think that your baby has woken up hungry and immediately feed them without giving them a chance to fall back asleep on their own. If you give your baby some time before you go in, they may fall back to sleep on their own.
The age where a baby can sleep through the night without feeding varies from baby to baby, but many professionals say anywhere from 3-6 months is when a baby is capable of sleeping 8-12 hours. Other experts say a baby needs to double their birth weight and some others say they need to be 13 lbs before they can go without night time feeding. Because there are so many different theories on this, I like to tell parents that they know their baby best. You know their hunger cues or cries and how long they can go between feedings. Follow your instinct. I also suggest that you consult your pediatrician before starting a sleep plan as they will have more information on your baby's development and can help guide you on how to handle night feedings and whether your baby still needs them or not.
With all that said, when we are dealing with sleep issues in toddlers, so long as they are eating enough solid food during the day, then they don’t need the milk before bed or during the night.