When you stop old habits and introduce new ones, your child will protest with frustration and tears. It is expected that they will show they are unhappy that their way of sleeping is changing. They have been familiar with it for so long, so this is understandable.

As we work on new sleep habits and sleep training for your child, they will begin to sleep longer stretches at night. The first 1-3 nights will be the hardest.

You'll quickly see that your child can adapt to the change you set for them and has the ability to learn new skills. This happens when you give them chances to try and practice independent sleep skills.

Clients often see progress in their child's sleep habits within 2 to 5 nights.

For children with stronger dependencies, it may take up to two weeks or longer to notice significant changes. Meaningful changes to your child's sleep habits take time and consistent effort. When strong sleep associations are present, I help parents manage expectations for this timeframe and support them in maintaining boundaries in their child's new sleep routines.

With two weeks of support, their child is more likely to keep learning, improve, establish independent sleep habits, and adjust to new sleep rules during and after our time together.

If you would like an additional week of sleep support, I would be happy to support you!

As I support you through sleep training, your child will still feel loved and secure. You should understand they may be frustrated because they are:

(1) tired and want to sleep

(2) don't know how to fall asleep independently

(3) want you to do it for them.

Temporary protest, frustration, and crying while learning new skills do not harm the child. They are expressing their feelings about the change, which is healthy, and you can hold space for those feelings.

When you make sleep habits a parenting decision, rather than allowing your child to direct the ship, you'll find that sleep will improve in your home. You won’t be at the mercy of your child’s sleep challenges. In fact, the sleep challenges will disappear when you successfully implement sleep training, boost their confidence around sleeping independently, and set respectful, loving limits and sleep expectations for your child.

If you nurse, rock, use a pacifier, or bottle-feed your child to help them fall asleep and return to sleep each time, they learn to expect this as their way to fall asleep.

They come to believe that those external sleep props/your presence are necessary for falling asleep and staying asleep at night.

Those quick fixes help your child fall asleep, making it easier for them to rely on them and for you, until they stop working.

Still, these can develop into strong associations and preferences, making them harder for your child to break as they get older. Some, like nursing or feeding to sleep, can be the hardest to break.

Sleep issues arise when a child has not had the chance to fall asleep independently, and the parent feels they must step in and do it for them every time.

When you decide to make changes, expect your child will need time to learn new routines and a new way of falling asleep. They are doing something new and need a chance to adjust to the sleep expectations and rules you set.

Depending on your child and your level of consistency and commitment, you'll see improvement night after night.

The goal of independent sleep is to finish the nap or bedtime routine, put your child in the crib while they are still awake, and fall asleep on their own. Most children settle into sleep quickly and are content, but for some babies and toddlers, a little fussing before sleep is normal. This is just their way of letting out some energy/frustration because they are tired, and it usually does not last long, and they are asleep.

Once sleep training is working and your child is sleeping longer and more regularly, you will start to feel better rested and less overwhelmed. The challenges you are facing now will fade as your child's sleep becomes more predictable and sleeps more connected at night.