Why Some Babies Just Won’t Sleep & Nap (as They Should)

Many new mums are overwhelmed and exhausted.

They’ve tried almost everything just to get their baby to sleep.

• Googled blog posts
• Asked friends and relatives for advice
• Read all the books by the experts
• Asked their friends what works for them
• Tried all the baby sleep products on the market...

Yet, there’s still a lot of crying, rocking and feeding, their baby finally settle.

But before they know it, their baby is wide awake again.

Finally, some mums come to ask themselves:

“Is my baby just not fixable?”

“Why did it work for other babies but not mine?”

The motherhood journey is one of the most beautiful things we can ever experience, but if the sleeping puzzle piece is missing, it can turn into a nightmare.

• Massive sleep deprivation
• Desperation & fear
• Lack of support
• Overwhelming & confusing advice from everyone

This can easily lead to what I call: “New Parent Overwhelm”.

Despite all this, most mums persevere and do the very best they can for their new baby.

What if there’s a way to get our baby to sleep with ease and predictability?

What if there’s a way to get our baby to sleep without having to use techniques that just don’t fit our parenting style?

What if there’s a way to get our baby to sleep without having to compromise our own parenting philosophy?

There are many ways to get a baby to sleep.

Finding the right techniques that suit your style and applying them properly are the two most important factors when it comes to getting your baby to sleep.

With the right techniques, every baby can be a good sleeper.

No baby is an exception.

Here are the top 3 mistakes that I see parents unintentionally make when they try to get their baby to sleep.

MISTAKE #1:

Parents assume the Sleep Newborn Stage will last forever

You know that divine phase when you have a sleepy, milk drunk newborn cuddled to your chest and they just sleep for hours?

High on maternal melatonin, they snooze endlessly like lazy cats in the sun.

But unfortunately, that phase doesn’t last.

These newborns grow up and what they did in the newborn stage definitely isn’t an indication of what they are going to be doing in the 4-month stage.

Just because your little newborn sleeps like an angel doesn’t mean things will necessarily stay that way.

All that rocking and feeding to sleep that worked like a charm for the early weeks then just suddenly, doesn’t.

MISTAKE #2:

Parents think NOW is not the right timing to work on sleep (teething)

Your baby is ALWAYS teething, for months and months and months.

Equally they are often down with a cold, or getting over something or just overtired. These are never reasons not to work on your baby’s sleep.

In most cases, the ideal time to work on sleep is from 4 months onwards.

As the months go on, the more deeply ingrained certain habits become, the harder it can be to wean them.

This is also the key for babies to get the age-appropriate sleep they need.

By starting a routine early, you will be able to really make plans for your day because you can predict when your baby is going to nap.

If your baby is having trouble napping or waking up unsettled several times a night, then don’t let the months turn into years before you get help to sort it.

Do it now.

MISTAKE #3:

Parents rely on motion to help put their baby to sleep

By motion I mean rocking, car rides, baby swing and pram walks.

In the newborn days, it's ok to let your baby have some motion sleeps, but problems emerge when you don’t consciously back this off a bit as they grow.

It is similar to how we fall asleep on a moving bus or train.

Motion sleeps just don’t produce the kind of deep, restorative sleep that our body needs.

This is critical to the development of your baby’s brain.

If your baby begins to rely on motion to sleep, not only would it make it harder for them to fall asleep in the future, it might also slow down their brain development.

By avoiding these 3 mistakes, new mums should have a lot more control over getting their baby to sleep.

No parents should suffer from chronic sleep deprivation.

And with the right techniques, every baby can be a good sleeper.

There’s no such thing as a bad sleep anymore.

If you’re looking for a way to get your baby to sleep with more predictability and you have tried many things that just didn’t work, then this might be helpful for you.

Click here to have a chat and find out what works for your little one.

Here’s how it works:

1. We have a chat and you can tell me a little about your situation
2. We will come up with a plan that suits your parenting style (there are many ways to get your baby to sleep!)
3. Then we will talk about how you can apply the new technique

With the right technique, every baby can be a good sleeper.

Author: Emma 

See what other parents say:

 "Desperation, fear and guilt as well as a completely muddled mind were just some of the symptoms.

It felt like everything was falling apart.

Emma came to the rescue when Ziggy was almost 8 months old, after a recommendation from a friend a couple of months earlier. Two weeks later I was kicking myself for not arranging to meet her earlier!

Like many new Mum's out there, I wanted to believe I would just figure it all out on my own, it would come naturally somehow, as though I spoke Ziggy's language.. I did not. Well, I learned, but only when my brain recovered from the sleep deprivation.

What worked for us as a Mother & Son team worked extremely well but I just couldn't get on top of the napping, reading his sleepy signs correctly and and most importantly, "helping him" learn how to sleep.

On top of that, I found myself completely overwhelmed by the amount of conflicting advice and opinions coming my way. Whether or not they were requested.

Emma was so very compassionate and understanding of my situation, her advice and continued support not only had my old self back in action in under two weeks, but I saw a whole new side to Ziggy! He was so much happier.. clearly well rested.

Emma, I can't thank you enough. You saved me from a scary place.

Ziggy will be forever grateful you helped his Mum teach him such an important skill.

I highly recommend Emma and Baby Sleep Expert. :) "

Julie & Ziggy - 8 months

Before I contacted Emma I was at my absolute wits end with what to do with my little bubba Lacey.

Lacey had colic until 3 months which meant for me to keep sane I felt I had no choice but to sleep her on my chest for every single daytime nap.

When the colic was subsiding (thanks to Wilbys Colic Mix) I realised I could begin putting her down in her cot. This was not an easy feet as she had such strong associations with sleeping on me.

I personally was not a cry it out fan either so had no idea at all how I was going to get her to be happy and sleep in her cot.

I think I was near on breaking point. I was emotionally and physically drained from rocking, feeding to sleep, patting, using the gym ball to sooth her (I was trying to do anything for her to just sleep).

Then Emma, no joke fixed all these issues in about less than 4 days. Yes the first couple days were exhausting but good lord the difference this program has made to Lacey is amazing and some what a miracle in regards to how life has changed for us as a family.

The great thing about this program is you get unconditional support from Emma every single day for 10 days. You don’t just get given a program written on a piece of paper and told good luck.

She was able to hear on the phone the different types of crying that I was unable to tell the difference between. She could tell me when to go into lace/when not to.

Long story cut short please do yourself a favour and use Baby Sleep Expert if your having sleep problems with your little one, as you will definitely not regret it. It really will change your life.

Emma and Lacey - 5 months

Benji would only feed to sleep, would wake often very unsettled and his day sleeps were all over the shop.

From the day we started working with her, Benji's day sleeps became easier, no more feeding to sleep and he sleeps through and is generally at night is far more settled when he does wake (and now self settles back to sleep).

Emma helped me with a plan of attack, checked in with me regularly and supported me greatly. I am feeling so much more relaxed and happy, as is Benji.

If I regret anything at all, it is not calling her sooner. I would wholeheartedly recommend Emma to any family that needs help. I wouldn't hesitate if we also needed help in making contact again in the future either. Thanks Emma!

Kate and Benji - 9.5 months