5 Reasons Your Child Isn't Sleeping Through the Night - and How to Fix It!

Like most parents, you desperately crave sleep but rarely get enough. And if you have an infant or toddler, sleep can feel like an impossible dream. Children can wake in the night for many reasons, but with the right plan, you can build consistency in your child's sleep habits.

So if you're ready to tackle sleep deprivation head-on, read on - we've got the tips and tricks you need! This week, we teamed up with Courtney Zentz, the Founder of Tiny Transitions, to discuss the 5 main reasons your infant might be waking at night.

• You don't have a consistent routine: For babies and toddlers, consistency is key. Establish a consistent sleep/wake schedule with your child so that their sleep becomes more predictable over time, and so you regulate their sleep/wake cycle and accompanying hormones. An overtired baby often struggles to take long naps, will not settle well at bedtime and sleep through the night. Also, when overtired, the body produces stimulant hormones that can cause trouble settling, short naps and early morning wakings. 

 

 

• Your sleep environment isn't conducive to sleep: Make sure that you create an environment that is calm, cool, and dark (with blackout curtains if necessary), with white noise machines or fans, and soothing sleep sounds, like the Slumber Bear Womb Simulator {Just remember, under the age of one, keep the bear on the end table or dresser in the room and out of the crib, to promote safe sleep.} Tiny Transitions' Infant Dressing Guide is also an excellent reference point. This baby dressing guide maps out how to dress a baby to sleep & what the ideal temperature is. {As a Sleep Consultant, we like between 68 & 70 degrees}

  

• We become preferred in getting back to sleep: Accept that sleep interruptions may happen. Babies and toddlers wake in the night, and while we can take steps to minimize night wakings using tools similar to our EyeSLEEP Baby Sound Machine which produces an authentic auditory womb environment, like it is essential to have realistic expectations about times when it's going to happen. They are children, not robots. Our mantra is "always be accessible, not excessive."

 

 

• It could be a developmental milestone: As your baby grows, their sleep needs may change. They also might be excited about their new milestone and practice overnight - causing a small sleep disruption. When this happens, practice the new leap in the daytime, so they can master it quickly and avoid sleep pattern disruptions. An example is standing in a crib. Should you lay your baby back down on a Prince Lionheart Silkie Baby Blanket? If they don't know how to get down, yes, then practice, so it doesn't turn into a game at 3 am.

 

• You are doing too much to get them to sleep: It's essential that your child learns the skill of independent sleep. With gentle, effective coaching, a proper plan, and slow, gentle transitions to sleep, you can teach a child this without the need for harsher methods like crying-it-out sleep training. Remember, how we teach children to fall asleep is what they believe they need to get there. As babies grow into toddlers, they begin to push boundaries and discover that if you are willing to do things, like rub their back and tuck them in 5 times overnight, why should they stop asking?

 

 

Remember that sleep is a process: Sleep can be challenging, and it often takes some trial and error to get the sleep routine right for your family. Don't give up - sleep is a journey, and you will eventually find your sleep groove! If you find yourself stuck in a sleep rut, Tiny Transitions offer free preliminary discovery calls with their amazing Baby Sleep Coaches. On these calls, they discuss your unique sleep struggles, your family goals with sleep, and how Tiny Transitions can support you on that transition to better sleep in the home. They also have an entire library of quality free sleep education for families of all ages, which is a great starting point for DIY Sleep Training. 

About Tiny Transitions:

Tiny Transitions Sleep Training Coaching was founded in 2015 out of exhaustion and a lack of support for new parents. Courtney Zentz, the Founder, is based in Philadelphia, PA but has a team of Sleep Coaches across the United States, serving clients in English and Spanish, both in-home and virtually worldwide. Through their gentle, science-back sleep education programs, Courtney and her team of consultants work with children and adults to reset and restore sleep in the home.