Becoming a new mom was one of the all time most amazing experiences of my life. It was filled with love, connection and gratitude. Now, I’m not trying to be all ‘Instagramy’ here. It was also exhausting and confusing as I was getting so much advice from everyone and their mom. And much of that advice, or sometimes relaying of myths, was unsolicited.
As an expert in baby sleep, I have lots of great information to share with new moms. And, it’s information that I wish I’d known when I had my son 8 years ago. And, it’s information that changed my life for the better when my daughter was 4 months old. But, I keep my mouth shut unless specifically asked.
New moms are getting tips and suggestions thrown at them left and right. The information can be confusing, conflicting; and oftentimes down right wrong.
4 Common (and ridiculous) Sleep Myths
A later bedtime means a later morning wake up. I think it’s safe to say we’ve all adjusted bedtime in hopes that our baby will sleep in a bit. The reason a later bedtime doesn’t work is it typically results in an overtired baby. Overtiredness means lots of fussiness and protesting at bedtime, multiple night wakings and possibly early morning wake ups. What happens is baby ends up getting less nighttime sleep which means they are missing out on the total amount of restorative sleep they need.
Never wake a sleeping baby. I don’t suggest waking a sleeping baby often, but if a nap is happening too late in the day, it can throw off bedtime. It’s important to know your baby’s age-appropriate awake window so that you can cap that last nap and be able to get baby in bed on time so that they are getting the 11-12 hours of necessary sleep.
Skip the naps and baby will sleep better at night. Sleep begets sleep! A healthy amount of daytime sleep leads to better nighttime sleep. If you skip naps, your little one will most definitely be overtired when bedtime rolls around.
You can’t sleep train and keep a night feed.Of course you can! Sleep training doesn’t mean that every baby sleeps 11-12 hours without a feed, although many certainly can. For baby’s that are healthy, a good weight and typically 6 months or older, that’s absolutely the case. But, for newborns and young infants, a baby may still need a feed or two. If you are working on healthy sleep habits from a young age, you are teaching a baby to sleep longer stretches at night by allowing them to fall asleep independently and without creating sleep associations like feeding, rocking or bouncing to sleep.
There are certainly many more myths floating around about baby sleep, but these are a few of the most common.
When reading forums or IG posts, remember to check the source. Having scientific based information from sources like the American Academy of Pediatrics or The National Institute of Health or reliable ‘go to’s’.
And, of course, if you want to chat more about your baby’s (or toddler or big kid) sleep struggles, I set aside time every week to do just that. Book a 15 minute call with me and we’ll get down to the nitty gritty.