I Started the Sleep Wave, but…
Weaning was not going as expected. Despite gradually reducing night feedings while using the Sleep Wave, the parents of a 6-month-old were telling us that he continued to wake at night and he was not happy.
(spoiler alert, this was our live Q+A session, so we were immediately able to figure out why — see below)
Another lovely mom told us her toddler was so attached to her pacifier she worried that if she removed it when starting the Sleep Wave, her daughter would never find a way to self soothe.
All these nuances make so much sense, even the most thorough and studious followers of the Sleep Wave! Sometimes it feels like you’re the only one dealing with a particular issue. Your 5 month old is nursing to sleep constantly and it seems like there’s just no way out, or your 8 month old has never napped independently, so the prospect of singing a little song and popping them into the crib sounds completely foreign.
It’s all fully possible and attainable, though. You’ve heard us say it before, but that’s because it’s so true: Babies are capable of falling asleep independently and sleeping through the night from 5 months on, and handing over that role to them takes in a responsive and clear way can take just a week or two—like a full 180!
But for some parents, there’s a gap between the progress they make with the Sleep Wave and that end goal. “We started the Sleep Wave and it’s going great, but …..” is the message we sometimes get (which is why our sleep consults are so helpful and why we started the Live Q+A session to accompany the online class). When your particular baby or child’s situation has you feeling stuck, you just need a little hand holding and personal attention to get over that hump.
Usually, the stalled progress comes from factors like,
Parents response to baby is not following a consistent pattern.
Parents are worried, frustrated, not confident in their plan (you name it!) and babies pick up on that.
Parents have gotten confusing messages or input and are trying to “Frankenstein” a sleep plan rather than following one approach with commitment (hint, that often doesn’t end well).
Which brings us back to our 6 month old whose parents were stumped as to why weaning night feedings seemed to have the opposite effect they wanted and their baby was still waking up, but now was extra angry about it. When we asked more about the situation, it turned out dad was sleeping in the baby’s bedroom and sneaking out after feeding to then use the Sleep Wave. A ha! A 6 month old baby is too smart and aware for that. Dad moved out to give her more space and voila—sleeping through the night followed shortly after.
And you probably know the end of the paci story already: After a week, the toddler was nuzzling with a lovey and that was it, she slept through the night like a champ.