Case Study #1:My son

Case Study #1: My own son

Background: My son was born in 2017. The first 6 weeks were rough. He was five days late and under 6 lbs. at birth. The main focus for this time was just to get him to gain weight and all the while I struggled with breastfeeding (not fun times).

Then sleep…at first it may have been a cultural influence and then it became out of necessity, but we ended up sharing our bed. I looked for advice from my pediatrician and he suggested to try cry it out. I couldn’t do it. It didn’t feel like the right fit for our family. 

Fast forward 4.5 years, and we hit our limit. I became a certified sleep consultant and now  we have Case Study #1: My son.

The Situation: We had our solid bedtime routine (read books, talk about the day, snuggles), and then we would put our son into his bed…and then we had to stay in the room…until he fell asleep. This could be anywhere from 30 minutes to a 1.5-hour process. By the end of this, either my husband or I were so exhausted that we went straight to bed. Then usually 2-3 hours later, Jude would wake up and get in our bed. My son needed more sleep, and my husband and I needed more grownups-only time.

The Intervention: I took the course through Center for Pediatric Sleep Management, had a fellow CPSM’er Karen Winter of  Winter Slumber, keep me accountable. We did the chair method.

The Post intervention: Within 14 days, we had him on a solid bedtime routine. After bedtime, my son would go to his bed, I would kiss him goodnight, and I was ABLE TO WALK OUT OF THE ROOM. He was still awake but he was able TO FALL ASLEEP BY HIMSELF. Bedtime went from a 2-hour process down to a 15-30 minute process.  He sleeps through the whole night. He has learned how to settle himself and go back to sleep. It is not always perfect, but if he tries to sneak into our room, I tell him to go back to his room, and he does!

Case Study 1: Success!

It is not too late to get your kiddos to learn how to sleep. And it’s never too late for you to get some extra kid-free time at the end of the day!  If you are ready to put in the work and want some help, feel free to reach out. I am here to support you with a customized plan for you and your family. This is why I became a pediatric sleep consultant! Let’s talk!

TAGS: Sleep training, pediatric sleep consultant, toddler sleep, baby sleep