Sleep training is more than just helping babies have healthy sleep habits, it’s also there to give parents tips to help parents sleep through the night as well.

When I’m working with parents and helping them get their newborn, infant, and/or toddler to have healthy sleep patterns I often hear from one (or both) parents, “I can’t sleep!” It’s a cry of exasperation and exhaustion!

My job as a sleep consultant for newborns, infants, and toddlers is to also support parents as well. Today we are going to look at tips to help you, the parent, sleep at night.

Here are my tips to help parents sleep through the night:

1. Limit daytime caffeine and sugar. I know you feel like you need it for survival right now but it’s the thing keeping you from sleep. Limiting these chemicals will give your body the ability to settle into rest mode quicker.
2. Creating a hard stop for your night is an important part of helping yourself get a good night’s rest. Having a ‘lights out’ time for the house sets a boundary for when your body needs to prepare to wind down and relax. You should commit to setting the ‘lights out’ time no later than an
3. Begin a good ‘before bedtime’ hygiene routine. This routine should start at least 1-hour before you want to be in bed asleep.
4. Plan on 30 minutes to fall asleep and prepare accordingly.
5. White noise, ear plugs, and an eye mask are your BFFs as sensory deprivation is a must when trying to sleep! These things help us shut out the world and shut down our brains and bodies.
6. Use essential oils on the bottoms of feet and behind the neck as well as diffusing in the bedroom. (My favorites are Balance and Vetiver by Doterra).

7. Read a book, Do some breath work, pray, meditate or whatever helps to calm your mind and central nervous system.

And, as sleep training parents, here are the primary ways to support sleep training habits as a family unit:

• Tag team with your partner/spouse so you can have a night off to just sleep if you have a baby that is still waking. This alone can alleviate a TON of anxiety. Even if baby is sleeping, sleeping in a different room so you can be “off duty” can be especially helpful as you are trying to get your body to begin to be able to sleep again.
• Only use a monitor if you truly can’t hear your baby if he/she cries. Sleeping with a monitor at full volume with the screen on is going to keep you in a state of alertness all night long. If your room is so far away from your baby that you have to use a monitor, keep it on another side of your bedroom, turn the volume to low, and keep the screen off.

If you’ve found yourself on google typing “I can’t sleep,” I know the exhaustion is real.

My job is to support you and your kiddos to help you all transition into a well-rested family. I hope these tips brought a bit of hope for your fatigue!