Band-aid approaches don't work.
Example: You pick up a sleep training technique that your friend swears worked amazingly for her. You try it. Your baby cries for hours. You give in. You're frustrated. You try to modify it. You're confused. You try something else. You throw in the towel and resign yourself to never sleeping again—the end.
Sound familiar?
Well, let me tell you why these band-aid approaches don't work for sleep issues.
To clarify, this is what I mean by band-aid approaches: A sleep training approach you googled, found in a book, tips on mommy fb groups, random advice your friend gave you.
These are just SNIPPETS of what need to be comprehensive plans and steps that you need to take. Not the entire plan.
Often we are just addressing one symptom: wake-ups, unsettled sleep, bedtime protests, crappy naps, non-existent naps.
There are symptoms of a deeper issue. Just like chronic headaches are a symptom. Just treating a symptom will not eliminate the problem; it will likely keep coming back unless your doctor assesses you to find the root cause. Fixing the root cause is a better long term strategy for improving the problem. Drugs will only give you short term relief, and you might spend your days covering over issues that seem never to go away or get worse.
One-off sleep behavioral approaches are also not made for your child; they don't consider your child's situation, temperament, needs, and lifestyle. This is where I see a lot of problems and issues.
There are many solutions out there, but if you don't know all the options, you won't choose a solution that works for your family—undermining your long-term success.
Let me share an example I see too often:
Katie, a mom of two little ones, came to me beyond frustrated and exhausted with her nine-month-old daughter's sleep issues. She was having short naps and frequently waking overnight, and she would only fall asleep after having a bottle.
Katie was tired as she also had a toddler and needed to muster the energy to run after two kids all day with little rest or time for herself. She had tried a "cry it out" method, but it left her overwhelmed, confused, and her daughter cried for what seemed like FOREVER. She eventually gave up and had no idea how to help her daughter. She was resigned to not sleeping and "riding it out" (whatever that means) until her daughter "grew out of it." (Please don't do this!)
We started working together, and I asked a lot of questions. After a full assessment, I concluded that we needed to work on many factors that were affecting sleep:
Overtiredness (that's why she was crying more than usual).
Increasing her calorie intake during the day.
Slowly weaning some night feeds.
Creating a bedtime routine that worked for their family, as mom had to do bedtime on her own with two.
She understood age-specific expectations, setting up boundaries and routines for both her little ones who were of different ages with different needs. We essentially looked for the root causes. We fixed them. We THEN, at the end, once her daughter was well-rested, implemented an age appropriate sleep strategy that mom felt 100% comfortable with.
In two days, she was sleeping 12+ hrs. This mom's life changed. She could put both her kids to bed and have the evenings to herself and her husband. She was sleeping well, feeling rested, and had more energy. She even got a few naps and quiet time during the day to rest and do something for herself. It was life-changing.
"Lily helped me transform my sleep. I was so frustrated with my girls and didn't see a clear road ahead. I feel like a new person as both my daughters now sleep all night and are happier little girls. I could not have done it without her" -Katie G.
Are there still hiccups, of course! Sleep is not linear, but now Katie has the knowledge and confidence to know what to expect and EXACTLY what to look for and do when life happens. I helped ensure that she doesn't have to worry about sleep again.
So if you feel you have tried EVERYTHING or don't want to try everything, but you want to find the RIGHT thing to get you sleeping fast and easily.
REACH OUT! I have read all the books, done all the research, done the schooling and exams, and have worked with hundreds of families. Don't try to do it on your own. It will be a rocky path, but I've got a clear road for you with a customized road map and a guarantee that I will hold your hand and get you results.
Trust me or read the reviews written by my wonderful families. Doing it RIGHT will be the best investment in time and money that you can make.
Sleep is attainable. I promise.
Lil. xx
