What is the Sleep Wise Method?

The truth is; there is no one method that we use at Sleep Wise.  Of course, that makes the question, “What is the Sleep Wise Method?,” an incredibly difficult one to answer – at least in blog format!  

What changes for every age and each family’s unique circumstances?  That includes the strategies we employ, expectations, ideal sleep environment, amount of time between each sleep, recommended bedtime routine, and the ways in which we teach the skills!  The process of a sleep transformation varies depending on the age and needs of the individual learning to sleep well.  Let’s break it down.

Newborns

Welcoming a new addition doesn’t have to result in endless sleep deprivation.  The method we start with for our newborn plans is the basic foundation of great sleep: safety!  After implementing safe sleep recommendations and establishing a great feeding relationship, we begin to practice healthy sleep habits early on.  This can be accomplished in a way that doesn’t sacrifice all of the beloved newborn snuggles.  Over time, we intentionally build great sleep hygiene.  Our goal is to help families set their little ones up for ultimate long-term sleep success.  We do so by gradually weaning a child’s reliance on any external sleep aids. 

We also help parents who plan to return to work get all the sleep they need prior to diving back into their careers.  When working with newborns, we teach parents how to implement independent sleep skills slowly with realistic goals week by week.  We scaffold the support a baby needs to learn to sleep well.  By about 12 weeks old, a little one can put himself or herself entirely to sleep with no sleep props, take independent naps, and sleep 10-12 hours through the night with no more than one waking to feed, if needed. 

I promise these sleep goals aren’t too good to be true!   Yet, in full transparency, you’ll often hear our team say that the newborn plan is a marathon – not a sprint!  That is because the newborn plan certainly doesn’t come together overnight; it’s a culmination of a slow and steady race for weeks at a time.

Infants

Infants already have pre-established sleep routines and habits.  Thus, when families choose to teach independent sleep skills, that often means a previously-learned way of sleeping must be tweaked.  As we teach a wonderful new way of sleeping, it is entirely normal for humans to express protectiveness around sleep.

Laying babies down awake is a new concept for many, but through our advice, recommendations, and live support, families can make this change in a way that works best for their little ones!  You do not have to make these adjustments alone, nor do you have to leave your little one right away if this is a hard adjustment for either party!  What sleep training is (and frankly, even what it isn’t) often has many misconceptions.  We’d love to share realistic expectations on a free 15-minute evaluation call.  You can also check out some of our FAQs.

Toddlers and School-Aged Children

Teaching the complex process of sleep to young children presents unique challenges, but this age group is a lot of fun, too.  We have the privilege of involving toddlers and children in their own sleep progress, encouraging them to harness their individual needs.  In providing personalized visuals, we strive to teach the changes as positively as possible every step of the way through “Sleep School.”  Our team focuses on clarity as we guide children to make great decisions around sleep.  Best of all, children are proud of themselves as they learn to sleep without the crutches they once relied on!

Adolescents and Adults

Teaching “an old dog new tricks,” as they say, isn’t impossible at all, and it is so rewarding!  Adolescents and adults have incredible options.  Clients can choose our self-paced adult sleep course to transform their sleep over a period of about four weeks or purchase one-on-one assistance with one of our certified adult sleep consultants (or both!).  We teach small, sustainable changes to make this transformation doable for the long haul!  This process begins with understanding that sleep should not be a daily battle.  The Sleep Wise methods we encourage are all based on scientific research!  EVERYONE deserves to sleep well, regardless of age.  

Starting Place + Personalization = The Sleep Wise Method

As you can see, there is a lot to consider when addressing sleep, which is why there is no one method.  The true “magic” in what we do when sleep is troublesome comes in the form of the individualized follow-up support.  We look at every single sleeper independently.  While of course children at various ages have typical awake times, an average number of naps per days, and sleep recommendations that fit the majority, there are no two humans that sleep identically.  (In case you’re wondering, yes, we find this to be the case even when we work with families of multiples!) 

Although there are common approaches in which we can start teaching people to fall asleep without assistance in a reasonable amount of time and get all the sleep they need, the strategies we use in our one-on-one packages are personalized to each specific family.  We often have to troubleshoot exactly what works for each person.  In this way, we use our team’s sleep education and extensive experience to benefit every client!

What does this mean for me?

The good news is that this means that you CAN sleep well.  Your children CAN sleep well.  Your household CAN be well-rested.  You probably know that getting the rest you deserve doesn’t always happen after reading one article.  Families that need a little more assistance find our one-on-one packages to be where lasting success begins!  

Our team at Sleep Wise works hard to ensure that sleep becomes so predictable and enjoyable that you truly do not even have to think about it on a daily basis!  While “the Sleep Wise Method” may not be one quick tip, more than 6,000 families are thankful every day for the results of undergoing a sleep transformation… We’d love for you to be the next success story, too!