Why Won’t My Baby Sleep?

“Why won’t you sleep?” you implore your baby as you gaze into their wide open eyes.
“Why won’t you sleep?” you cry to your child as they cry back in the wee hours of the morning.
“Why won’t you sleep? you sigh in exhaustion as you pace back and forth to sooth the upset bundle in your arms.

You’re not alone. It’s the age-old question asked by nearly every parent of every baby throughout history. There are all kinds of reasons your baby may not be sleeping well:

• Teething
• Ear ache
• Dirty diaper
• Hunger
• Gas

I’m sure you can fill in more reasons. But you’d still be missing one…

The #1 Reason Most Babies Don’t Sleep Well

The real reason most babies doesn’t sleep well is because they don’t know how.

Seems so simple, doesn’t it? But think about it for a moment. They learn to eat, play, sleep as you teach them. And chances are you’ve taught them to need sleep props instead of teaching them how to actually sleep.

What Are Sleep Props?

Sleep props are external factors that your baby relies on to fall asleep. In fact, they’re not just for babies; adults have them, too.

Ever “need” the radio on to fall asleep? Your favorite pillow? An extra blanket? Those are props you’ve conditioned yourself to need to sleep well.

Your baby may need to nurse or bottle feed, be rocked, sing a song, want a blanket or teddy bear, or some other prop. And when they awake in the middle of the night and don’t have all those props available, sleep seems impossible.

Because they don’t know how to sleep; they know how to rely on props.

What Does Your Child Really Need To Sleep Well?

To sleep well, your baby needs to learn how to go back to sleep without all the props. That may involve a little bit of crying as they express their frustration that they’ve awoken prematurely, but they’ll settle back down.

This is where sleep training comes in. It lays a solid foundation for your child to lean on that will help them go to bed well at night and go back to sleep well when they awaken too early.

Babies are totally capable of falling asleep and sleeping well all night long…if they learn how. Once you teach them, naps and bedtime will be so much more peaceful and you’ll both be so much more rested and able to enjoy one another!