Self-settling is the difference between a child who sleeps well and a child who doesn’t.

We all assume that babies arrive knowing how to sleep and think that those bubs who regularly keep their parents up all night are somehow defective. This isn’t true. Self-settling is a skill that every single one of us has to learn. Some babies do that without much fuss giving rise to this misconception, whereas others – usually the super-alert, into everything, always on the go type – find it much, much harder. It’s just like maths – some people can do it, other people need some help. But the good news is, once your child has the self-settling skill, it will stay with them for the rest of their life: the best possible gift you could ever give them.

Signs that your child isn’t self-settling:

1. Falling asleep within minutes of going to bed.
2. Falling asleep at bedtime on the breast or bottle or with the help of rocking, patting or cuddling.
3. Waking up several times a night and unable to get themselves back to sleep without help – a bottle, rocking, a song … you, essentially!
4. Early rising – anything before 6am is considered an early rise.

Any of these sound familiar? Want some help teaching your child to self-settle? Book a free fifteen minute sleep evaluation with me now to see how I can help.