We have been teaching healthy sleep habits for over 10 years serving Chicagoland and its surrounding suburbs, DFW Metroplex, and Tampa. As a mother of three children I know how sleep deprivation affects the whole family. I just wish there was a caring and professional sleep training company like Sweet Dreams Infant Care back when I needed one!
Over the years I have seen the emotional stress, physical exhaustion, and loss of confidence in good parents dealing with their child’s sleep issues. There is no one size fits all solution. We use several different methods of sleep training in order to tailor the program to fit the parent needs as well as their child.
Teaching your child how to sleep through the night isn’t just important for your child’s health, it’s critical for the parents’ health as well. We believe that sleep is a necessity, not a luxury.
Let us help your family achieve the gift of sleep.
We SLEEP TRAIN the Sleep Training Experts babies!
2019 BIG WIN! Sweet Dreams Infant Care won the annual ‘Best for Moms and Babies‘ award in 2019. Sweet Dreams Infant Care was nominated and readers were asked to vote for the ‘Best Sleep Specialists’ and we won in both Collin County and North Texas!
“I am SO happy that you were chosen by our readers. It really is such a great honor.”
Sam Barnhart DFWChild Magazines
Sweet Dreams Infant Care is proud to be asked again to be part of the Transitions to Motherhood program at Prentice Women’s Hospital in Chicago. Sweet Dreams Infant Care and other clinical experts provide information on key topics, such as feeding and sleep; fussy babies; infant development during the first year; the impact of a baby on marriage; and emotions during the post-partum period. We are teaching the “Healthy Sleep Habits and Sleep Training“ portion of this continuing series for new moms.
We are Proud to belong to the Association of Professional Sleep Consultants and International Maternity and Parenting Institute
Is my baby ready for sleep training? Download our free eGuide
Healthy Sleep Habits Weeks 1-6
Singletons wake to feed every 2-3 hours around the clock until 2 weeks after their due date. Often times 1-3 hours if Breastfeeding. Twins wake to feed every 2-3 hours until 6 weeks from the due date. You should be able to allow baby to sleep 4 hours at night as long as baby is having adequate weight gain and having good feedings during the day. Always check with your Pediatrician.
Most important, start teaching self-soothing by allowing an infant to put themselves to sleep. They can use a pacifier, but avoid rocking and feeding to sleep every time. They quickly become dependent on it. You can check with your doctor, but most say by 6 weeks to allow your baby to cry up to 5 min to encourage self-soothing
6 weeks
It is important that you start an early bedtime. Around 6 weeks your baby’s circadian rhythm kicks in and they start to know day from night. Give your baby an early bath and start bedtime routine around 6:30 pm; you want them in bed by 7 pm. They will still get up for feedings, but it will help to encourage nighttime sleep. You may notice between 6-8 weeks your baby is very fussy. This is known as the 2-week storm. An early bedtime will help to avoid your baby from getting overtired, making fussiness even worse.
Sweet Dreams Healthy Sleep Training Process
Singletons must be 4 months old from their due date. Twins must be 5 months from their due date. Triplets need to be 6 months from their due date. Weight must be at least 14 lbs.
They need to be eating 24-30 oz. in 12 hours during the day. Feed every 4 hours 6-8 oz. bottles, in order to eliminate night feedings. They will need 1 nighttime feeding until taking at least 30oz in 12 daytime hours exp 7 am-7 pm. If breastfeeding check with your Pediatrician, to see if your baby is ready to eliminate nighttime feedings.
Is this the right time for you and your baby?
You must be ready to start and stay consistent.
Keep a log for at least 3 days before you start. This will help you to identify issues and patterns and chose the best solution for you and your family. Continue the log while you are sleep training and you will be able to see the progress you’re making which will encourage you to keep moving towards your goal of a baby who sleeps through the night.
Here are some tips:
- Teach your baby how to sleep all night. Babies need to get to sleep before they are overtired. Set up a nighttime routine bath, massage, book, song, swaddle, feed, etc. and put down awake so they can learn to self-soothe.
Once the baby turns over on their stomach you must take off swaddle at night for safety reasons. Think of the goal of your baby sleeping through the night as a journey-its a gift. Sleep deprivation is just as hard on the baby as it is on you.
- Choose a sleep training technique that you can use again. Life happens, you may go on vacation, which can disrupt her sleep, or she may get sick or be teething. At these times we all revert to holding our babies or feeding them in the night. It only takes three nights for a new sleep pattern to be established.
This means you may need to sleep train again, and this is why it’s so important you can fall back on the sleep training technique you used before. Depending on the sleep training technique you choose to be consistent.
- So choose a sleep training that you can cope with. If you’re exhausted, at your wit’s end, perhaps even feeling angry with your baby, hire someone.
- Our techniques combine many different sleep training techniques. After the baby’s nighttime routine put the baby down drowsy but awake.
- You need to gauge the temperament of the baby, the same process does not work for every baby.
- When your baby is awake in the AM, give her lots of loving attention. Open the shades in the morning, and make it a happy event. Get them immediately out of bed, change clothes and start their day. Take them to another room to feed them, so they know its time to start their day.
- Stay calm. Your baby has no idea how to fall asleep without the old sleep routines you are now taking away, or the habit you’re trying to break. If she is crying, it’s because she’s tired and she wants you to go back to the old ways so she is comfortable to fall asleep.
- Once your baby learns to fall asleep on their own, they will get the healthy sleep they need. They will be able to put themselves back to sleep whenever they wake up during the night, and during naps.
- Keeping your baby up later at night will not help them sleep later in the morning. It usually backfires and you have more nighttime wakes and fussy mornings.
Sleep training is the hardest part of our job, but it is by far the most rewarding. Helping parents get back their life is very satisfying.
Sleep deprivation affects every aspect of your family. It is so gratifying to see parents able to have some time for themselves to reconnect and spend time together. Important point is to understand is to stay calm, know this time will pass and that you are not alone.
Do not compare your baby to others. There are always stories from parents about how their babies have been sleeping through the night since they came home from the hospital. Know that is not the norm, and probably not true. Remember there are many different definitions of what “sleeping through the night” means.
Every baby is wonderful and unique and will learn to sleep when they have the skills. Your baby may be upset with the process but will recognize going to sleep on her own is now part of her new routine.
Teaching your child to sleep is one of the greatest gifts you can give your baby. It is only one of the many skills you will need to teach your children throughout their lifetime.
Every baby is unique. Let us help you find the right sleep plan for yours.
What are my sleep training options?
Newborn Sleep Healthy Sleep Habits (0-4 months) Phone Consult
Phone Sleep Consult (4 months and older)
Overnight in-home sleep training (4 months and older)
How do I get started?
Choose the sleep training option that best suits your needs and Call us at 708-429-BABY (2229).
We will introduce sleep education & healthy sleep habits including environment, nutrition, family dynamics and techniques for teaching babies to self-soothe. One-2 hour consultation.
We will send you a questionnaire so we can see what is the best plan for you and your baby. Submit a 3-day complete log of your baby’s activities and after analysis, we will schedule a time for a phone consult. I will answer your questions and I will email you a specific sleep plan and walk you through the steps to get your baby on a healthy sleep plan. Prices include 1-week unlimited follow-up, texts or emails.
OVERNIGHT SLEEP TRAINING:
Call for Pricing- may vary for different states.
If you are looking for more hands-on help after our phone consult and would prefer not to do the sleep training yourself, one of our Dream Team highly trained and compassionate sleep training experts will come to your home and stay overnight (12 hours) and do the sleep training for you. Depending on the child, it may take 3-7 nights for your child to be sleeping through the night. Call for pricing. Prices vary depending on the region.
TODDLER SLEEP TRAINING:
We will send you a questionnaire so we can see what is the best plan for you and your Toddler. Submit a 3-day complete log of your Toddler activities and after analysis, we will schedule a time for a phone consult. I will answer your questions and I will email you a sleep plan and walk you through the steps to get your Toddler on a healthy sleep plan. Prices include 1-week unlimited follow-up, texts or emails.
OVER-NIGHT TODDLER in-home SLEEP TRAINING:
Call for Pricing- may vary for different states.
If you are looking for more help after our phone consult, and would prefer not to do the sleep training alone, one of our Dream Team sleep training experts will come to your home and stay overnight (12 hours) and work together with you to show you how sleep training a toddler needs to be done. Depending on the child, it may take 3-7 nights.
Here is where you can find the Crain’s and Chicago Parent articles featuring Sweet Dreams Infant Care.
