Will my baby (or toddler) “grow out” of their sleep challenges?
That’s a great question, and one I’m asked all the time. “Won’t they just grow out of it and sleep when they’re ready?”
Well, your baby may suddenly start sleeping better, but the reality is, research has shown there’s a good chance their sleep won’t improve much.
Many parents delay getting support with sleep because they hope their little one will sleep better once they start solids, or become more active, start walking or stop teething.
Parents sometimes wait until getting through all of those milestones and are at the end of their rope to seek further support.
Baby sleep challenges frequently turn into toddler sleep challenges
A significant percentage of babies don’t “eventually” grow out of their sleep challenges.
“More than 40% of infants who have sleep disorders at the age of eight months also have sleep disorders at age three years.” (Zuckerman B et al. 1987).
According to another study,
“84% of infants who suffered sleep disorders at the age of 15-48 months (average age 26.4 months) still had sleep disturbances three years later. In the control group (those without sleep challenges), only 3% of infants without the signs of sleep problems at initial inspection were found to have these problems after three years.” (Kataria S et al. 1987)
The results of these studies don’t surprise me. I haven’t conducted my own study, but after supporting thousands of families, it’s been extremely rare to hear of a toddler or young child with a sleep challenge who was a great sleeper as a baby.
“They’ll Sleep When They’re Ready”
I’ve heard this A LOT. It’s one of my pet peeves, to be honest. I strongly believe in following a baby or child’s lead to reach milestones when they’re ready. I suggest that potty training will go much better when your little one WANTS to do it, and it’s not worth pressuring or battling to reach that milestone for most little ones.
Sleep is different. Much different. Sleep is an essential body function and has a massive impact on both short and long-term physical and mental health, not only for your little one but for the entire family.
I’m telling you this because I’m passionate about supporting parents with the tools to make it easier and because I know there is so much you can do the help your family get the healthy sleep they need.
Better Sleep Doesn’t Have to Mean “Sleep Training” or CIO
Chances are, you’re not a sleep expert, but you ARE an expert in your baby or child.
The challenge with sleep is that there are so many variables involved AND sleep can be very counterintuitive.
A perfect example comes from little ones who wake up WAY too early in the morning.
Common sense would dictate that you need to move bedtime later to help your little one sleep later in the morning, you need to keep them up later at night.
That makes logical sense, right? But have you ever tried it? If so, you probably found that unless you kept your little one up HOURS later, they likely woke at the same time, perhaps even earlier, or if you were lucky, a mere 15 minutes later.
Sleep science explains exactly WHY that doesn’t work. The good news is the solution DOESN’T involve “sleep training” or leaving your little one to cry but requires very simple changes.
Today’s The Day!
The best time to start working on better sleep was from birth. When’s the second best day? Today!
Yep! It’s not something to put off, whether you have a newborn or a 3-year-old. Procrastinating or waiting until they reach a certain age or milestone isn’t worth it!
It may have been a while, but remember how you feel after a fantastic sleep? You can move mountains, right?
How do you feel after a terrible sleep or you’re running on a sleep deficit? It’s hard. Everything seems harder. Your patience is shorter. You’re not as happy. Your energy level is lower.
Guess what? Your little one feels the same way. By just waiting until your baby, toddler, or child eventually grows out of sleep challenges, they’re being deprived of that great feeling that comes with being well-rested, and so are you!
The reality is, you have nothing to lose by starting, except hours, perhaps hundreds of hours of great sleep.
We’ve Got You!
If you’re ready to learn more about sleep, we’ve got you covered!
If you’re looking for bespoke 1:1 support, our incredible team is ready to help. They’ve been where you are, so don’t worry about being judged or that you’ll be asked to do something you’re uncomfortable with.
Want to learn more in an easy way on your own?
Then the Sleepy Lambs Sleep Academy is the ideal option for you. It’s affordable, comprehensive, and with a generous 90-day money-back guarantee, you’ve got nothing to lose but good sleep. (And, if you peak on the sidebar of this post, you’ll see a coupon code for a discount!)
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
Hi! I’m Mary. Founder of Sleepy Lambs Sleep Consulting. I’m the mum of 3 very busy kids and have an amazing hubby. I grew up in Canada but we love our home in England.
I’m passionate about making the parenting journey a little easier for you and helping your little one become a GREAT sleeper!
