Sleep training, shaming and seeing through the baby BS: with Rachael from HeySleepyBaby
Sleep like a baby?Show Notes
We really don't hold back in this week's episode! Is it ok to live sleep train a 4 month old baby on Instagram?
Do paediatricians have the right to tell new parents they should leave their baby to cry it out?
Are we shaming other mothers by saying controlled crying isn't for us?
Rachael runs HeySleepyBaby - the largest biologically-normal infant sleep account on Instagram - and as a result, she receives a lot of DMs from people who think differently to her. So I knew she'd be the perfect person to dissect the baby sleep industry with. These are really important conversations, especially as the internet (especially social media) is now such a huge part of parenting culture. For more about Rachael, head to heysleepybaby.com and don't miss her new baby sleep course that launches this week.
More from Sleep like a baby?
Do you have an orchid or a dandelion? How do you know if your baby is highly sensitive? And how can you parent with your own specific sensory needs?
The advice about over-tiredness is always changing when it comes to babies... is it a thing? is it the end of the world? is there any science involved in this whole concept that a person can be TOO tired?
Nobody talks about how lonely it can be if you're the only one with a child who continues to be wakeful when everyone else around you seems to be getting more sleep. And then you might feel the pressure to sleep train if you ever talk about how tired you are. Perhaps your partner or someone else close to you is trying to get you to make changes in a way that doesn't feel right for you right now. This is an episode for anyone stuck in a comparison trap or a cycle of disagreement over whether to sleep train or not.
Do you have to sleep train in order for this regression to end? Why is your baby suddenly more wakeful? Why is there so much fearmongering out there about this stage? In this episode I talk about the sleep science at this age as well as all the other reasons why it can be a tough patch. If you want to know what you can do to improve the situation (without sleep training) and what red flags to look out for, I've got you.
Yes that's right, more Lucy! We had so much to say about second babies that we had to make it into a 2-parter.What if you can't imagine loving. your new baby as much as your first? How does the bond work? How do you do bedtime with two children (and one parent?) Are nap times always a disaster if your older child doesn't understand the concept of 'quiet! the baby is sleeping...'?