L.I.S.T.E.N. – A Simple Strategy For Teaching Baby To Sleep

When we are sleep deprived and our brain is mush we need simplicity. My L.I.S.T.E.N. strategy will help with teaching baby to sleep.

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We often become obsessed with the needs not being met.

When we’re feeling unloved, unlovely, and unlovable, we crave attention an affirmation from those we love. And, if they won’t give it, from anyone who will.

If we’re hungry then we are obsessed with getting food.

If we’re tired, we are obsessed with sleep.

For mamas who find themselves in this scenario… counting the minutes or hours of sleep they get and having to caffeinate themselves into oblivion… take heart.

L.I.S.T.E.N. – My strategy for teaching baby to sleep well

Let’s break down the following letters into specific strategies to help little one (and yourself) start sleeping more.

“L” is for Love

When you are making any big changes to your little one’s daily habits or routines, there will be upheaval. Some little ones will protest and cry.

All these changes might have you freaking out, knowing that your baby might have a hard time with some of these changes. This is where I encourage my mamas to take a step back and think about what their baby or toddler really needs.

So, in the moments where little ones might express some negative feelings, parents need to remember that all these changes are coming from a place of love. Baby needs rest to thrive, and parents need rest so they can be at their best as parents.

“I” is for Independence

One of the most important components to helping a baby sleep all night is giving them the opportunity to become independent sleepers.

This means putting them down awake at bedtime and naptime.

If you assist them to sleep for all sleep, they will need that same assistance to get back to sleep the rest of the night or half way through a nap. This can lead to short naps and many wake-ups throughout the night. Make sure your routine separates feeding from bedtime.

• Common habits that help and harm baby’s ability to sleep
• Get a tired baby to sleep – in 4 simple steps
• Wind down routines guaranteed to help babes sleep

“S” is for Schedule

Many parents don’t realize how important an age-appropriate daytime schedule is for teaching baby to sleep at both nap and nighttime. If your baby is going down to bed too late, having too-late or too-short naps all day, it’ll disrupt sleep.

If they are eating too frequently or not-frequently-enough, this will certainly affect their overnight sleep.

We want to start the day at a consistent time and end it at a consistent time. 7am may feel too early if you’ve been up all night, but this is the key to getting that optimized daytime schedule going, which will lead to silent nights.

• Newborn routine
• 3 to 6 month routine
• 6 to 9 month routine
• 9 to 12 month routine
• 1 year old routine
• 2 year old routine
• 3 year old routine
• 4 year old routine

“T” is for Training

Even after you get all of the above suggestions in place, your baby still might not be thrilled about your expectations that they will start sleeping independently on this new schedule. This is where training comes in.

Read: How to Stop Contact Naps (Peacefully)- and What to Do Instead

What is training?

Simply put, it’s coming up a with a plan for how to respond to your child while teaching baby to sleep.

This is where a personalized plan becomes everything. Before the emotions or exhaustion takes over, know exactly what you’re going to do and when, so that your child can learn these new expectations with 100% consistency from you.

Whether it’s a check-in type method, gradual withdrawal, or something in between, kids respond best to predictability.

“E” is for Environment

Make sure you check all the boxes with your baby’s sleep environment. It should be:

• Safe (read more here)
• Dark (like, really dark. No light-up toys!)
• White noise (turn it up!)
• Cool (our bodies produce melatonin easier in when the temp is 66-68 degrees)
• Clean, calm, not overstimulating
• Swaddles before 5 months, sleep sacks after

“N” is for Nutrition

One really common problem I see is nutrition deficiency or imbalance.

This could be either from too much milk and not enough solids, or vice versa. Sometimes, it could be the type of food, like too many snacks and not enough nutrient-dense foods.

It’s really common to find 7-9 month olds still eating only fruits and veggies without any protein, which can lead to early morning wake-ups because they don’t have enough protein to sustain them all night.

The main point is to focus on whole foods that are nutrient dense and have the right balance of protein, healthy fats (you can hardly have too much healthy fat before the age of 2!), and complex carbohydrates.

• What to do if baby is feeding every hour and not sleeping
• Breastfeeding schedule: Newborn to 12 months

L.I.S.T.E.N.

To recap, we want to work on the following areas when we’re teaching baby (or toddler) to sleep.

LOVE – Give baby lots of love and attention during this time and remember, you are making these changes FOR their good.

INDEPENDENCE – The key to having good sleep is whether or not baby can get to sleep (and stay asleep) on their own.

SCHEDULE – An age appropriate daily routine is key for having a baby who is neither over nor under tired.

TRAINING – The process by which you teach your little one to sleep on their own and how you comfort them or communicate your new expectations in this transition.

ENVIRONMENT – What baby wears and what the nursery environment is like matter a LOT. Dark is key.

NUTRITION – Baby needs more food in the day, less at night, a nutrient dense diet, and protein rich foods when it’s time to safely eat them.

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