Of course, these things will not be achievable all the time and sometimes you’re just over it and are dreading sleep time. I hear you, this season is hard and it’s not a simple case of just embracing it and cherishing every moment.
If you can, tap out when you need to. Sometimes babes are going through something and getting them to sleep is hard. Milestones and leaps often mean the usual ways don’t work so well.
If you have a partner, or another person who can step in and help, let them so that your frustration levels stay manageable and to help reduce your feelings of being touched out.
Reach out when you need support. Maybe you can text a friend while your little one is sleeping and vent about how things are going. Maybe you can find a supportive online group who you can share your experience with, where you will be heard and not offered “solutions”. Maybe it’s reaching out to a therapist for your mental health. Maybe your partner can do naps on the weekend so you can go for a walk, or maybe it’s having Grandma watch the littles so you can have time with your partner. Maybe you need some sleep support because things are beyond “just a stage” and things aren’t working anymore and you’re ready to respectfully make some changes so that sleepy time isn’t a battlefield.
You’re doing an amazing job. You are enough. You are worthy. Breathe mama. Follow your heart. And breathe again.
Sarah is a Baby-Led Sleep and Well-Being Specialist and the founder of Blossom and Snooze, supporting parents of babies and toddlers to get more sleep, holistically and without sleep training. Her focus is on attachment and the relationship between parent and child. The approach of her work is based on biologically normal infant sleep and provides sleep solutions which are developmentally appropriate and individually tailored to each unique baby and family. Sarah is an Australian mum, providing virtual consults to families worldwide. You can find her on Instagram @blossomandsnooze and you can book 1:1 support on her website.
