11 month old with frequent night wakes

11 month old with frequent night wakes

Learn how we supported Henry, an 11 month old with frequent night wakes, and his family with 1:1 sleep coaching and see the amazing sleep transformation that can occur when consistently following our sleep recommendations. 

If your baby is over 6 months old and still waking frequently overnight, THEN Henry’s story is for you.

henry’s sleep story

Sweet Henry was 11 months old when his mom Lauren reached out for sleep coaching support. She was exhausted from not having more than a 3 hour stretch of sleep in over 10 months.

Mom started by sharing “he falls asleep quickly at bedtime BUT then is up at 8 pm, 9-10 pm, 12-feed, 3a, 545-6a up for the day.”

If you do the math- they were awake more than asleep during the night trying to support 11 month old Henry back to sleep and everyone was tired. Lauren’s number one goal was to decrease the night wakings while still supporting Henry throughout the process. 

She was desperate for a good night’s sleep and more predictability with his daytime schedule. Mom thrived on routine and was craving this back in her life.

sleep patterns were not improving on their own

Around the time he turned 6 months, Mom was sure that Henry’s sleep would start to improve on its own. He was eating well during the day and was taking great naps. Parents had worked hard on establishing a consistent sleep routine, but Henry continued to wake frequently overnight.

Over time Mom noticed that because of Henry’s broken overnight sleep he was fussy and tired throughout the day struggling to stay awake between his naps.

Henry’s Mom had tried a few things she had read online such as following wake windows and making his room dark for sleep and, but nothing seemed to change. Mom wasn’t sure if his poor sleep was because of a sleep regression and wondered if it would ever end on its own.

Feeling like you’re in a sleep regression that will never end? We can help you get through it! Say “Yes!” to better sleep with our 1:1 support plans and courses.

Time to make a change to sleep patterns

The level of support, guidance, and reassurance given during sleep training can look different depending on the method that is selected.

For Henry’s family, this meant they wanted to be in the room while Henry was learning this new hard skill. When mom communicated her intentions with us to “keep the strong connection with mom and baby ensuring Henry still feels supported if he wakes and not all alone”, we knew just the method for their family. 

When working with us in a 1:1 plan, we will listen to your goals, ask about your tolerance to protest and crying as well as identify how baby’s temperament might respond to the different approaches we use. Parents need to feel confident with the chosen method because it needs to be implemented with consistency in order for it to work! 

removing parental led sleep associations

Henry was reliant on both rocking and nursing to fall asleep. Mom had to do both of these things at bedtime, anytime he woke up overnight, and for naps to get him to fall asleep.

We knew these associations had contributed to habitual waking overnight and were the main reason Henry was waking overnight and that removing them would help Henry learn to fall asleep independently and self soothe in the middle of the night.

We also knew there would be protest involved when we removed these parental led sleep associations on night 1.

Using the chair method allowed Mom to stay near Henry’s crib as he worked through falling asleep independently on night 1. She was able to give the level of support she felt comfortable with during the process without using a previous sleep association.

Is your baby reliant on feeding, rocking, or holding to fall asleep? Learn more about what parental led sleep associations are and why we recommend teaching your baby to fall asleep independently HERE.

adjustment to his bedtime routine

Within a few nights, Henry started to adapt to the new sleep routines and we noticed a significant reduction in protest at bedtime & each overnight waking.

Mom would enter the room if necessary and provide verbal reassurance to Henry while sitting in a chair until Henry was back to sleep. Henry fell asleep within 30-40 minutes on the first night and by night 5 was falling asleep in just a few minutes.

Every few nights, mom started to space out her check-ins as Henry’s overnight wakings improved and mom was more comfortable with Henry’s ability to fall back asleep.

It was an exciting milestone to celebrate when she was only providing reassurance from the doorway. This gradual approach usually takes more time to see initial progress but allows the parent to feel more involved.

weaning overnight feeds improved daytime appetite

Henry also weaned 1-2 overnight feeds during the coaching support. Mom noticed multiple positive benefits from removing the overnight feeds. By getting more consolidated sleep his mood improved. He was happier during his wake windows and could stay awake for an entire wake window without getting fussy and overly tired. Additionally, his daytime appetite increased! 

If your baby is feeding multiple times overnight and is snacking and grazing during the day they may be reverse cycle feeding. Learn more HERE!

Mom’s testimonial

Mom shares, “Well Rested Wee Ones is an absolute lifesaver! As a mom of an 11-month-old who was waking up multiple times a night, I was exhausted and desperate for help. From the moment we started working with Katy & team, I felt an immediate sense of relief. They took the time to understand our specific situation and tailored a sleep plan that worked perfectly for our family.

Within just a few days, we saw a remarkable improvement. My little one now sleeps a full 12 hours straight every night, and even slept through 4th of July fireworks! I never thought this would be possible, and it’s all thanks to Katy’s expert guidance and support. The team was always available to answer my questions and provide encouragement, making the whole process feel manageable and stress-free.

If you’re struggling with sleep issues, I highly recommend reaching out to Well Rested Wee Ones. They truly work magic and have given us the gift of restful nights. Thank you, Katy + team!”

If you feel like your baby shares similar sleep patterns to Henry, we are here to reassure you that more predictable sleep is possible!

Sleep resources to help your family

We supported Lauren and Henry with our 1:1 Ultimate sleep plan. We provide a personalized sleep plan, track feeds and sleep in an app that we monitor daily, and provide daily email check ins for support, guidance, and accountability. 1:1 personalized sleep coaching is available to families worldwide starting at 3 months of age up to 4 years!

Looking for a customizable and self paced approach? The Well Rested Course will walk you step-by-step through a completely customizable sleep training experience. The Well Rested course includes my expert methods and tips that I have used with 1:1 coaching over the past 5 years but allows you to take it at your own pace. A step by step approach to teach your baby to fall asleep independently, wean overnight breast and bottle feeds, sleep 11-12 hours overnight, AND you’ll have a plan to navigate any future regressions or bumps in your journey. I’ll also help you set up a daytime routine and nap schedule that fits your family’s lifestyle and values. And you’ll get age-specific guidance to meet your baby right where he or she is developmentally at every stage from now until your baby turns 2.

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