case study: 3 months, waking all night long
3 months, waking all night long
If your baby is waking all night long and reliant on the Snoo to fall asleep THEN Owen’s story is for you.
Keep reading to learn about the reassuring possibilities to transition your baby out of the Snoo, (which they will quickly outgrow) and see the amazing sleep transformation that can occur when consistently following our sleep recommendations.
Owen’s sleep story
Sweet Owen was only 3 months old when his mom Kirstie reached out to us for sleep coaching support. She was desperate for a good night’s sleep and more predictability with his day. Mom thrived on routine and was craving this back in her life.
Up until 3 months, Owen’s sleep had been somewhat predictable and he had even started sleeping 5-7 hours stretches overnight and was down to one overnight feed.
sleep patterns changed at 3 months
Around the time he turned 3 months, his sleep started to shift and his parents found themselves up every 1-2 hours with Owen and resorted to feeding him to get him to fall back asleep. On top of the frequent night wakes, parents had to hold him to get any kind of nap in during the day.
A once easy bedtime had now become tedious taking up to 1 hour to rock Owen to sleep. Each night seemed like a mystery as to when Owen would fully fall asleep at bedtime. The exhausting cycle of rocking and transferring him only to have to do it all over again was leaving Kirstie and her husband feeling emotionally and physically drained.
In addition to struggles to initially fall asleep, Owen also struggled to stay asleep. Parents thought the frequent wake ups would pass within a few nights, but the pattern continued and it now seemed like the only way to get him back to sleep was to feed him.
As a result of the overnight feeds, he was distracted during the day and started to snack and graze. Instead of being hungry in the morning, he would take an ounce or two and wouldn’t take a full feed until after his first nap. Does this sound familiar? This reverse cycling pattern felt never-ending.
Because of his broken overnight sleep and short cat naps he was fussy and tired throughout the day struggling to stay awake between his naps.
Owen’s Mom had tried a few things she had read online such as following wake windows and making his room dark for sleep, but nothing seemed to change. Mom wasn’t sure if his poor sleep was because of the 4 month sleep regression and wondered if it would end on it’s own.
Feeling like the 4 month sleep regression 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
Owen’s grandmother had been following Well Rested Wee Ones on Instagram since Kirstie was pregnant and recommended she schedule a consultation for sleep coaching support. They had seen multiple testimonials and positive stories and were excited to have expert support. Kirstie was ready to make positive changes and knew the positive impact it would have on the whole family.
transition out of the snoo
Our first step was to transition Owen out of the swaddle and the Snoo. With our guidance, Owen weaned from the Snoo and transitioned into his own room & crib. Transitioning out of the Snoo swaddle also meant adjusting to a traditional sleep sack for the safest sleep in his crib as learning to roll was on the horizon. This was just the beginning of setting him up for success with more sleep.
adjustment to his bedtime routine
We then made adjustments to shift his bedtime earlier and how his bedtime routine was structured. Instead of feeding and rocking Owen to sleep our goal was to keep Owen awake during the entire routine and lay him in the crib awake. Using a consistent method at bedtime and overnight, Owen learned to self-soothe and fall asleep independently. No more feeding or rocking to sleep for what seemed like hours every night, all night. His bedtime shifted from 9-10 PM to 7 PM.
weaning overnight feeds improved daytime appetite
Owen was stuck in a reverse cycle feeding pattern overnight. To improve his daytime feeds we weaned his two overnight feeds, which ultimately increased his daytime calories and created less distracted feeds. Frequent wakeups occuring every 2-3 hours turned into 11-12 hours of consolidated sleep within the first week of our 1:1 sleep coaching plan.
from contact to crib naps
The increasing predictability continued when we taught Owen to accept independent naps in his crib. At the start, Owen was not sleeping in his crib during the day. As his overnight sleep improved we were then able to make more adjustments to his daytime schedule to meet age-appropriate needs and coached mom the entire way as we monitored wake windows, sleep cues, total daytime sleep, and nap lengths.
Mom’s testimonial
Mom shares, “My husband and I were a little hesitant to sleep train our 3.5 month old. Our son was hitting the 3-4 month sleep regression and we were desperate for sleep but we were not convinced anything would work. Within days of the 1:1 program, our baby started sleeping through the night, (12 hours) and NO over night feeds. It has been an absolute game changer in all aspects of our lives. Owen is such a happy baby now. In fact he smiles when when we wake him up in the morning. Never thought that would happen. Katy and her team know exactly what they are doing. For anyone that is considering sleep training or need help, Katy is your go to person! I can’t recommend her enough. Thank you thank you!”
If you feel like your baby shares similar sleep patterns to Owen, we are here to reassure you that more predictable sleep is possible!
Sleep resources to help your family
We supported Kirstie’s family 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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