Why we need to talk about parenting when we talk about sleep

When I talk about baby or toddler sleep with sleep consultation clients, we always talk about parenting.

While the larger baby sleep industry may want to convince us that the path to rest as a parent is paved with an array of swaddles, self-rocking bassinets, and baby sleep training programs "guaranteed" to make our babies and toddlers not need parental support 12 out of 24 hours of the day, I believe that any approach to baby sleep worth having begins with and fully supports a heart-centered, holistic look at what truly matters to each family.

So, we talk about parenting.

We don't talk quick fixes. We don't talk gadgets. We don't talk training.

We talk parenting. But, what does that mean?

We talk long-view, big-picture family goals. We talk about how to support those goals in the here and now with how we respond to our children day and night.

We work to move away from a child vs. parent approach to sleep, one in which we see children as standing in the way of rest and self-care for the parent. 

We work to see the myriad of possibilities for finding rest, getting self-care, and supporting our children through the phases where they need us intensely day and night.

Because, that's the wonderful, exhausting, bring-you-to-your knees beauty of parenting - it is day and night and forever and for always.

When I offer workshops and work one-on-one with clients, I support my clients' vision for who they want to be as parents and the values that shape their parenting choices. I provide the information they need to make choices that feel authentic to who they are as people and who they hope to be as parents. And, I provide them support such that they feel confident parenting from a place of love rather than fear.

So, yes, we talk sleep. But, we always talk parenting.

Looking to talk parenting and sleep?  Join Nested Mama's next sleep workshop or schedule a one-on-one consultation. Want more on pregnancy, postpartum, and parenting? Connect with Nested Mama on Facebook and Instagram.