How to Fix a Sleep Schedule When Baby is Sick

How to Fix a Sleep Schedule When Baby is Sick

Do Not Give In To Offering Sleep Props

Second, do NOT give in to the temptation to start offering any sleep props or baby sleep aids that you might have recently  taken away. A sleep prop is anything a baby uses to help him or her drift off to sleep- for example, the bottle, a pacifier, a mountain of toys, etc. I know it’s tough, because obviously you want to offer them any kind of comfort you can while they’re feeling miserable, but you really don’t want to reintroduce those things they were dependent on prior to starting sleep training. It can be really confusing and is often even more difficult to break the association the second time around. 

How to Soothe Your Sick Baby

Offer As Much Comfort As Needed

Now, let me just point out that I’m not saying that you can’t offer more night time comfort to your baby  while they’re sick. On the contrary, I completely recommend it. You should absolutely feel free to go in and  check on them more often, take care of any needs they might have, and even give them a little cuddle or a  rocking session in order to comfort them. 

Just be vigilant and be sure to put them back into bed before they fall back to sleep. Otherwise, you run the risk of them developing those associations where falling asleep requires a rocking session or a cuddle, and then you’re back to square one. 

You may notice a slight sleep regression when the illness has passed, but not to worry. Your baby has learned some great sleep skills at this point and will probably only need a slight reminder of how things go before they’ll be back into their routine and sleeping soundly through the night again. Just get back to the program, reintroduce the old bedtime routine, and you’ll be seeing those same wonderful results in no time.

Blog Contributor: Holly Bollinger and Founder of Bollinger Sleep Consulting

Holly spent more than five years in the classroom helping children and their families. Then her son was born and he did not sleep! Sure, there were books about sleep on the market but they didn’t connect to her life, with her son. Then, she found the Sleep Sense program. Not only did she have a book for personal reference, she had access to a consultant to help her walk through her family’s sleep journey. Soon enough, her babe was sleeping through the night. She was a healthier, happier mom and he was a healthier, happier baby. Her life and outlook on parenting changed forever. Being a Certified Pediatric Sleep Sense Consultant is something she is honored and proud to do. Being a Parent is the hardest, best experience of her life. Being an educator gives her purpose and confidence. Sleep Sense is both. Have the confidence to help your family sleep!