This is something everyone is worried about, obviously – it’s normal and natural in a loving environment. But it is also true that introducing healthy sleep habits in a loving environment will not harm the bond you have.
There might be tears, because there will be change. And overtiredness is not helping here, as I am sure you already know! Overtired crying is so hard, but sleeplessness is even harder. Crying while learning independent sleep skills is only a short term stress, while sleep deprivation (for both kids and parents) is a chronic stress.
By putting all the elements of healthy sleep foundations in place, we know that we’re doing our best to make the process as easy as possible for our kids. It is also so much easier to make changes when we learn that sleep – while being a source of big emotions – is also first of all both logical and biological. Understanding how it works (and why it doesn’t work!) helps so much to stay calm, confident and consistent.
Asking our kids to separate from us during the night (when it’s age-appropriate) is a big ask, even when we know for sure it’s going to benefit everyone and transform our family life. That’s why we want to equip our children with tools, skills and confidence, built gradually with the support of a confident parent. This is where I can help.