When Freddie’s parents came to me as a Child Sleep Consultant in Ireland , they were utterly exhausted after nine months of broken sleep. They had been facing frequent night wakings, short contact naps, and a strong reliance on the bottle to fall asleep.
At nap time, bedtime, and throughout the night, Freddie needed to be fed to sleep, and when he woke overnight, he couldn’t resettle without it. On top of that, he depended on his parents' presence to fall asleep, often needing to be rocked, held, or co-sleeping—reinforcing a cycle where he expected the same comfort every time he stirred.
His parents knew he wasn’t getting the restful, independent sleep he needed, and they were running on empty trying to support him. They reached out for help, ready to make changes that would benefit both Freddie and their whole family.
To help Freddie develop healthy sleep habits and learn to sleep independently, we focused on the following strategies:
✔ Establish an Age-Appropriate Sleep Schedule
Set a consistent wake-up time , even on weekends, to regulate his body clock.
Implement a structured nap schedule, aiming for two naps per day totalling around three hours to prevent overtiredness always aligning with natural sleep rhythms.
✔ Create a Calming Bedtime Routine
We moved the entire bedtime routine into his bedroom, reinforcing the sleep environment.
Eliminated screens 1.5 hours before bed to prevent melatonin suppression and overstimulation.
Aimed for a bedtime no later than 7:00 PM to align with his sleep needs, adjusting earlier when necessary.
✔ Break the Feed-to-Sleep Association
We shifted the final bottle to 30-40 minutes before bedtime and outside his room to separate feeding from sleep.
Since he no longer needed night feeds for nutritional reasons, we phased out overnight bottles to help him learn to resettle independently.
✔ Encourage Independent Sleep
Introduced gentle self-soothing techniques to teach him how to fall asleep without being rocked or held.
Limited soother use to naps and bedtime only, placing multiple soothers in his cot so he could find one on his own instead of relying on his parents.
Through these gradual changes, Freddie is now on an age-appropriate schedule, and his naps are becoming more consistent. He has learned to fall asleep independently, without relying on the bottle or his parents' presence, and can resettle himself when he wakes overnight—a huge milestone!
Now, Freddie is settling easily at bedtime, getting 11–12 hours of sleep each night, and waking up rested and refreshed. His parents finally feel like they have their evenings and sleep back, and most importantly, Freddie is thriving with the quality sleep he needs.
This family went with my 2 week support package as after our initial call we felt that this would be the best package for their needs.
If you can relate to this story and are struggling with your little one’s sleep, why not book a free 15-minute sleep assessment call with me to see how I can help?
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