Real Family Case Study: Helping 18 month old Anna go from multiple night wakings for a bottle to 12 hours of sleep

When Anna’s parents first contacted me as an Infant & Child Sleep Consultant, Anna had been experiencing disrupted sleep for several months, which had built up to a noticeable sleep debt. Although she was going to bed calmly and settling to sleep fairly easily, she was waking frequently during the night. These night wakings often left her overtired and unsettled—fussy and unsure of what she needed. To help her drift back off, her parents were offering a bottle or using soothing methods like holding or patting before transferring her back to the cot.

Fast forward to now—Anna is no longer taking a bottle during the night and is resettling herself independently. While she’s still taking a little time to settle at bedtime, she’s doing so happily—chatting to herself and eventually nodding off without needing support. So what did we do: 

The Plan

Anna’s parents chose my 2 week support package. I kicked off by analysing the intake form Anna’s parents  filled out and we had our 1-hour in-depth consultation call. After the call, I put together a personalised plan focusing on the following key areas. I was there to guide them and check in with regular support and reassurance over the two weeks.

1. Establishing an Age-Appropriate Schedule and Sleep Cues
   
   

• To help regulate Anna’s body clock and improve her sleep quality, we set a consistent wake-up.

• We looked at her nap timing and noticed it was falling a little too early. Since toddlers have natural sleepy windows we gradually shifted her nap to align with her biological rhythms. This helped promote deeper, more restorative sleep.

• At the start if Anna woke unusually early (before 6:00 AM), we allowed a short morning catnap to help her make it through to her lunchtime nap without becoming overtired.
  
  

2. Bringing Bedtime Forward and Creating a Calming Routine
   
   

• We moved Anna’s bedtime earlier, especially on days where she took a shorter nap or woke from her nap before 2:00 PM. At this age, toddlers can typically manage only 4 hours of awake time after a nap before needing sleep again.

• We also refined her bedtime routine to be calm and predictable, lasting no more than 30 minutes and ideally taking place in her bedroom.
  
  

3. Breaking the Feed-to-Sleep Habit
   
   

• • Anna didn’t fall asleep with the bottle at bedtime, but she had a strong association between feeding and returning to sleep overnight. This meant she often expected a bottle when she woke during the night—even when it wasn’t needed for hunger.

To break this habit, we:

• Moved her final bottle to 20–30 minutes before bedtime, given outside the bedroom
  
  

• Encouraged her to fall asleep independently without feeding
  
  

• Gradually reduced the amount of milk offered during night wakings until it was phased out completely

4. Encouraging Independent Sleep
   
   

Anna relied on her parents to help her fall asleep—whether through rocking, patting, or transferring her already-asleep into the cot. While this worked initially, it was causing repeated wakings overnight when she couldn’t replicate those same conditions herself.

We gently introduced self-soothing strategies, placing her in the cot drowsy but awake, and offered consistent support to help her learn to settle without needing hands-on help each time.

The Outcome

Fast forward to now—Anna is no longer taking a bottle during the night and is resettling herself independently. While she’s still taking a little time to settle at bedtime, she’s doing so happily—chatting to herself and eventually nodding off without needing support.

This case study highlights the importance of an age-appropriate nap and bedtime routine, the impact of avoiding overtiredness, and how breaking sleep associations gently can support your little one’s independent sleep skills.

✨ If you're struggling with your toddler’s sleep and feel like nothing is working, let’s chat. Book a free 15-minute Sleep Assessment Call with me and let’s create a plan that works for your family.

Popular Articles 

• Toddler Sleep Challenges: Overcome Early Rising, Night Wakings & More

• Why Does My Baby Wake Early? Tips to Stop Early Rising and Improve Sleep

CulaBaby Products

CulaBaby Sleep Shade, CulaBaby Silk Pillowcase, CulaBaby Silk Scrunchies