How to Get My Baby to Sleep
My daughter was born early and struggled to gain weight. I was breastfeeding around the clock to help her gain. I was lucky to get 4 consecutive hours of sleep in a day. I can still remember being unshowered and barely dressed, begging this tiny 5 lbs person to just stop crying. My dachshund mix was always around to give judgy looks at 3 am because dachshunds hate being up past their bedtime. I was beyond exhausted.
The other moms in my life were right. The days were long but the months moved fast. After 3 months, she started to gain weight. There are no more mother/baby crying sessions in the middle of night. I will never take sleep for granted again.
Toddler FOMO
I thought I was in the sandman’s good graces when my baby started sleeping through the night. The first time I got to sleep 8 hours in the row felt like heaven. I woke up a brand new person.
My daughter, Z, is a happy toddler. She so happy that she fears that she might miss out on the fun if she closes her eyes. So every nap and bedtime started to feel like a battle.
I asked the pediatrician, searched online and talked to parents in my community how to solve this new sleep issue. But like everything else in parenthood what works for one family, might not work for yours.
The cry it out method was the most suggested by older adults. My daughter screamed until she threw up in her crib. This method turned an bedtime into a 4 hour ordeal. I couldn’t mentally keep doing it.
Run her energy out was suggested as well. Toddlers have secret reserve of energy they tap into. She could play all day with her cousin with barely a nap and still not want to sleep at night.
The bedtime routine method was suggested a lot. I was already doing it and it didn’t help to actually make her close her eyes. We still have a routine we do everyday but it doesn’t ensure that she will be asleep by bedtime.
Reiki
I found secret weapon against toddler FOMO, it’s energy work. Our bedtime routine now includes reiki. Once the energy starts to flow she’s asleep within 20 mins.
Reiki is a soothing energy practice that can be deeply relaxing and promotes overall well being. There is no side effects or contraindications to receive this energy.
I’ve been practicing this energy work for almost 10 years and teaching reiki for 6 years. It was a natural transition to start incorporating it into my parenting style.
How does it work
Either while holding her or standing next to her crib I start channeling the positive energy. When she feels it, her breath deepens and she will stop babbling. Slowly her blinks get longer and eyes look heavy. And then she’s peacefully sleeping like an angel.
There is a combination of things that make this work. First, reiki helps calm the nervous system and relaxes the body. Second, my breathing and heart rate relax while I focus on the energy. Babies always feel when their parent is worked up. They are still deeply intuitive and strongly connected to the energy around them.
Reiki and your family
There are ways to get energy work for your family. You can book an appointment with a family/kid friendly practitioner like me. I currently do remote sessions, I send the reiki from my office to your house like energetic phone call.
The other options is to take a reiki 1 course. I like this option, because you can give your family this gift at any time of the day or night. But this is not the best fit for everyone.
To learn more about reiki read FAQs about Reiki
To book an appointment for you or your child
I am thrilled to have this tool in my parenting tool belt. Reiki turned bedtimes from a battle to a meditation session. Now we all get peaceful sleep and wake up feeling great everyday.