Babies Don't Learn in a Linear Pattern
“My baby slept so great two nights ago but last night was awful! What did I do wrong?!” I have good news for you: you did nothing wrong and your baby is totally normal.
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
Have you ever watched a baby learn how to walk?
When my first baby took her first steps, I was SO proud. I was also SO sure she’d be fully walking by the end of the week. Boy, was I wrong!
As I watched my baby learn this new skill, I watched her take 6-7 steps one day, 0 the next day, 1-2 the day after that, and maybe 8-9 the day after that. This process continued for a couple of weeks until she was finally comfortable enough to fully walk instead of crawl.
What does this have to do with sleep?
SLEEP IS A SKILL THAT TAKES TIME TO LEARN.
Just like rolling over, sitting up independently, crawling and walking, it is a process. It takes practice, consistency, victories, set backs and then some more practice.
The Learning Curve for Sleep
Babies do not learn in a perfect linear pattern. Their learning curve goes up, then down, then maybe up and up, then maybe down and down again. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
However, if you create a chart and watch their progress over a couple of weeks, you will see that their pattern is likely at an overall incline. It’s actually amazing and exciting to see. I highly recommend tracking for a few weeks to visually see the progress!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
So if your baby had an amazing night and then a rough night, don’t lose hope! Don’t give up. Be consistent. Keep going. The “setbacks” are part of the journey! ⠀⠀⠀
And you can rest assured knowing that your baby is normal and developing perfectly.