Why I chose to Sleep Train my Baby

sleepyheads / Aug 12, 2025

I still remember the day I brought my first born home. I was exhausted, but I told myself that was normal. After all, I was a mother now—and motherhood, I believed, came with a kind of magical resilience. I thought babies instinctively knew how to breastfeed. I thought they knew how to sleep. I thought I’d know how to mother.

And boy was I wrong!

Breastfeeding was a struggle. Sleep was nonexistent. And I was drowning in exhaustion. I felt drained, defeated, and—if I’m being honest—like a failure. I had this unspoken belief that mothers were supposed to be able to power through sleep deprivation. That it was part of the job description. That I’d somehow grow superhuman strength the moment I held my baby in my arms.

But I didn’t. I was just me. Tired, confused and still recovering from the 9 months.

With the exception of one person, no one I knew had ever spoken about motherhood being hard. Everyone made it look effortless. So, I kept thinking my struggle was a personal flaw. I didn’t want to admit that I was losing myself in the fog of sleepless nights and endless feeding sessions.

Until one day, I decided I didn’t want motherhood to break me, and that in order to be the best mother that I could be, I needed to sleep. I did the only thing I could in the tiny slivers of time I had—15-minute increments, to be exact, because that’s how long my baby napped. I started researching. I started reading. I started asking for help.

And that’s when I found The Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg.

It was a lifeline. It gave me language for what I was experiencing. It was the first time I was introduced to Baby Sleep Training. It gave me tools. Slowly, I began to understand baby sleep. I began to see patterns. I began to feel like I could regain some control, or normalcy in the whirlwind of being a new mom.

But more importantly, I began to realize that I wasn’t broken. I was just a mother trying to survive in a culture that glorifies mothers breaking rest.

We celebrate the sleepless nights. We wear exhaustion like a badge of honor. We whisper “supermom” to the ones who never stop, never sleep, never ask for help. But here’s what I want every mother to know:

You don’t have to break rest to be a good mom.

You don’t have to suffer to prove your love.

You don’t have to do it all alone.

If you’re in the thick of it right now, feeling like you’re failing—please know you’re not. You’re doing something extraordinary. And you don’t have to do it perfectly.

Also remember that there is more than one right way of parenting. What may have worked for someone else, will not necessarily work for you, and that is ok, that’s the beauty of parenting. Do what is right for you, your baby and your family. Sleep train or don’t, breastfeed or formula feed, co-sleep or put your baby in the cot. Do what is right for you, and don’t be afraid to take that stand.

If you do choose to sleep train your baby and need help to do so, I’m right here, waiting to help, click to see more information. Baby Sleep Consultation – Sleepyheads