The advice that changed how I think about baby sleep

Why trusting yourself might be one of the best things you can do as a new parent.

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A space to feel confident that you’re doing a great job. You will start trusting your own gut instead of second-guessing yourself. We are just here to share some good ideas and things to think about—we will never tell you what you should do. Every baby, mum, and family is completely unique, and you don't have to follow every single piece of advice to get this right.

Hey there,

When I was pregnant, I remember thinking that once my daughter was born, the hard part would be over.

I had spent months preparing for birth. To be honest, I was terrified of giving birth for most of my life, and learning more about what was actually happening in my body completely changed how I felt about it.

What I didn't expect was that once she arrived, a whole new set of questions would begin.

Suddenly everyone seemed to have advice.

One person told me to wake her.

Another said never wake a sleeping baby.

One article said routines should start immediately. Another said to just follow my baby's lead.

I wasn't looking for someone to tell me there was one right answer.

I just wanted to understand what was normal.

That's one of the reasons I loved our first podcast episode Baby Sleep: What Actually Works with Lauren Weber. Instead of telling parents exactly what they should do, she kept coming back to something much more reassuring: understand what's happening, learn enough to make informed decisions, and then trust yourself. I think that's something every new parent needs to hear.

3 ideas from Lauren Weber that completely changed how I think about baby sleep

1. Don't force your baby into someone else's schedule.

Lauren explains that babies are different, just like adults are. Instead of trying to make your baby fit an online schedule, she encourages parents to observe their own baby's natural rhythm and tired cues. If following wake windows is creating more stress than calm, it might be time to let them go.

2. Sometimes the "problem" isn't sleep.

One point I found especially interesting was Lauren's reminder that frequent waking isn't always a sleep issue.

If your baby is waking every hour for more than a couple of weeks, it can be worth looking beyond sleep itself.

She mentions things like:

feeding difficulties
gas or discomfort
eczema
teething
mouth breathing or snoring
low ferritin

Sometimes your baby's sleep is simply communicating that something else needs attention.

3. One sentence I'll keep coming back to.

One of Lauren's biggest messages was that parents don't need to consume every book, article or opinion they can find. Learn what you need for the decision in front of you, then trust yourself. After all, as she says:

"You are the expert on your baby."

One of the reasons we created The Tiny Big Joys is because we don't believe there's one perfect way to parent.

We believe parents deserve trustworthy information, different perspectives and the confidence to make decisions that feel right for their own family.

If you haven't listened to the full conversation with Lauren yet, you can find it here

With warmth,

The Tiny Big Joys Team

Paula & the team

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Baby Sleep: What Actually Wo...

May 5 · The Tiny Big Joys