The saying “never wake a sleeping baby” has largely been debunked. In its place, sleep experts recommend that parents establish healthy daytime sleep routines to help children consolidate their sleep at night.
During sleep, the brain is hard at work–supporting rapid development, consolidating learning, forming memories, and strengthening neural connections. Sleep also plays a vital role in language development, motor skills, emotional regulation, physical growth, and immune system repair. So uninterrupted sleep is especially beneficial.
Knowing all of this can be overwhelming to parents who struggle to get their babies and toddlers to fall asleep–and stay asleep. That’s why more families are turning to certified sleep consultants like Michelle Read, of Buda. Her company, Michelle Read Sleep Solutions, works with parents of newborns through 4 years old to teach their little ones how to put themselves to sleep without using a cry-it-out method.
“Sometimes you need to wake a sleeping baby,” says Michelle, who has been training parents in the Austin area and beyond since 2022. One reason to wake them up is to keep a set feeding schedule. Adequate daytime calories help babies consolidate their nighttime sleep more quickly.
If a child falls asleep by feeding, rocking, holding hands, or other forms of assistance, they will rely on those same sleep props each time they transition between sleep cycles.
“Most of the time, a baby wants to be asleep – they just don’t yet know how to get there on their own,” Michelle says. “There are so many little things that mom and dads can do from day one – simple habits that help your baby sleep well.”
Michelle, who also works as a night nanny, says that parents who follow her program usually see noticeable improvement in 3-4 days – including fewer nighttime wake ups.
If only she knew 40 years ago what she knows now. (Her baby boys are 37 and 39-years old.) “I remember holding the pacifier in my son’s mouth over the crib, praying he would just go back to sleep. With my first one, I just fed him when he cried. It’s a wonder he didn’t pop.”
Although the industry is filled with online advice, sleep training remains largely unregulated. Michelle, who was a teacher and a nanny, is certified through the Sleep Sense™ Program, developed by Dana Obleman. Obleman was dubbed “the Baby Sleep Boss” by Good Morning America because the program has a 98 percent success rate.
Michelle’s process begins with a detailed questionnaire about sleep habits, daily routine, and the family’s sleep goals. From there, she creates a fully customized sleep plan and walks parents through it step by step. Parents receive ongoing support through text messages and regular check-in calls to help them stay consistent and confident throughout the process. Consistency is key, so working with a sleep consultant allows the process to be fine-tuned with small changes as needed.
“I give moms and dads tools so that babies can learn,” she says. Her goal is to empower parents to have enough confidence in their abilities so that they can answer their own questions.
Turns out sleeping like a baby really is a skill you can teach.