A Little Something That Helped Us With Baby Sleep

How Taking Cara Babies helped me understand newborn sleep—and slowly build the foundations for an independent sleeper.

Before having a baby, I knew newborns didn’t sleep much. What I didn’t realize was how much I wouldn’t know about how babies sleep.

When my daughter was first born, I remember listening to the Taking Cara Babies videos whenever I had a quiet moment—while feeding her, folding laundry, or just trying to figure out what we were supposed to be doing next.

What I loved most was that it didn’t feel like we were “sleep training” our tiny newborn. It was more about understanding the little things we could start doing from the beginning to support healthy sleep over time.

Learning her sleepy cues. Understanding wake windows. Creating simple routines. Giving her opportunities to fall asleep on her own when it made sense, while also knowing that sometimes she simply needed to be held, fed, or comforted.

Here are a few simple ideas I remember coming back to again and again:

• Pay attention to sleepy cues. Instead of waiting until she was completely exhausted, I started learning the little signs that she was getting tired and trying to get ahead of overtiredness.

• Learn about wake windows. I had no idea how little time newborns could comfortably stay awake. Having a general idea of how long she had been up helped me understand when it might be time for another nap.

• Create little sleep cues. A dark room, sound machine, swaddle and a simple routine started to become familiar signals that it was time to sleep.

• Practice without expecting perfection. When she was fed, changed and content, sometimes we would give her a chance to settle in her bassinet rather than always getting her completely asleep first. And sometimes she needed us—and that was okay too.

• Don't let one bad nap ruin the day. Baby sleep changes constantly. Some days things worked beautifully and other days they didn't. Having a loose framework helped me without making every nap feel like a test.

There wasn’t one magical night when everything suddenly clicked. We just slowly started incorporating what we were learning. And looking back, I really do think those little habits made a difference.

Our daughter became a wonderful sleeper, but more importantly, I felt like I understood her sleep better. Instead of constantly wondering What am I supposed to do? Of course, every baby is different, and sleep is certainly not something we can control perfectly. There were regressions, sickness, travel, developmental changes—and plenty of nights when the normal routine went out the window. But Taking Cara Babies was one of those resources I was genuinely grateful to have during the newborn stage, and it's something I would use again with another baby.

If you're expecting or currently somewhere in those very sleepy newborn days, you can explore Taking Cara Babies and see whether the approach feels right for your family. Their newborn resources are designed for babies in the first months of life and focus on establishing sleep foundations rather than formal sleep training.

PLM Readers you can sign up HERE

This link is an affiliate link, which means Pour Les Mères may earn a commission if you make a purchase through it, at no additional cost to you. This is something I personally used with my daughter and would recommend regardless.

For the mothers trying to figure out sleep one nap at a time—you’re doing just fine.

With love - Julie.

###

enter here