A practical guide to teaching your baby to sleep, from certified infant and toddler sleep consultant Cara Walker of Well Rested Mama
Get the guide — from $27If your nights right now include a tiny terrorist who feeds every two hours, a little cutie who kicks you all night long, or an alarm clock that shows up at 4:30 a.m. whether you set it or not, I wrote this guide for you.
I’m Cara. I’m a former elementary school teacher, a mom, the founder of Well Rested Mama, and the host of the Unswaddled podcast. When I sleep trained my oldest, I had no guide and no coach. I started with naps, let him scream until the time was up, and basically did the whole thing backwards. It worked, but it was not pretty. He’s 11 now, he gets straight A’s, and he still snuggles me every chance he gets. So no, you are not going to ruin your baby. You can just do it a lot smarter than I did, and this guide shows you how.
And before Karen from book club shows up in your comments: sleep training doesn’t change how much your baby needs you, wants you, or loves you. We’re teaching your baby something new, which is how to fall asleep in the room you spent your whole pregnancy decorating, so you can sleep in yours. Alone.
Let’s talk about it.
I’m not going to sell you a version of sleep training where nobody cries, because that version doesn’t exist. Anyone promising you one is selling you something that won’t work. When you change the way your baby falls asleep, they’re going to tell you they don’t like it, and crying is how they tell you.
That crying isn’t a sign that you’re failing to meet their needs. It’s a sign that you’ve stopped doing what they want. The rocking, the nursing to sleep, the bouncing on the yoga ball at 2 a.m. are sleep crutches, and crutches are wants. Your baby is fed, safe, warm, and loved, and their needs are covered. What they’re protesting is the change.
Your baby will also always know you’re there. Every check-in teaches them that you’ll come when they need you, even when you aren’t picking them up, feeding them, or holding them until they drift off. That trust is the whole point.
And I’ll be honest with you: this is harder for you than it is for them. You’re the one standing in the hallway staring at the timer. They’re the one who’ll be sleeping through the night soon enough.
Hang in there.
Why prioritizing sleep isn’t selfish. When your baby sleeps well, their body shifts out of fight-or-flight and into the state that handles rest, digestion, and growth. You came here because you’re tired, but your little one gets even more out of this than you do. You’ll also learn what sleep training actually is, and why it’s nothing like our parents closing the door and coming back at sunrise.
Your baby isn’t a “bad baby,” and your friend Allison didn’t get a “good” one. You’ll see how a rough day turns into a rough night, why the “witching hour” isn’t something you just have to live with, and the three things almost every fussy baby actually is: tired, overstimulated, and probably hungry.
The four things that matter in your baby’s sleep space, including my hand-in-front-of-your-face darkness test and the exact thermostat range. You’ll also learn why the “sleeps anywhere” newborn phase ends around 7 to 8 weeks. And relax, your baby will still nap in the car and the stroller.
The pediatrician visit that changed everything with my first baby, and how to tell whether your baby is eating or just snacking. You’ll get what a full feed looks like at each stage, how to space feeds out 15 to 30 minutes at a time if you can’t do it cold turkey, and my Milk Guide broken down by age. Breast or bottle doesn’t matter here.
The question I get more than any other is “Are we going to be tied to the house forever?” The answer is no. You’ll get the morning routine that tells your baby the day has started, and my most important daytime rule: you keep helping your baby nap exactly the way you do now. If they nap in your bed or you drive them around town for two hours, keep doing that. We only change the timing.
A minute-by-minute breakdown of the baby sleep cycle. You’ll learn the 10-minute window when you can transfer without waking them, and why waking up somewhere new makes them lose their tiny little marbles. (You’d lose it too if you fell asleep in your bed and woke up on your neighbor’s couch.)
Wake windows by age, from newborn all the way to 4 years old. You’ll also learn what the internet and the Huckleberry app won’t tell you: using the same wake window all day long is doing it wrong. You’ll get the rule for when a nap counts as restorative, what to do when one gets cut short, a step-by-step flowchart for a 4-month-old’s day, and goal schedules from 4 months to 4 years. If you weren’t in Math All-Stars, don’t panic, because I did the math for you.
I was sure Carter hated the bath, until I figured out I was putting him in cold water every single night. You’ll get the swaddle bathing instructions Jeff’s aunt mailed to me, including the exact water temperature and the one thing you always save for last.
The full sleep training method, step by step. You’ll learn what a “level 10 cry” actually sounds like, how long to wait before a check-in at your baby’s age, and what to do once you’re in the room (spoiler: you don’t pick them up). Each check-in shows your baby that you’re still there, even when they can’t see you, feel you, or touch you. You’ll also get how to soothe a baby who’s flat on their back, and how to sleep train when your baby shares your room.
The tough-love chapter, and the one I’d want you to reread at 9 p.m. on night one. Your baby is learning something new, and nobody learns something new without a fight. My husband taught our kids to ride bikes and swim with such consistency that they cried every day at 5 PM when they heard the garage door open. Now they love both. This is harder for you than it is for them, and sleep is a lot faster than swim lessons.
Your little one is going to cry, and you need to go in knowing that and ready to make the change anyway. You’ll learn what night one really looks like, why the crying gets shorter and your baby calms faster every night after, and exactly what to do when your baby gets worse during a check-in, won’t come down from a 10, calms down and then ramps right back up, or has a false start after bedtime.
Nap training, once you’ve earned it. You’ll learn the two boxes you need to check before you start, how long it realistically takes, and my full permission to skip it if you don’t want to do it.
Road trips, flights, weddings, and birthday parties. You’ll learn how to protect naps and feeds on the go, and how to take the baby from Aunt Allison for nap time with a smile, without leaving any room for her advice.
How to keep healthy sleep habits going through colds, teething, and whatever “leap” the internet says your baby is in this week. You’ll also get how to time medications around sleep, and my syringe trick for nighttime doses that won’t undo everything you’ve worked for.
With the video courseLook for the “Let’s chat” bubbles throughout the guide. Click any of them and you’ll hear me talk you through that section, like I’m sitting on your couch with you (minus the Rock ‘n Play).
This guide is for parents who are done with “just survive it.” It’s for you if:
Whatever your reason, it’s valid.
Here’s what parents had to say after their own sleep training journey with Well Rested Mama.
“I cannot thank the Well Rested Mama team enough!!! I was drowning with my 4 month old who would only sleep at night if she was actively nursing. I am a new person and an even better mom.”— Well Rested Mama client
“We struggled with our twins for the better part of a year with repeated night awakenings. Nothing that we tried seemed to work. We reached out to Cara and she created a specific plan based on their sleep needs. All aspects of the plan were laid out in detail, and she was there to guide us through it all. After 3 nights we couldn’t believe the difference we were seeing! Both kids were sleeping through the night! We are so thankful for the reassurance and guidance provided by Cara.”— Leigh H.
“We had a great experience, our two-year-old was putting herself to sleep by night 2 without tears. The first night she was a little emotional but I didn’t have to leave her alone more than 3 minutes and she didn’t cry herself to sleep when she realized I was still in the other room close by. My husband and I tried to do it ourselves but having the support, commitment and be told the best times to put her down for the night based on her nap is what helped!”— Destinee R. · 2-year-old
“I went from sleeping 3 hours a night to 9 hours a night!!!! For two weeks straight my 10 month old was experiencing “split nights” and it was tough on both of us. I reached out to Cara and it only took a few nights of gentle sleep training to help my baby sleep 12 hours a night! I went from feeding/rocking her to sleep every night to her putting herself to sleep. We are now doing nap training and it’s going great. I’d highly recommend Well Rested Mama! Thank you, Cara & Jenna!”— Madison C. · 10-month-old
“We hired Cara and Jenna when our son was just 4 months old. At the time, he was waking frequently at night and relied on his pacifier to fall back asleep. Once we implemented the sleep training routine they designed, it only took two nights for him to start sleeping 12 hours straight! That kind of transformation wouldn’t have been possible without their expert guidance.— Taylor H. · 4-month-old
The personalized resources, tools, and unwavering support they provided were truly top-notch. Thanks to Cara and Jenna, we now feel incredibly confident in our son’s future sleep success.”
“I definitely never thought I would opt for sleep training strategies, but when my son turned one year old and none of us were sleeping through the night, I knew we needed intervention and strategies. Cara and her team carefully crafted a personalized, detailed plan to help my husband and I get on the same page and help our little one sleep through the night. My son would wake up one to two times a night and be up for 1-2 hours at a time. He also could not go to sleep without the bottle. By night two using Well Rested Mama’s plan, my son slept 11.5 hours, without the bottle and since then has slept through the night or been able to go back to sleep if he wakes up. If you’re reading this review and made it this far, just book it! You won’t regret it!”— Karci B. · 1-year-old
“I’d pay 3x what I did to get the quality sleep we are getting now! She was professional and prompt with communication to coach me through minor changes. Within 3 nights we had major changes, then in about 1 week we were getting 2 hour naps and 12 hours at night for our 22 month old. Our family dynamic is much more calm around sleep times and our little one is much happier with quality sleep.”— Rebecca P. · 22-month-old
You’ve enjoyed them, and you’ve soaked it all in. Now it’s time to get your quiet evenings back, put the coffee down, and maybe pour that glass of Pinot you keep not getting to finish.
E-book only
Just $10 more than the e-book alone
