I often see smart thoughtful parents getting tripped up by the same stumbles time and again. These sleep myths or pervasive beliefs, for lack of a better word, that push parents to do things that are at times unhelpful or even self-sabotaging. Or they over-complicate something which, let’s be honest, is already plenty complicated.
And these come up constantly.
I’m not sure where these sleep myths come from but they float around like a persistent moth trying to land in your soup. Some are contrary to biology. Some encourage you to worry about things that aren’t worth worrying about. And some propose to solve problems while actually creating different problems.
This podcast is longer than most, clocking in at a hearty 48 minutes, but it’s worth it. In this episode we’ll break down the following pervasive beliefs, along with analysis and recommendations of what you should do instead:
7 Baby Sleep Myths

* The solution to all your night woes is to cap naps.
* Your child is waking at night because they’re overtired, move bedtime earlier.
* Naps will improve you use somebody else’s sleep schedule.
* A By the Clock (BTC) sleep schedule will fix it.
* Everything would be fine if you militantly wake up at the same time each day.
* Your child isn’t sleeping because the crib is uncomfortable.
* The Dr. Jay Gordon method will fix everything.

As mentioned in the podcast, there is a wide range of normal answers to the question, “How much sleep does my child need?” I pulled together this handy visual from the National Sleep Foundation’s findings.

Additional Reading
Total baby sleep duration ranges
Suggested wake times
Normal baby and toddler sleep durations
Why baby hates the crib
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