Are sleep associations bad? (My Integrative approach)

Sleep and its difficulties are very particular to each family (for example, some see shared beds as a bad habit, others do not), so when we examine a family situation when receiving a request for mentoring, the integrative approach is comprehensive and allows us to understand the individual needs of each family without judgment.

As integrative educators, we are there to observe, analyze from the lens of our knowledge, "think outside the box," and welcome and educate so that families can make informed and beneficial decisions in their parenting. We are the helping hand that will bring knowledge, principles, and updated science and will walk together with this family in search of respectful solutions and results for parents and children.

The main "sleep problems" brought up by families are children who have insufficient hours of sleep for their age, have difficulty relaxing and falling asleep (constant state of alert), do not have a well-established routine, sleep very late, so the parents are unable to have time for themselves and are exhausted, children who do not eat well and have mood changes due to tiredness, impaired school and cognitive performance (for older children), babies with numerous early morning awakenings or a family desire to change the current form of comfort, as it is not sustainable. We also often receive cases where families are anxious or worried about creating "bad habits" for their children and want to resolve this as quickly as possible, as they have received information from other out-of-date professionals or family members who have left them insecure, the famous "bad associations" of sleep that kill the maternal instinct today.

Both on social media and in my services, my objective and positioning is to bring PEACE and EMPATHY to the hearts of this family through a lot of information and scientific evidence about how the parents' feeling of security and emotional availability is all a child needs to sleep well and be regulated day and night. Information is power: By educating about sleep myths, showing successful results, and bringing rich principles about normal child development, it is possible to create awareness about healthy sleep in children, avoiding the frustrations created by that family's misguided expectations.

Another personal commitment with families is to promote LIGHTNESS: Families often understand that their emotional state affects their children (a fact), but they think they need to remain calm and without anxiety at all times for the good of their children, but this is not the real life (and not even healthy), since we are human and it is part of experiencing a broad spectrum of feelings in challenging situations. Providing tools so families are aware of their emotional states when caring for their children brings greater regulation and self-knowledge, making the improvement process more accessible (less "scary") and sustainable in the long term.

I want to bring families hope for difficult days amid the hurricane of sleep deprivation: without needing to do sleep training (letting them cry) or needing to wait it out. These extremes disrespect each side of the dyad; respect can never be lacking in a loving relationship. With my integrative vision, I hope to recover a mother's confidence, instinct and family rescue.