Logo - The Possums baby and toddler sleep program.

the possums
sleep program

find essentialsbrowse the programabout the programspeak to dr pamaudiologin / sign up

search for articles

  • when baby cries a lot (brief & simple)
  • #4. what to do about sleep?

Check out The Possums Sleep Program

Dr Pamela Douglas22nd of Sep 20231st of Dec 2024

woman holds up her sleeping baby over her shoulder

This page belongs to collection of short articles and videos in plain language, called When baby cries a lot in the first few months of life. Together, these articles and videos will give you a brief and simple summary of the Possums 5-domain approach to the crying baby. For comprehensive information on this topic, please consider reading The discontented little baby book.

You’ll make your own decisions about what’s best to do with your baby’s sleep, because you are the expert on your own baby, even when it doesn’t feel like it much of the time. You’re the one who is constantly experimenting and noticing how your baby responds.

Families who have a crying baby are often advised by those around them to start sleep training. But I have found over decades now that sleep training can just make everything worse for families, including parents’ own stress levels! The research also shows that sleep training increases parent stress, yet doesn’t actually decrease the number of times babies wake in the night. I suggest you try the ideas you’ll find in The Possums Sleep Program.

You might like to go to the Brief & simple summary pages of The Possums Sleep Program, starting here.

Acknowledgements

I'm grateful to Professor Sophie Havighurst, Ros June, and Caroline Ma at Mindful, The University of Melbourne, for their feedback on the articles and videos in When baby cries a lot in the first few months of life. They helped me keep the language plain and the concepts as accessible as possible, for this brief and simple version of the Possums 5-domain approach to the crying baby.

Recommended resources

Hello and getting started with The Possums Sleep Program

The body clock: baby sleep regulator #1

Sleep pressure: baby sleep regulator #2

Why sleep training often makes baby or toddler sleep worse

Finished

share this article

Next up in #5. how to take care of your own well-being when your baby cries a lot

Your own wellbeing matters a lot when you have a fussy baby

hand over heart

This page belongs to collection of short articles and videos in plain language, called When baby cries a lot in the first few months of life. Together, these articles and videos will give you a brief and simple summary of the Possums 5-domain approach to the crying baby. For comprehensive information on this topic, please consider reading The discontented little baby book.

Because having a crying baby impacts our own well-being, you’ll need support from both family and friends (if this is available), and from your own GP or qualified health professional.

It is also incredibly important to be very kind to yourself. This is something you can start doing, right away. Here are a few ideas.

  • Take time to enjoy things that you can see, hear, feel, smell or taste. Pay careful attention...

more articles in #4. what to do about sleep?

    View full article list
    Possum sleep program logo

    the possums
    baby & toddler
    sleep program

    about the programfind essentialsspeak to dr pamaudiocode of ethicsterms & conditionsprivacy policyFAQs / help
    Dr Pam logo

    © Dr Pamela Douglas 2025

    visit drpam.baby for more programs