Earlier this year, Sarah reached out feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and unsure how much longer she could keep going. Her little boy, Joel, was waking three to four times every night, relying on overnight milk, and bedtime had become a nightly battle that drained them both. Like many parents in the thick of sleep struggles, Sarah was running on fumes.
The Right Support
Sarah worked with The Sleep Charity to look at Joel’s sleep and where and how they could make improvements. Using holistic and behavioural techniques, The Sleep Charity was able to establish a routine that worked for the family and through consistent efforts, they saw improvements.
In September, Joel started preschool. With the new routine came one unexpected gift: the end of the daytime nap. Bedtime suddenly became smoother and quicker. There was a short period of ‘danger-nap’ dodging in the late afternoons, but as Sarah put it, they quickly became ‘old pros.’
This shift alone made evenings calmer and more predictable.
After a long wait and a lot of persistence, Sarah and Joel finally saw a paediatrician in November. Joel was prescribed slow-release melatonin – a turning point. The first dose didn’t have much effect, but increasing to 5mg made a noticeable difference.
For the first time in a long time, bedtime began to feel manageable.
Letting Go of Overnight Milk
One of the biggest changes was reducing and eventually removing Joel’s overnight milk – a huge step that took determination and consistency. But it paid off. Sleep began to stretch. Nights became smoother. And everything started to change.
From Multiple Night Wakes to Restful Sleep
Today, Joel sleeps from around 7:15pm, waking only briefly to climb into Sarah’s bed around 3am, where he settles straight back to sleep. He wakes for milk at 6am, and if she’s lucky (her words!), sometimes he even drifts back off again.
The result?
💙 Better quality sleep for both of them
💙 A happier, more regulated little boy
💙 Evenings Sarah actually enjoys
💙 A family finally getting the rest they needed
As Sarah beautifully said, “The last two weeks have really changed our lives and I feel human again.”
A Message of Thanks
“I just wanted to say thank you… we are both doing great.” – Sarah, no longer teetering on the edge