A registered nurse has made waves online by advocating for parents to set consistent "wake up" times for their babies.
Carrie Bruno, who is also a board-certified lactation consultant, shared her insights in a TikTok video from April 22, which rapidly gained traction among parents. Bruno, known online as @the.mama.coach, told viewers online that waking babies up at specific times in the morning can make a "world of difference" when it comes to setting their eventual bedtime. Her approach goes against the belief many parents hold that babies should be left to sleep undisturbed—and wake up naturally.
"I think people appreciate my straightforward approach," Bruno, who is based in Alberta, Canada, told Newsweek. "I help nurses start their own private practices, and in turn support families all over the world.
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"Parents are busier than ever, and the internet is so noisy and full of opinions," she added. "It can be overwhelming to wade through all of that."
Bruno founded The Mama Coach, an online parenting community, in 2015 to connect worn-out parents with the support of registered nurses and nurse practitioners. In her viral post, she told viewers online that parents should start waking their babies up around the 12-week mark to establish a consistent bedtime routine. She argued that this can both better settle children down for bedtime and provide their weary parents or guardians with more free time.
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"My advice to you is to start this once the baby is moving out of the newborn period, it's around the 12-week mark that you can start consistently waking your baby in the morning," Bruno said. "Watch what time they are typically waking around and start from there.
"For example, if your baby settles back to sleep at 8:00 a.m., 8:15 a.m. or 8:30 a.m., and it varies every day around half an hour. Pick 8:15 a.m. and consistently wake your baby for the next week or two at that time."
Bruno added that the "magic" will start to happen at around 9:15 p.m., as that will become the child's more consistent bedtime.
"That is why you would consider waking your baby at the same time each morning," Bruno said. "You are going to get some newfound freedom in the evening."
Pediatric sleep consultant Brittany Sheehan agreed with Bruno's advice but noted that the child's feeding routine should be taken into equal consideration.
"In the newborn stage, we especially need to wake babies up at night and during the day so that very early on in the first few weeks of life, we're balancing the need for good quality sleep with the need for the baby to eat frequently enough to grow and thrive," Sheehan, who hosts The Snooze Button podcast, said.
During the newborn stage, a baby's stomach is so small that they can only take a certain amount of food at once. To get enough to eat, they have to eat frequently, about once every three hours according to the pediatric sleep consultant.
"It's crucial to wake them to ensure they're growing and thriving," she added. "Once the baby is about 2.5 to 3 months old, we want them to sleep all night, but we still need to wake them from naps during the day so that they can eat as frequently as they need."
Bruno's video, which has been viewed more than 99,000 times, has resonated with many exhausted parents who struggle with erratic bedtime schedules.
"How do I have the willpower to get myself out of bed, just kidding but also not," one viewer, @harmoniandstark, wrote.
Another, @courts.s22, added: "How do I get my baby to sleep throughout the night? Almost a year and dream feeds or comfort feeds CONSTANTLY."
"Infants need to eat at least every four to five hours of sleep because they do not have the glucose stores for their brains to develop," Mary Halsey Maddox, a board-certified pediatrician and sleep specialist, told Newsweek. "If an infant less than 3 to 4 months old is sleeping for more than five hours, it is probably best to wake them to feed and then allow them to go back to sleep."
Still, Maddox, who is based in Birmingham, Alabama, had some concerns about Bruno's online advice.
"Bruno's approach has a kernel of truth but when taken out of context can be dangerous," she said. "After four to six months, the infants should have enough glucose stores to sleep around more than six hours without eating, if they do not wake up hungry."
While some parents might choose to heed Bruno's advice and wake their babies for feeding or other reasons, self-soothing techniques and allowing babies to sleep uninterrupted can, in other cases, lead to healthy sleep outcomes and development over time. For conclusive advice, it is always best to consult with pediatric healthcare providers based on individual circumstances.
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