The Follow-Up: When Kids Won’t Sleep Alone

The PedsDocTalk Podcast: Child Health, Development & Parenting—From a Pediatrician Mom

Dr. Mona Amin

Medicine, Kids & Family, Health & Fitness, Parenting

4.9 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 16 March 2026

⏱️ 13 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We’re talking about independent sleep for older babies and kids, why it often gets harder with age, and how to approach it in a way that supports both your child and your family. This is not about shutting the door and ignoring your child. It’s about teaching a skill gradually, consistently, and in a way that fits your child’s temperament. We discuss why earlier can be easier when it comes to removing sleep associations, but also why there is no hard deadline. Independent sleep is not about emotional distance. It is about helping your child fall asleep without needing a specific person, place, or condition that can make life harder later, especially during travel, sleepovers, camp, or when caregivers change. In this episode, we cover: ✔️ Why sleep associations can become more challenging as kids grow ✔️ How language and mobility make older kids more persistent at bedtime ✔️ When to consider anxiety or separation issues before starting sleep changes ✔️ Why location matters, especially transitioning from your bed to theirs ✔️ The “camping out” method and how to gradually reduce your presence ✔️ Why consistency beats intensity every time ✔️ How middle of the night wake-ups often improve after bedtime changes Want more? Listen to the full, original episode. Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠. Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠! And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:22.9	entrepreneurs like you. Sign up for your $1 a month trial at Shopify.com slash setup.
0:29.8	Welcome back to the follow-up. This is Dr. Mona, your online pediatrician and mom friend,
0:36.9	where we revisit a favorite parenting
0:39.0	conversation of the show in less time than it takes your child to ask for one more hug,
0:43.5	one more story, a sip of water at bedtime. Sleep can bring up a lot of strong opinions. Independent
0:49.4	sleep, co-sleeping parental support. There is no shortage of advice out there. In this episode, I'm
0:54.5	joined by Dr. Shelby Harris, a licensed clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine specialist
0:59.7	to talk about when independent sleep skills might need to be taught, especially for older
1:05.1	children who still rely on a parent or anything else to fall asleep. Because it is true that
1:10.4	there is no award for having the earliest independent sleeper,
1:13.9	but there may be a point where families want to begin supporting that skill.
1:17.5	We talk about signs a child may need support building independent sleep skills, how to approach
1:21.8	it without pressure or guilt, and where families can begin if sleep has become a struggle.
1:27.2	If this conversation speaks to you, don't forget to subscribe to the channel,
1:30.9	download the full episode linked in my caption,
1:33.7	share it with apparent navigating bedtime challenges,
1:36.3	and tag at the Pete's Doc Talk podcast and at Sleep Doc Shelby,
1:40.3	so we can hear what bedtime looks like in your home.
	...

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