How To Habit Stack For Better Sleep

Habit Stacking is a technique that I learnt from my sleep education with Lyndsey Hookway. It can also be called sleep layering, habit layering or layering associations. However, habit stacking is the name used to describe the process in the literature.

Habit stacking is a great option when one or more of the sleep associations (the way your child falls asleep) you commonly use is becoming unsustainable. Any and all sleep associations are okay, but if one is becoming problematic to you, you can gently phase it out through habit stacking. 

Some common sleep associations you may want to phase out include:

• Feeding

• Rocking

• Pushing in the stroller

• Driving in the car

• Bouncing

• Holding/cuddling

How To Habit Stack 

The key to changing sleep associations is to stack a new habit (sleep association) onto one that already works well. In this way, the new behaviours you want to become associations are added onto the behaviour that is already working well.

Example: Replace feeding with patting

• Decide on the sleep association you want to stop and the association you want to replace it with, and then ‘stack’ that habit. 

If you decide you don’t want to feed to sleep anymore and would rather pat to sleep instead, you would initially ‘stack’ (add in) patting onto feeding - the existing sleep habit that already works well. 

So, while you feed to sleep, you would now also pat at the same time (or you could decide to shhhh or bounce or sing).

• Give it about 4 weeks

Spend a few weeks stacking these new habits and be persistent and patient because it takes time for sleep associations to change. I recommend allowing about four weeks for this to work. 

At the end of the 4 weeks (or longer if needed) you would stop the sleep association that isn’t working for you anymore (in this case feeding) and leave the new one (patting) in place. 

• Practice patience! 

Be prepared for it to initially take a little longer to settle your baby to sleep as they adjust to the change.