These six topics in the It's an emergency section of The Possums Sleep Program are the place to start if you're in a baby sleep crisis. To really turn things around over the next couple of weeks, so that the days and nights are as enjoyable as possible, and you're no longer so utterly exhausted and sleep-deprived, please go to the whole of The Possums Baby Sleep Program, starting here. Or you might like to go to the Brief & simple version first, starting here.

When you find yourself in a baby sleep emergency, it’s important that your little person starts each day at the same time. This is how you re-set his body clock. Choose the very earliest possible wake-up time for your baby, which you and your family can stick to consistently over the weeks ahead!

Some families simply open the curtains or blinds and bring their baby into the noise, activity and light or sunlight of a new day at the same time each morning. This may be enough to reset a young baby's body clock. With an older baby, you might decide to gently but actively wake her up at the regular get up time.

If you’ve been sleeping in very late with your baby in the mornings because you’re trying to cope and catch up on sleep, bring your baby's get-up time earlier only gradually, perhaps by 15 minutes a day, until you reach your chosen get-up time. It's hard, doing the transition, but worth it in the end. You can find out more about starting the day at the same time here.

If your baby is starting the day much too early, you can find out more here.

You’ll probably have lots of questions about all of this. But right now, if someone else can take your baby to start the day at the same time each morning (usually after your litle one has had a feed) and you can go back to sleep, that would be wonderful!