What happened to Ben and Erin Naper daughter Mae? Reveals Health Issues and Seeking Professional Help.

When Erin Napier’s youngest daughter, Mae, was just two months old, the HGTV star marveled at what a good sleeper she was. In 2021, she shared on Instagram that Mae slept at least 10 hours a night and had a regular nap schedule. However, three years later, things have changed.

On May 10, 2024, Erin, 39, posted on her Instagram Stories that Mae, who will turn three on May 28, has been having significant sleep troubles. Erin and her husband Ben decided to seek help from sleep experts, and it’s starting to make a positive difference.

Erin Napier Shares Strategy They’ve Learned to Address Daughter Mae’s Nightmares

In Erin’s first Instagram Story addressing Mae’s sleep issues, she shared a sweet outdoor photo of Mae from behind. Dressed in a white top and pink skirt, Mae was drawing with chalk on the ground.

Over the photo, Erin wrote, “Thank you @takingcarababies, who know all the answers when your toddler is having awful nightmares and can’t sleep. Her toddler class is saving our life.”

Erin, who also shares six-year-old Helen with her husband Ben, included a link to the “Taking Cara Babies” website, adding, “It ain’t just for babies.”

Run by neonatal nurse and certified pediatric sleep consultant Cara Dumaplin, the site offers parents strategies for addressing sleep issues in children across three age groups: newborn to four months, five months to 24 months, and two to four years old.

On Mother’s Day, May 12, Erin shared an update in her Instagram Stories. She posted a photo of her daughters from behind, sitting together on a large rock.

Big sister Helen, in a swimsuit, had her arm around Mae, who wore a baby blue summer dress, as they watched an outdoor bonfire.

Erin added the 90s R.E.M. song “It’s The End of the World As We Know It” to her Story and wrote, “Our new way to get rid of bad dreams is to just get it out from under your bed, put it in a cardboard box, kick it down the stairs, and burn it 👋.”

Erin Napier Likes to Share Parenting Solutions & Resources With Her Fans

This isn’t the first time Erin has shared insights into her and Ben’s parenting challenges—and their solutions.

In 2023, she revealed on Instagram how they kept Mae entertained during a plane ride, writing, “Shout out to painter’s tape, @wilbursofmaine Gummi lobstahs, Wesley from the seat in front of us, Helen for being an awesome traveler, and stuffed animals for helping us get an overtired 2-year-old Mae home from vacation.”

Back in 2021, when Helen was three, Erin shared a parenting epiphany she had during a family vacation.

Captioning a photo of Helen riding her tricycle toward the beach, Erin described the trip as an “honestly difficult trip to Florida” due to their tired toddler and the spring break crowds.

“I began to realize the most important toddler parenting I can do is so simple but not actually intuitive, and I feel like I should share it in case it’s useful for someone else,”

Erin wrote. She explained that she used to quickly stop Helen when she did something wrong, saying, “no ma’am, that’s not nice!” without providing further explanation.

Erin then detailed how she started explaining to Helen the reasons behind her corrections, which she described as a significant “breakthrough.”

“Every correction must come with a lesson,” she wrote. “Imagine if your boss said, ‘No! I don’t like how you’re doing this!’ without any further feedback.

We often assume social cues come naturally and that we just know what to say and do, but we don’t. Thanks, Mama, for teaching me before I could remember it!”