diff --git a/yaml_settings_pydantic/loader.py b/yaml_settings_pydantic/loader.py
index a219f14..d85a1b7 100644
--- a/yaml_settings_pydantic/loader.py
+++ b/yaml_settings_pydantic/loader.py
@@ -63,17 +63,21 @@ class YamlFileData(TypedDict):
     envvar=None, subpath=None, required=True
 )
 
+YamlSettingsFilesInput = (
+    Sequence[str]
+    | Sequence[Path]
+    | str
+    | Path
+    | dict[str, YamlFileConfigDict]
+    | dict[Path, YamlFileConfigDict]
+    | set[str]
+    | set[Path]
+)
+
 
 class YamlSettingsConfigDict(SettingsConfigDict):
     yaml_files: Annotated[
-        set[Path]
-        | Sequence[Path]
-        | dict[Path, YamlFileConfigDict]
-        | Path
-        | set[str]
-        | Sequence[str]
-        | dict[str, YamlFileConfigDict]
-        | str,
+        YamlSettingsFilesInput,
         Doc(
             "Files to load. This can be a ``str`` or ``Sequence`` of "
             "configuration paths, or a dictionary of file names mapping to "
@@ -91,6 +95,10 @@ class YamlSettingsConfigDict(SettingsConfigDict):
     ]
 
 
+YamlFilesData = dict[Path, YamlFileData]
+YamlFilesConfigs = dict[Path, YamlFileConfigDict]
+
+
 def resolve_filepaths(fp: Path, fp_config: YamlFileConfigDict) -> Path:
 
     fp_from_env = None
diff --git a/yaml_settings_pydantic/manifests.py b/yaml_settings_pydantic/manifests.py
index 2a155f0..a9d4140 100644
--- a/yaml_settings_pydantic/manifests.py
+++ b/yaml_settings_pydantic/manifests.py
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
-from typing import Any, Self
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Any, Self, Unpack
 
 from pydantic import BaseModel
 
@@ -13,24 +14,27 @@
 class BaseYaml(BaseModel):
     """Pydantic model loadable from yaml. See :meth:`load`."""
 
+    _yaml_files_data: dict[Path, loader.YamlFileData]
+    _yaml_files_configs: dict[Path, loader.YamlSettingsConfigDict]
+
     @classmethod
     def load(
         cls,
         *,
-        overwrite: dict[str, Any] | None = None,
-        exclude: dict[str, Any] | None = None,
-        **yaml_settings: loader.YamlSettingsConfigDict,
+        init_kwargs: dict[str, Any] | None = None,
+        yaml_exclude: dict[str, Any] | None = None,
+        **yaml_settings: Unpack[loader.YamlSettingsConfigDict],
     ) -> Self:
 
-        if (yaml_files := yaml_settings.get("yaml_files")) is None:
-            raise ValueError()
+        # if (yaml_files := yaml_settings.get("yaml_files")) is None:
+        #     raise ValueError()
 
-        yaml_files_config = loader.validate_yaml_settings_config_files(yaml_files)
+        yaml_files_config = loader.validate_yaml_settings_config_files(yaml_settings)
         yaml_files_data = loader.load_yaml_data(yaml_files_config)
         data = loader.validate_yaml_data(
             yaml_files_data,
-            overwrite=overwrite,
-            exclude=exclude,
+            overwrite=init_kwargs,
+            exclude=yaml_exclude,
         )
 
         return cls.model_validate(data)
diff --git a/yaml_settings_pydantic/settings.py b/yaml_settings_pydantic/settings.py
index e55bd46..18cc781 100644
--- a/yaml_settings_pydantic/settings.py
+++ b/yaml_settings_pydantic/settings.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
 from pydantic.fields import FieldInfo
 from pydantic_settings import BaseSettings, PydanticBaseSettingsSource
-from typing_extensions import Doc
+from typing_extensions import Doc, override
 
 from yaml_settings_pydantic import loader, util
 
@@ -124,11 +124,44 @@ class BaseYamlSettings(BaseSettings):
         `model_config["yaml_reload"]`.
     """
 
+    __yaml_settings_cls__: ClassVar[CreateYamlSettings]
+    __yaml_settings_self__: CreateYamlSettings | None
+    __yaml_exclude__: bool
+
     if TYPE_CHECKING:
         # NOTE: pydantic>=2.7 checks at load time for annotated fields, and
         #       thinks that `model_config` is a model field name.
         model_config: ClassVar[loader.YamlSettingsConfigDict]
 
+    def __init_subclass__(cls, **kwargs):
+        """Create the default ``CreateYamlSettings`` instance."""
+        super().__init_subclass__(**kwargs)
+        cls.__yaml_settings_cls__ = CreateYamlSettings(cls)
+
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        _yaml_files: loader.YamlSettingsFilesInput | None = None,
+        _yaml_reload: bool | None = None,
+        _yaml_exclude: bool = False,
+        **kwargs,
+    ):
+        # NOTE: If any overwrites are added, then do not use ``__yaml_settings_cls__``.
+        #       This is a pain because the other option is to overwrite
+        #       ``_settings_build_values``, which likely results in having
+        #       to overwrite ``settings_customise_sources``.
+        if _yaml_files is not None:
+            yaml_settings = self.model_config.copy()
+            yaml_settings.update(
+                yaml_files=_yaml_files,
+                yaml_reload=_yaml_reload,
+            )
+            self.__yaml_settings_self__ = CreateYamlSettings(self.__class__)
+        else:
+            self.__yaml_settings_self__ = self.__yaml_settings_cls__
+
+        self.__yaml_exclude__ = _yaml_exclude
+        super().__init__(**super()._settings_build_values(kwargs))
+
     @classmethod
     def settings_customise_sources(
         cls,
@@ -142,10 +175,10 @@ def settings_customise_sources(
 
         # Look for YAML files.
         logger.debug("Creating YAML settings callable for `%s`.", cls.__name__)
-        yaml_settings = CreateYamlSettings(settings_cls)
 
         # The order in which these appear determines their precendence. So a
         # `.env` file could be added to # override the ``YAML`` configuration
+
         return (
             init_settings,
             env_settings,