Sleep training is about helping your baby learn to fall asleep and stay asleep independently. Sounds simple right?
As you know, there is a lot of information out there on how to do sleep training. It leaves most parents confused, frustrated and wondering how to do it properly. We are going to give you the basics. This is just the start. But remember, you are the best guide to what works and doesn’t for your baby.
What is sleep training?
It seems weird to think of sleep as a skill. A skill that doesn’t’ come naturally. As a parent, whether this is your first or sixth child, you probably pass out the moment your head hits the pillow. But that isn’t necessarily the case for your baby.
Although baby’s spend a lot of time sleeping, they need to learn when and how to sleep. Until they learn this skill, they need your assistance to help soothe them at bedtime and comfort them when they wake up in the middle of the night.
Sleep training is about teaching your baby how to sleep without your intervention. It’s a skill that we teach with swaddles, pacifiers, swings, nursing, white noise, consistency and bedtime routines. All of these things collectively are sleep training.
There are many different methods and practices behind sleep training that you can follow. Some are more gentle, and the others are more rigid. The idea is to find the method that works best for you and your baby.
When should I start sleep training?
This could be considered a trick question.
There is no one sleep training age, the answer is different for every baby and family. The question you should ask yourself is – How do I know if I’m ready for sleep training?
Your baby needs to be ready, but before they are, you need to be prepared. Sleep training requires commitment from both parents. You’ll also want to be logistically prepared. It’s best to start when you aren’t disrupted and ruin the routine you establish.
Questions you should ask yourself before starting sleep training.
- What does my schedule look like over the next few weeks? Are there any events, trips, vacations coming up that might disrupt the training process?
- Have I done the appropriate research to determine which method I want to implement?
- Am I prepared to completely commit to the process and consistently follow a plan for 2-4 weeks without backing out?
- Have I talked about sleep training with my partner? Is the whole family on board and eager to make this a success?
Answering these questions will require that you do your research and communicate with your partner and anyone else living in your home.
Once you’ve established you and your partner are ready for sleep training, it’s time to determine if your baby is ready. Speak with your pediatrician or doctor. You need to check a few things.
- Make sure the baby is at least 15 lbs
- There are no medical concerns
- They are on a healthy growth curve.
If all of these points are met, then you should be ready to start getting baby to sleep through the night. They should be around 4-5 months.
It is never too late to start sleep training. Sometimes parents wait in the hope that baby will organize themselves into a proper pattern. This rarely happens. So you can do sleep training even on toddlers if you need too.
How do I know if my baby needs sleep training?
If your baby is consistently cranky and overtires, it is probably time to look into helping them become a better sleeper. If your baby isn’t sleeping, chances are you aren’t either. Sleep deprivation has been linked to many health and behavioral problems in both children and adults.
How do I prepare for sleep training?
Do your research! There’s a lot of information about how to do sleep training and much of it is contradicting. But just like anything important, your decisions should be informed by your own reading and research. You can ask for opinions, but remember, this is personal and what works for one family, may not work for another.
Ensure you have established a bedtime routine before you start sleep training baby. This should be a series of soothing activities that help calm baby and prepare them for sleep – bath, swaddling etc. As with sleep training, every bedtime routine will look different depending on the family. When you have researched what type of sleep training you will embark on, discuss it with your partner as you will need them as back up and support.
Then, clear your schedule for 2-4 weeks, and you are ready to go.
How do I pick the right method for my baby and me?
Ultimately, you are the only one that knows what you and your baby’s tolerance for crying is. If a method doesn’t feel right or sounds too intense, then don’t try it. You can always start with a gentle plan and then move onto something more intensive.
The best method for you and your family is the one you can alter to meet your needs and comfort levels. You don’t have to follow the sleeping plan to the letter.
There are many different methods to choose from. But the most common methods are one of, or a variation of, any of the methods mentioned below.
The most crucial factor is to make the plan work for you.
All the above links have been medically reviewed. They will give you the necessary information to begin your research. But, you will see the most success from sleep training if you pick the method that you know you and your baby will be comfortable with.
Remember, sleep training will look different for every family, depending on what method they use and how they choose to follow it. Keep a record of how your baby is progressing through the sleep training, so when you are tired, you won’t have to try to remember details.
Sleep is a complicated issue, and you will never get an instant remedy. Consistency is vital and doing what feels right for you and your family.
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