The Ultimate Guide to Sleep Training Your Baby
Sleep training can be scary for new parents. If your baby isn't getting the sleep that they need, it can cause stress in the family which makes it can be difficult to know where to start.
Fortunately, there are a variety of resources available to help new parents understand the basics of sleep training and develop a plan that works for their family. This guide will provide an overview of sleep training basics and tips for getting started with sleep training.
Understanding Sleep Training for New Parents
Sleep training is a process of teaching your baby how to sleep through the night and for longer periods in a gentle way. We understand how frustrating it can be when you and your baby are sleep-deprived. You've tried everything, but nothing works!
Helping your baby, toddler or older child to sleep better is one of the greatest gifts you can give them, and we can help you with that, without leaving your little one to cry alone.
How and When Should You Start Sleep Training Your Baby?
Sleep training your baby is an important part of parenting. It helps your baby learn to sleep through the night and can lead to better sleep for everyone in the family. But when should you start sleep training a baby? That depends on the age of your child, as well as the methods you choose to use. Gentle methods can be used from birth, but we have found that babies aged 5-7 months respond the quickest.
It's also important to consider a child's temperament when deciding when to start sleep training. Some babies are naturally good sleepers and may not need as much sleep training, while others may require more help. Every child's development is different and it's important to take that into consideration before starting sleep training.
What about the "cry-it-out" method?
We firmly do not believe in this solution. We couldn’t do that with our children, and we would never ask another parent to do something we haven’t done ourselves!
This said, unfortunately, there will be some crying during the sleep training process. If there was a magic wand to make it a cry-free experience, you would be the first to know! Babies are just too young to use words and tell you they prefer falling asleep with their bottle for comfort, or on you, or in your bed, or by being rocked, etc. They can’t verbalise this in any other way than a little cry of protest.
Sleep training allows us to coach you through handling your little one’s protests as gently as possible. Together we can explore the best method for your child to minimise the protests as much as possible within all of your comfort zones.
Using gentle sleep training plans, you’ll be in the room comforting and teaching them how to sleep on their own – it's not a case of simply putting them in bed and shutting the door. Sleep training should be a partnership between yourselves as parents and the trainer or coach, listening carefully and working with your wishes on how you want to handle many different scenarios that could arise so you have the tools to confidently draw on when it’s bedtime.
What Should You Keep in Mind While Implementing a Sleep Schedule for Your Baby
Establishing a regular sleep schedule for your baby is an important step in helping them develop healthy sleep habits. There will be bumps in the road and regression stages, but this is all part of the learning process.
We are here to help you through the process, so please book a free consultation call if you'd like to talk about your child's sleep.
