If your little one is at least 4 months old, it may be time to start sleep training.
Heres how and when to start sleep training your baby to help everyone get a good nights sleep.
What is sleep training?
Sleep training is teaching your baby to fall asleep without help from you.
What sleep training isnt
First, sleep training andnight weaningdo not necessarily go hand-in-hand.
Talk to your pediatrician about when its appropriate to fully drop your babys nighttime feeds.
That’s one of many ways that sleep training is not as harsh as it sounds.
It doesnt necessarily involve shutting the nursery door and letting baby cry all night.
Many experts say that sleep training is not only safe, its healthy and important for babies' development.
When to start sleep training
Experts recommend beginning sleep training when babies are 4 to6 months old.
While it may seem harsh, CIO is harder on you than on your little one.
With consistency (thats the key!
Ferber method
Not a fan of letting baby cry without some degree of attention and comfort?
These timed intervals of crying get longer by a few minutes with each interval until she falls asleep.
Pretty soon, theres no need for these comfort check-ins because your baby has learned to self-soothe.
Sit in a chair next to yourbabys cribuntil she falls asleep, without picking her up.
Move the chair farther away each night until youre near the door and then out of the room.
At that point, your baby should be able to fall asleep without you there.
Bedtime fading method
Does your little one wail for extended periods of time before falling asleep?
Her body might not be ready for sleep at your desired bedtime.
Thebedtime fading methodcan modify her circadian rhythm to get bedtime to where you want it to be.
When and if she cries, wait a few minutes to see if she settles down herself.
If not, go in topick her upand soothe her.
When she’s calm again, put her back down in the crib or bassinet.
Repeat the process until your baby falls asleep.
Can you sleep train for naps?
you could apply the same nighttime sleep trainingstrategy for naps.
How long does sleep training take?
Talk to your pediatrician to see what’s going on.
Sleep training often involves tears for both you and your baby at first.
Each sleep training method has a different approach, with different levels of crying and parental intervention involved.
If you’re looking to sleep train, consider which technique you think will be best for your family.
Research shows that sleep training is safe, and doesn’t increase emotional or behavioral problems.
Some experts say sleep training can be healthy for yourbaby’s development.
There may be more tears for both you and your baby as your little one builds independent sleep skills.
But research shows that there aren’t negative effects on your baby from sleep training.
Plus, the process can help you both get years of peaceful sleep.
kindly whitelist our site to get all the best deals and offers from our partners.
