Sleep, What's That? Let's Prepare for Sleep Training

As a mom of three young children, sleep has been pretty inconsistent for a while now. Whether it’s the frequent night feedings for a newborn, a toddler wanting to get in your bed or changing the sheets because a child wet the bed, sleep can become a thing of the past. With all the inconsistencies that can occur, it’s important to give our infants a good start to sleeping well and on their own. New moms are probably thinking, will I ever sleep again? The answer is yes, it may not be the same way you slept pre-baby but you will sleep again. Let’s talk about tips to prepare you for sleep training.

Prepare

First and foremost, if you feel like your baby is at a stage where they are ready to be sleep trained, consult with your pediatrician. Your pediatrician may advise you to begin sleep training between five and six months. At this point, your newborn may only be waking up once or twice a night. If you are still night feeding, ask your pediatrician about weaning your baby off night feeding so that sleep training will be the most successful.

Research a method and choose the best one for your family and one that you believe you can consistently implement for at least two weeks. Consider your child’s temperament as well, when choosing a sleep training method. I used the “Cry It Out” method with one child and Ferber’s method with another.

Remember that all children are different. Try not to compare your children to other children you know even if your newborn has siblings. My three children were all different when it came to sleeping. My oldest child was a textbook sleeper, so we didn’t have to implement such a strict sleep training method for bedtime, but for naps we had to train him to sleep in his own bed. My second child slept her life away. She loved to sleep. It was never a challenge to get her to sleep. My third baby needed to be sleep trained twice due to inconsistencies and changes in the house. Some inconsistencies can include:

• Visitors

• Sharing a room

• Surgeries or other situations that may take you away from the baby (this was my issue)

• Transfer of care (someone else caring for your child)

• Inconsistent bedtime routines

• New foods

• Night feedings

• Noises in the home

• Sleeping arrangements (sleep train in the crib they are going to be consistently sleeping in)

With that being said, before you sleep train, make sure you communicate this process to whomever may be helping you. Be sure that everyone is on the same page, because inconsistencies can make the process even tougher.

Hang in There

Sleep training can be tough. The baby is learning a new skill. It can be extremely difficult to hear your baby constantly crying. Sleep training is to allow your baby the opportunity to learn how to sleep without external help from you. Most sleep training methods allow for a pacifier or a small stuffed animal to provide comfort. If you want to sleep again, you want to be as consistent as possible.

Some babies adjust quickly and some take about two weeks or longer. Be consistent! Establish a bedtime routine and stick to it. Consistency helps you and your child. Do not feel stuck to one sleeping training method. If you have implemented a sleep training method and you feel like it is not working for you and the child, change it. Try it for at least a week or two, but change it if necessary. Feel free to create your own technique. Consult with your pediatrician. There were times where I combined principles of the cry it out method and the Ferber method to make it work for my home. Make it work for you!

Equipment

There are a few items that can help make sleep training a bit easier.

• Baby monitor: get a quality baby monitor where the picture and sound is clear. Mount it so that you can see the entire crib. This will give you peace of mind in those difficult moments. You can see that the baby is okay, and determine if they genuinely need you. Also make sure the thermostat displays a temperature reading which can help you determine if you need to increase or decrease the temperature in the room.

• Pacifier: if you believe in pacifiers and your baby is already attached to it, keep it. I chose to wean my third baby from the pacifier during sleep training. That is completely your choice.

• Lovie: this is a very comforting item for your baby to cling to. Try to introduce it during nap time so they can associate it with sleeping.

• White noise machine: this has been a staple in the bedroom for all of my children. It is soothing and consistent. It also helps to block out external noises. I use this during nap-time and bedtime.

• Humidifier: I like the humidifier to simply keep the room from getting too stuffy. If the room is too stuffy, this can cause the baby not to sleep well.

Sharing a Room

Your situation may be like mine, where two siblings are ultimately going to share a room. My oldest was going to be sharing with my youngest. The best advice I received was to have my oldest two share a room until my baby was sleep trained. This worked beautifully. Once my baby was trained, I was able to integrate my oldest back into his room. For our bedtime routine, the baby goes to bed first. Once the baby is asleep (about thirty minutes later), I put my oldest to bed. So if the baby is in the bed by 7pm, my oldest goes to bed by 7:30pm.

Encouragement

Sleep training can give you the freedom you are looking for. I recognize that not all parents believe in sleep training, that is perfectly fine for your family. I chose to sleep train my children because I knew it was beneficial for everyone in my home. Sleep training is hard, but so is being sleep deprived.

If you decide to sleep train your baby, stay consistent and remember this is for the best. We are teaching our babies at a very young age to take part in a skill without the dependency of momma. This is a good thing! As always mommas, hang in there and YOU GOT THIS!