Does your baby wake up in the middle of the night demanding a breast, feeder, or cuddle before moving back to sleep? Or do you wonder when to start sleep training a baby?
If your baby is 4 months old, then it is the perfect time to begin sleep training.
By this age, your baby should be able to learn how to sleep on their own by self-soothing.
But you’re concerned. Is your baby old enough? Is sleep training safe for your baby? And how long may it really take?
If these questions also bother you, you’re not alone. Parents ask it all the time: And right next to these questions inevitably comes: “will letting my child cry can hurt him?” this is absolutely fine for you to ask questions like this.
Really! That means you’re a caring parent who gives attention to their child’s physical and mental well-being, and you want to do what’s good for them. Instead of wasting more time, let’s look at the details.
You can’t take the sleepless nights anymore. You’re so delirious from lack of sleep you could cry. By now, you’re starting to wonder if it’s officially time to sleep train your baby.
Here’s how and when to start sleep training your baby to help everyone get a good night’s sleep.
Table of Contents
What is sleep training?
Sleep training is teaching your baby how to fall asleep without getting help from you. This implies that if you put down your little sweetheart for bed, then she will sleep without being rocked, swayed, snuggled, or nursed.
Baby can also learn different tricks through sleep training like how to fall back to sleep again during the frequent wake-ups at night. It would be best if you did not stress about sleep training and how to accomplish it.
You don’t have to invest much effort, lots of tears, and energy to accomplish sleep training for your little one.
When should you start sleep training?
Now comes the most asked question, when should you start sleep training? According to experts’ recommendations, you should start sleep training when babies are 4 to 6 months old.
This age is considered the sweet spot to begin sleep training because 4–6-month babies are old enough to manage 6-8 hours of sleep without eating. However, they may need a comforting sleep association from you to go with the flow.
Experts recommend the sleep training start from the 4th month because babies at this age can quickly self-soothe and no longer need frequent night feedings.
At this age, your baby’s sleep cycle also starts to get mature, and the circadian rhythm also starts to work. If you are unsure when to start sleep training, you can help form your pediatrician to start it
How long does sleep training take?
After you have started sleep training now comes how long does sleep training take. Three to four nights later of trying the sleep training methods of Ferber or cry it out, many babies are sleep trained quickly.
Other methods like bedtime fading, the chair method, and pick up, put down methods take a little longer time because all the methods do not work in the same way for all babies. Sleep training also depends on the child’s learning ability; some learn it earlier, while for some, it takes a little bit more time.
You just have to be consistent with the sleep training method you have selected and try it for at least two weeks and let it work before you quit it.
Is sleep training safe?
Most of the parents ask, is sleep training safe for their babies? Well! To be very honest! Sleep training is safe for your babies physically and psychologically.
According to experts, sleep training is absolutely safe, and there is no evidence of sleep training as damaging to babies and children.
In fact, sleep training is regarded as a way to improve parental mood and improve the sleep quality of infants. It also increases the secure attachment between caregivers and babies.
If your baby is old enough and in a safe environment, regardless of the sleep training method you opt for, this training is absolutely safe and healthy.
Sleep training tips
Sleep training tips can be applied to any method you have chosen; these tips can help you perform your duty effectively and ensure the baby’s smoother transition of a baby to dreamland.
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- Accomplish a bedtime routine: Follow a 30-45 minute of consistent sleep training to help your baby to make a transition from awake time to sleepy time. Make sure you put your baby to bed when still awake and schedule her feed before bath or books.
- Wait for the right time: Find out which time period is best for sleep training. If you find any disturbance in the sleeping pattern of your baby, then give her time to soothe. When you see things are getting settled, then attempt sleep training.
- Know when your baby is tired: Some sleep cues like eye rubbing, crankiness, or yawning can help you to know that your baby is sleepy. These cues mostly happen around the same time every night. You should put your baby to bed when she is sleepy. Figure out that your baby is not tired because tired babies really take a long time to settle down and sleep.
- Keep your baby awake while putting down:
Sleep training is solely based on teaching your baby how to fall asleep on her own. So, it is best to put down your baby awake, so you introduce her to sleep. - Don’t respond to every cry: Babies mostly make lots of noises like crying at night and then fall asleep on their own. Make sure you don’t rush into the room of the baby at the first whimper. Give them time to settle down on their own. Responding to every noise or cry derails the efforts of your baby to self-soothe.
Conclusion
If you need any help with sleep training, do not hesitate to contact your pediatrician for expert advice or get to know the answer to your queries.
Sleep training can probably become a relief in your parenthood and your daily duties. Make sure you practice it in the best way possible.