
Parenting
When Can I Sleep Train My Baby?
Sleep training your baby and employing various regimens to adjust your child’s sleep patterns are not as simple as you might think. To think of sleeping as a skill and one that does not come naturally might be strange to you. If you are planning on sleep training your baby, you’ll be surprised to know that there are lots of information on how to do it.
The art of sleep training
Being a new parent can be exhausting, so much so, you doze off as soon as you lay your head on the pillow. However, your little one can’t do the same as yet. Although they sleep most of the time, they still need to learn how to sleep and when to sleep. And, until they do, they need your assistance, which is why you lull them to sleep at bedtime. If sleeping is a skill, then sleep training is an art. It is the art of teaching your baby how to sleep independently.
There are various methods and steps for sleep training. Among all the steps, the most crucial part is finding the method of sleep training that works best for you and your baby. Before going any further, it is fundamental to establish that sleep training is not about abandoning your baby or denying your hungry baby food at night.
Starting sleep training
Want to know when you can sleep train your baby? Know that there is no specific age for it, because the answer to your question will be different for every baby. Once you are ready for sleep training, make sure your baby is ready too.
First, you need to get clearance from your baby’s pediatrician to eliminate any medical factors that could be playing a part in your baby’s sleep. Next, consider your baby’s age. It is not until they are about four to five months old that they are ready for formal sleep training. However, you can set up healthy sleep habits from the start. As your baby grows older, their sleep cycle starts changing, making it the reason behind 4-month sleep regression.
But, is it ever too late to sleep train your baby? The answer is, NO. As there is no specific age for sleep training, there is also no expiration date to it. You can sleep train your baby at any age, even when they are into toddlerhood!
If your baby isn’t sleeping well, chances are you aren’t either. Establishing healthy sleep habits from birth will make sleep training easier and, more significantly, help keep you and your baby well-rested and healthy.
Lastly, keep in mind that sleep training takes lots of patience and self-restraint.
- 50