Sleep training is the process of helping a baby learn to get to sleep by himself and stay asleep through the night.
Some babies do this quickly and easily. But many others have trouble settling down to sleep – or getting back to sleep when they’ve wakened – and they need help along the way.
One of the main reasons babies won’t sleep is because they have developed “sleep props” over the first part of their lives. Sleep props refer to ways babies have learned to fall asleep using assistance instead of by developing their own skills. These may include feeding to sleep, being rocked to sleep, co-sleeping, etc. Your baby has learned to fall asleep using a certain method. When these methods no longer work and your child is losing sleep, it may be time to figure out which sleep training method would work best for you.
There are a number of different approaches to helping children to sleep and I’m happy to show them to you.
Babies do not have the ability to organize their own days and nights into predictable rhythms, but they have the biological need to do so. That is why parents must take the lead and create structure and routine for their babies and for themselves.
Sleep is essential for your baby’s health and development.
Baby sleep problems have been linked to emotional and behavioral problems, accidental injuries, and general irritability in babies. As there is junk food there exists “junk sleep” as well!
Uninterrupted sleep is so important for both you and your baby. Some of the advantages are:
Restorative sleep is crucial for development and memory consolidation, not to mention the peace within the family when a child sleeps well.
When your baby has sleep problems, it affects you as well — maternal depression, stress, and marital discord are associated — so it makes sense to take action now.
Nobody plans to have a sleep problem, but habits can become easily ingrained and spiral quickly out of control and you can find yourself sleep deprived, desperate and not too sure what to do.
Tracy Hogg, nurse and author of Secrets of the Baby Whisperer
When parents hear about infant sleep training, they often think of babies left alone in their cribs to cry themselves to sleep.
But there are alternatives to such an approach. I will show and teach you such alternatives and make sure you will be comfortable with the sleep plan for your child.
To achieve this goal I will study your child’s sleep patterns, daily routine and habits.
From this information, I create a plan that respects your family’s sleep goals and your child’s unique personality and temperament.
I’ll be by your side to offer knowledge and support throughout the entire sleep training process.
Often parents ask if my training means to let their child scream until he or she falls asleep ( “Cry it out” method).
I am myself a mother and my “mother heart” would not be able to do something like that – why would I ask it of you!
Besides, I was in the same situation as you. My son just did not want to go to sleep and the idea of hiring a sleep consultant was quite frightening.
I have experienced on my own how exhausting this process can be, but also how absolutely worthwhile! The months and months in which he has been sleeping great since we did the program were absolutely worth the few nerve-racking days of the training.
Sleep training has gotten a very bad reputation in recent years and there are methods with which I also disagree. However, you can not throw all training methods into on big pot. There are many different ways to reach your goal – and there are gentle methods as well.
I respect personal parenting styles of each family and I’m not against a particular method or sleep situation. It is important that the parents feel comfortable with the plan I created for their child, and that they are confident that they can do it. I like to go as far as I can to respect and consider parents requests or suggestions – of course only as long as the child is doing fine and responding well.
That’s why I would describe my program more as “sleep learning” than “sleep training”. We teach the child that sleep is something great and positive and he has the control over it. He learns to calm himself and not to be dependent on external “sleep-aids”.
Be assured that I would never ask you to let your child cry uncontrolled and alone. During the training, it is important to show your child that you are there for him or her and that he does not have to mange the learning process alone. This will give your child the confidence to give it a try and figure out how he can fall asleep by himself. Often the children learn much faster than the parents expect – in most cases, they are even surprised what their child can do if they only let their child try! This is a mutual learning process and you will learn a lot about your child during the training.
Of course, most probably there will be some amount of protest, whining or crying. Crying is the way your child expresses protest about change. And since we are trying to change his sleep habits, your child will most probably express his displeasure. And that’s his or her right!
That is why I explain to parents, that at the beginning of the training, in most cases there will be initial protests – which does not mean that their child will cry himself into sleep. But every child reacts differently and often it is not as bad as parents imagine it.
Besides, I am at your side and every obstacle we master together – we will work as a team!
If you are still hesitant about wether sleep training is right for your child or not, I would be happy to answer all questions and doubts you might have.
‟The Six Steps to help your Baby Sleep Through the Night”
Fill the form If you'd like to set up a FREE 15-minutes sleep consultation