This is the story of Laura Welk and her newborn, Greyson, who was a dream sleeper during the first several months of his life. He had regular daytime naps and a calming bottle in the evening. He would only wake up once every night to eat, and this would last him until morning. This completely changed when he hit three months old, and the need for sleep training kicked in.
When Is The Perfect Time for Sleep Training?
The routine broke down at about three and a half months. Welk says that she would feed him, but he would not fall asleep at the end of the meal. Introducing: sleep-training. The optimal time to begin this training is heavily dependent on the development of your baby; however, it is typically between four and six months, when your baby hasn’t had much time to become accustomed to nursing or being rocked to sleep. Here are some important factors to consider while training your baby to fall asleep more efficiently.
1. The “Check and Console” Method
You should continue to check on your baby at predetermined intervals. However, you should never feed or rock them to sleep. This would indicate that they are not falling asleep on their own. After doing your bedtime routine, put your baby in his or her crib. Leave the room and wait a specific amount of time. Then, enter the room and soothe your baby with words or a touch. Keep doing this, gradually increasing the time between visits until reaching approximately 10 or 15 minutes and then continuing until they fall asleep.
2. The “Chair Method” Training
This approach to sleep training is quite progressive. It involves a great deal of parental control. You prepare your baby for bed once again; however, this time, instead of leaving your room, you sit in a chair next to the crib. When they fall asleep, leave the room, but when they awaken, return to the chair until they sleep again. Then, move the chair further and further away every night. Do this until your chair is out of the room.
3. The Bed-Time Routine Fading Technique
With this fading sleep-training technique, keep using whatever method you were using to assist your baby in falling asleep but gradually decrease the amount of time you devote to it until you no longer need to use it. It’s an effective method for reducing crying. However, sadly, many parents find it difficult to sustain. It’s worth a shot if you are prepared to adhere to the plan and help your baby fall asleep without your assistance.