Baby sleep training is talked about a lot but is not always easy. The very prospect of starting sleep training can be daunting. Here is my journey on overcoming the struggle of bedtime with my daughter.
Why I started baby sleep training.
I found putting my daughter to sleep a difficult task around 6 months onwards. She would become restless and always wanted to be rocked until she fell asleep. One slight wrong movement or noise and we would have to start again. Sound familiar?
The magic baby sleep training book
After a lot of research and reading blogs I decided to go to the common source I was reading about. I downloaded the book ‘Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems’ by Dr Richard Ferber and I am so glad I did! It can only be described as the book of magic in our household.
When is best to start?
Having gone through the process, I would say the best time to start would be when there are no other distractions or disruptions such as teething pain or big events. In the book, the advice is starting from around 6 months but I did this at 12 months and it still worked.
The plan.
For me, consistency and perseverance were key to making this a success. Using the baby sleep training method in the book, I would tuck her in her in her cot and leave the room for a short amount of time before returning. I would then tuck her in again and after 30 seconds of reassurance I would leave the room for a little longer than the time before. For example, first 3 minutes then 5 minutes and so on. What I found useful was the full details of the plan are all laid out in the book with a helpful table.
Read the best book on baby sleep training.
Expect tears.
This plan is not easy and is the reason that so many parents give up early on. There will be tears! My daughter screamed and cried for mummy, especially on the first night. She was expecting that comfort and it was difficult to leave her. Every time I left the room she would cry even louder. After an hour of crying and shouting she grew tired and started to lay her head down until eventually she slept.
On day 2, she realised almost instantly what was going to happen when I lay her down. She cried when I left the room but settled down much sooner than the previous night. By day 3 she quickly lay her head down and turned to her side ready to sleep! I could not believe my eyes! This was an enormously proud mummy moment for me.
What about others in the house?
Another challenge we had was that there were several family members that would occasionally put her to sleep. We live together with her grandparents and on occasion, she visits my parents’ home for a sleepover.
We had to encourage her grandparents to remain consistent and persuade them that any tears were not for long. Easier said than done with grandparents! Being patient and encouraging will help and in the end the results will demonstrate that it works. I also explained that this was for their granddaughter’s health and to prevent any co-sleeping issues for her in the future.
Is it worth it?
Yes! It can take a couple of weeks to be successful for some parents, but it is worth it. Having a stable sleep routine is also beneficial for a baby’s development as well as the health of us parents. The first few nights are the hardest, but it does get easier. Within a week we were all sleeping throughout the night. Also, any little bit of noise does not disturb her any longer.
Stick to it and read the advice of Dr Ferber – you won’t regret it.
You can buy a copy on Amazon.
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