Is It the Right Time to Sleep Train?

There are two things I can pretty much guarantee when it comes to teaching your baby to sleep through the night:

1. It’s going to be a challenge

2. It’s going to be completely worth it.

Now, I’ve never worked with a family whose baby went right down peacefully on the first night and just magically slept through from then on. Some have slept through the night on night two, most of them start seeing results on night three or four, but I won’t kid you, night one can be tough.

But I’ve also never worked with a family who didn’t feel like they had made a rewarding decision once their baby had learned to sleep through the night. The benefits for the entire family are close to indescribable.

Like most major decisions though, there are times that are ideal and times that are less so. Today, I’d like to offer some tips for deciding whether or not it’s the right time to take the challenging, but oh-so-rewarding journey of teaching your child to sleep well.

Are you going to be home?

When sleep training, consistency is key. So you'll want to time this when at least one parent will be home and available for two weeks! Being able to put your child down in the same place each night will help encourage developing new sleep habits. These days, many parents are also still working from home so this can also be a good opportunity to take the plunge and show your little one how to sleep independently!

I don’t advise parents to begin sleep training within two weeks of traveling so be aware of any upcoming obligations when trying to make this family decision.

Is your baby healthy?

The best chance for a quick and effective solution to your baby’s sleep issues is to implement the changes when they are healthy and thriving. If your baby is dealing with reflux or colic, you’ll want to get that remedied prior to sleep training. There’s going to be some fussing and protest in the first few nights, and we want to make sure it’s only due to the change in their routine, not because of actual discomfort. And if they’re healthy, it’s much easier to pinpoint possible reasons for fussing!

Is your partner on board?

If you’re raising your baby with a partner, it’s important that both of you are fully committed to the process. This can be a trying ordeal for the first couple of nights and if your partner thinks it’s not a good idea, there’s likely going to be a point where they manage to convince you to give in and resort to whatever previous methods you usually use to get your baby to sleep. So before you get started, make sure you and your partner can rely on one another for support.

Can you stand a few nights with less sleep?

I won’t sugar-coat it. Changing someone's sleep habits is almost never met with a lot of enthusiasm for the first night or two, so nobody’s likely to get a lot of rest for the first 48 hours. If you have an important meeting or a major event coming up in the next few days that you need to be in peak condition for, you might want to wait until the next weekend.

Are you starting to see symptoms of sleep deprivation?

Are you starting to feel depressed, moody, forgetful, unmotivated, clumsy, or unfocused? Is your sex drive starting to wane? Have you noticed an increased appetite and carbohydrate cravings? These are all symptoms of sleep deprivation and they’re no laughing matter. Society tends to make light of the whole, “exhausted new parent” persona, but the more we learn about the health effects of sleep deprivation, the less of a joke it becomes. If you’re sleep-deprived or feel like you’re on the verge, now’s the time to take some action.

Does your baby have a safe sleep space ready?

Exceptions can be made in certain situations, but I really do find that putting baby into their own room is the best way to help them learn to sleep independently, and I have a few suggestions to help baby get the hang of this thing as quickly as possible. Their room should be dark and not stimulating. Put up some blackout curtains to help with daytime naps, and get rid of any mobiles, crib aquariums, or light-emitting devices that claim to help baby sleep. (I can assure you, they don’t.) Baby should recognize it as a place to sleep, so keep their toys put away for sleep times.

If you prefer, you can keep your baby in the room with you and still see sleep success! In these scenarios, I recommend adding a room divider, hanging a sheet, or doing a quick furniture rearrangement so baby does not have a direct view of you. This allows you to continue room sharing but aid in developing those independent sleep skills.

And lastly, don’t wait for the “perfect” moment. Like I said earlier, now might not be the ideal time to take the initiative to help your baby sleep through the night. Getting started and then having to stop because of poor planning is likely going to cause confusion and minimize your chances for success. But remember, there’s always going to be something that isn’t exactly ideal. Teething, crawling, rolling over, and other leaps or developmental milestones, shouldn’t impede a baby's ability to sleep through the night, and they’re not going to stop popping up until your little one is about ready to graduate from high school.

So now that you know all that, if you feel like the time is right and you’re ready to get started, let’s get going! Get in touch and we can start putting together a customized plan for your baby right away. I know it’s a big decision, (it certainly was for me when I first made it with my little one) but the outcome is almost indescribably wonderful for the whole family. I’m ready when you are!

Sleep well.