Should I speak with a Sleep Consultant? Should I speak with a Sleep Consultant?
Hey, mamas! There’s a new trend among mothers on social media; to sleep train, or not to sleep train... that is the question. Well, if you need help coming up with an answer for you and your family, you’ve come to the right place! We're reviewing different methods of sleep training and all the information from Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultants.
So, what the heck is sleep training, and what’s so good about it?
Sleep training is basically the process of teaching your baby to sleep comfortably through the night on their own. It also involves teaching them to self-soothe if they wake in the middle of the night. Research has shown that this results in healthier sleep for both baby, and parents. (Did we just hear a sigh of relief?) Once babies have been sleep-trained, ideally they will be able to sleep between nine and twelve hours a night.
There are so many benefits to sleep training. According to this study, sleep training “produces reliable and durable changes in bedtime problems and night wakings in infants and young children. An overwhelming majority of children respond favorably to these behavioral techniques, resulting not only in better sleep, but also improvements in child and family well-being.” Sounds like a plus to me!
According to Cara Dumaplin, of takingcarababies.com, sleep helps babies' brains mature, have higher cognitive scores, have an easier temperament, and are less distractible.
Well, sign me up, I’m in!
What are the different methods of sleep training?
Not so fast! There are multiple different methods, and it may be difficult trying to choose one to implement. Here is a list of the six most popular methods of sleep-training, found in this article on todaysparent.com:
- Ferber Method
- Extinction (cry-it-out)
- Chair method
- Pick-up, Put-down, shush-pat
- Bedtime-Routine Fading
- Bedtime-Hour Fading
These are all different ways to teach your child to sleep independently, and they all stem from different schools of thought. It can be difficult to choose which one may be best for your family.
How do I know which one to choose?
First, I would do some research on the different types of sleep-training methods. Just read the article that is linked above, and see which one sounds the most appealing to you. If you are still having trouble, then maybe find a certified pediatric sleep consultant to talk to. A good one might be Cara Walker from The Well Rested Mama. Then, talk to your partner, and come up with a game plan that works for you, your family, and your schedule.
What’s the tea?
Sleep-training can seem like a daunting decision for a lot of moms. But, sit back, take a deep breath, read this article, and hopefully you’ll feel a little less overwhelmed. If nothing else, you’ll realize that you’re not the only mama second-guessing whether or not this is a good idea for your family. And honestly, mama, it doesn’t really matter which sleep-training method you end up choosing, as long as you stay consistent. Consistency is ALWAYS key when building a new habit. Whatever you choose, we know you’ll have the grit, determination, and willpower to stick to your routine. And, even if you don’t trust us, trust the research that says your body and your baby will thank you for putting in the effort to give them extra sleep.
Resources:
Dumaplin, Cara. "Let’s Talk About Sleep Training." Taking Cara Babies, 22 Dec. 2021, https://takingcarababies.com/talk-about-sleep-training.
Fry, Alexa. "Sleep Training." Sleep Foundation: A OneCare Media Company, 24 June 2022, https://www.sleepfoundation.org/baby-sleep/sleep-training.
Gagne, Claire. "6 Most Popular Baby Sleep-Training Methods Explained." Today’s Parent, 6 Mar. 2020, https://www.todaysparent.com/baby/baby-sleep/most-popular-sleep-training-methods-explained/.
Mindell, Jodi A., PhD, et al. "Behavioral Treatment of Bedtime Problems and Night Wakings in Infants and Young Children." SLEEP, vol. 29, no. 10, 2006, pp. 1263–76, https://aasm.org/resources/practiceparameters/review_nightwakingschildren.pdf
"Sleep Training Coach & Consultant
We do not need to train our babies to sleep just like you do not need to train a puppy, a kitten, a fish, etc, to sleep. I highly recommend checking out Possums & Co, a nonprofit organization in Australia who has been studying baby sleep and publishing their findings. Babies can get off our circadian rhythm and the organization has some methods to help adjust it. They would argue not to stress about daytime naps and schedules as they can actually make nighttime sleep much worse. I highly recommend checking them out.