Is Your Baby Ready for Sleep Training?
When parents with young babies approach me, there are three things that I most commonly hear:
1. “My baby used to sleep 5-6 hours at a time when she was younger. Now it’s only 1-2 hours. She just wants to play all the time!”
2. “I follow this nap and sleep schedule that I found online. But it’s not working for my baby!”
3. “My baby used to fall asleep while breastfeeding but now he wakes up the minute I move him to the crib.”
During the first 4 months of your newborn’s life, though every day’s sleep cycle may seem like a total hit-or-miss, your baby is slowly but surely developing his/her own sleep pattern. The biggest indicator that your baby is ready to sleep longer at night is their social smiling.
I know! Baby smiles are ADORABLE!
Social smiling usually shows up when babies turn 6 weeks old; it comes with the peak of fussiness and wakefulness, which can make sleep-deprived parents miss this all-important milestone of their baby’s development.
Here are some of the major changes in your baby’s sleep after 6 weeks of age:
They start to recognize the difference between day and night, which leads to night-sleep consolidation.
Your baby will go from “falling asleep anywhere” to getting more sensitive to motion and noise while he/she sleeps.
Their body temperature falls more when they sleep. By 12 weeks of age, most babies have consistent body temperature rhythms.
Around 12-16 weeks of age, your baby’s daytime sleep pattern emerges and becomes more organized than his/her infancy phase.
For parents who find yourselves Googling at 2 A.M. and uncovering a “best-reviewed” baby nap/sleep training plan that you can’t wait to become your new sleep bible, I just want to make sure you ask one question first.
Is your baby biologically ready to be sleep trained yet?
Here is a checklist to see if your baby is ready for sleep training:
o At least 16 weeks of biologically adjusted age. For example, if your baby was born 2 weeks before her due date and she’s 16 weeks now, biologically she’s only 14 weeks.
o Approval from your baby’s pediatrician. If your baby has underlying or ongoing health issues such as GI problems and severe eczema, or has poor weight gain, please consult with your baby’s pediatrician and see if you will have to wait awhile before you can sleep train your baby.
o A separate surface for your baby to sleep on. For parents who love co-sleeping with your babies but are tired of your baby’s frequent night wakings, my recommendation is to see if you’re ready for your baby to sleep independently. Not only because co-sleeping is not safe (please read American Association of Pediatrics’ infant sleep safety guidelines) but also it is not effective to sleep train your baby when she is co-sleeping.
If your baby meets all of the points on the checklist, your baby is ready to be sleep trained.
However, sleep training plans are not one-size-fits-all.
A well-reviewed plan may work for some, but is unlikely to work for all.
I would be eager to work with you to put together a detailed plan for your family and your baby, that’s customized to suit your specific needs. I will be here to support you each step of the way, to answer your questions and concerns – and am confident that we will see the changes you crave in regulating your baby’s sleep schedule. Together, we can instill effective, healthier habits for your baby. The more sleeping during the night, the more smiling from (you and) baby!
If you are fully committed to at least two weeks of an uninterrupted program, then get in touch and we can start putting together a plan for your baby right away.
I know it’s a big decision, but the outcome can be life-changing for the entire family. I’m ready when you are.
Click here to book a free, 15-minute discovery call to get started.
