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Trying to get your baby to sleep can be one of the most exhausting tasks a parent can endure. Keep reading to find out about the most popular methods today.
Sources differ as to when the ideal time to sleep train is, but the general consensus among baby sleep consultants and medical professionals is that the best time to initiate it is when the infant is 4.5 months-6 months old. Newborns are too young to understand the concept of sleep training, and at this stage, attending to their needs and bonding with them are more important than trying to teach them a sleep routine. However, establishing consistent bedtime routines can be done during this time. To achieve consistency, the activities should be predictable. In addition, to prevent overstimulation, these activities must be relaxing, and initiated 30-40 minutes before bedtime. Examples of such activities are: bathing, feeding, playing relaxing music, or reading stories.
There are many types of sleep training methods, but many of them follow similar techniques. Baby consultants and parenting experts use these methods:
Controlled Checking is also known as the controversial cry it out method, or Ferber method, after the doctor that developed it. “Ferberizing” has attracted controversy because it advocates leaving babies to cry on their own, which goes against the parents’ instincts to pick them up and soothe them. Advocates of this method, however, insist that those criticizing it only do so because they are doing it incorrectly. The method calls for allowing babies to cry on their own for intervals, for example, three minutes, five minutes, ten minutes, before the parents would comfort them, but without picking them up. The intervals become longer, until the babies get exhausted from crying and eventually put themselves to sleep.
Reducing night feeds was developed by Dr. Kulich, who recommends decreasing night time feeds, as it is “easier to extinguish than being rocked to sleep”. He recommends decreasing the volume of feeds until the baby does not wake for them.
Gradual Retreat was developed by Elizabeth Pantley. It is considered to be the sleeping method that is least likely to cause distress for both parents and babies because it does not involve allowing the baby to cry, making it a “no-cry-it-out method”. It is most effective for babies that need to be fed/cuddled to sleep. It recommends cuddling and feeding them to the point of drowsiness, and then putting them down. If they cry, they are immediately picked backup. Pantley also recommends keeping sleep logs to monitor sleep patterns.
Another “no-cry-it-out” method is by Dr. Richard Sears, often referred to as “attachment parenting”. This emphasizes a child-centered approach to sleep, encouraging parents to help babies learn to sleep in their own time, and to create positive sleep associations to help develop healthy sleeping habits.
Considered to be the middle ground between the cry-it-out method and the no-cry-it-out method, “Pick-up, Put-down” was developed by Tracy Hogg. This method advises against using props such as nursing and rocking to help babies get to sleep. In this method, Hogg instructs that when they cry, the caregiver must pick them up, reassure them (using words such as “Shh, it’s okay, I’m here), and put them down again. This is to be done as many times as necessary.
While there is evidence that suggests sleep training can alter babies’ behavior, there is still little research in terms of its long-term effects. It is important to remember that there are many external and internal factors that affect sleeping patterns. Even so, it is advised that it should be initiated with the purpose of seamless integration of the baby into the family, not to solve short-term and unavoidable problems such as crying at night.
Given the consistency needed to establish a routine, parents must be ready for the level of commitment it takes. Sleep training takes weeks to take effect. Not every household has the luxury of having the parents give most of their attention to their babies. These parents would greatly benefit from the assistance of a baby sleep consultant to implement the different methods effectively.
A baby sleep consultant, or baby sleep training specialist, as the name suggests, specializes in using the methods mentioned above to assist parents in establishing a proper sleeping routine for babies. Now, this does not necessarily mean they will go to your homes and perform the advised methods. They usually tend to work remotely and give advice through online channels, such as e-mail, and video calls.
Baby sleep consultants will ask you about your goals, your lifestyle, your parenting methods, and your baby’s personality; from there they create a tailored plan specifically for you. In this plan, they assess the baby’s current sleeping patterns to establish a baseline for their initial sleep log analysis (this depends on the consultant, but generally they keep sleep logs for their clients), and then tweak the plan they made from there. They will create an action plan so you no longer have to think about making one. You just have to read what they have planned specifically for you, and follow the instructions! Because sleeping habits also change as the baby grows up, sleep consultants (like me!) can also give you an idea on what to expect and anticipate so you will be prepared to deal with the possible scenarios. All in all, a baby sleep consultant is a wise investment that can make your lives easier, and your sleep, more sound
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