Do you need to Sleep Train?
Do you need to sleep train? The real question is, “Do you want to change your family’s sleep habits?” Are you waking up 2 times a night, getting baby back to sleep and that’s fine with you? Then, no, you don’t need to sleep train, but, if you’re getting up 2 times a night and you want to change that to a full night sleep, then, you’ll have first, actually make some changes, come up with a training plan, and create new boundaries to follow your plan consistently.
Sleep Training is NOT just letting your little one cry until they fall asleep. Think of it as actual TRAINING: The process of teaching or developing specific skills, knowledge to improve capability and performance.
We can’t really “train” sleep, but we can train the skills we need to sleep well, and through the night.
So, What skills are we building?
Confidence: When we put our little ones down we want them to feel confident that they can go to bed without feeling any sense of worry, or uncertainty. This is why we make their sleep space familiar, we follow a short but fulfilling bedtime routine to create the anticipation of sleep, and we stick to our sleep rules, so that there is a clear and consistent boundary around sleep.
Comfort: Using techniques to comfort your child as they need you, and re-assuring your presences during training is so important, so they know you are available if something happens during the night. When they are comfortable, those frequent wake-ups will start disappearing, because they know they’re ok, and being comfortable and relaxed in their sleep space will help them get back to sleep on their own without your help.
Safety: This is more for YOU than your little one, but once you they are confident and comfortable you know they are SAFE! You no longer need to jump up at every fussy wiggle, or adjustment.
Hopefully this gives you a little more clarity on what sleep training actually entails. If you wnt to discuss a sleep plan that would work for your families needs, Let’s chat!
