Sleep training disagreements

I need some advice

I don't want to sleep train our 5 month old but my husband is going to war with me over it. I completely understand people who decide to sleep train, I just don't think I'd like to do it. But my husband is saying that I'm going to negatively impact our LB if he can't fall asleep without me and he'll never be able to sleep independently.

I'm doing my best to create positive sleep associations by using a white noise machine, giving him a bath before bed, nursing and reading a book to try and settle him, then I rock him to sleep if he hasn't fallen asleep nursing (rarely happens).

I'm still getting up to BF maybe twice in the night, and I'm doing everything overnight really because my partner works, I hardly ever ask for help unless I'm so tired that I think the baby would be at risk.

I don't know what to do because I obviously don't want to do anything to hurt my son or cause issues between us, but I don't think I'm doing anything wrong?

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It is totally natural for a baby to be waking for food during the night.
He'll probably hit a sleep regression phase in a month anyway.

What you are doing at bed time is sleep training... you are setting a gentle sleep routine using some of the most effective methods.

NHS say you should be sharing a room for at least another month.

If dad suggests cry it out I'm pretty sure the research says this makes for anxiety in the whole family. But maybe he is thinking of a bed time routine where you feed and then dad does bath and story. He might feel excluded at the moment.

I'd say your hubby needs to read the same info you've found. And that a good compromise would be to agree when and what techniques you want to use.
But with an awareness that only once on solid food is your child going to sleep through. And that they will still need a gentle bedtime routine.

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Maybe you could start by reading this together and sharing your reflections https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220322-how-sleep-training-affects-babies

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So I think everyone thinks sleep training is just 'cry it out' but there are plenty of sleep consultants who use other methods now which don't negatively impact on baby's development to help baby's settle and start sleeping more independently. Worth having a look to find your local sleep expert before totally dismissing it.

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Sleep training using moms on call feeding/sleep schedules was a miracle for our house. I did not function on such little sleep. She began continuously sleeping through the night around 4 months old. It's worth looking into if you'd like your baby to learn to sleep on their own. I loved when my LO would fall asleep while nursing at bed, but continuing that will create a habit that won't sustain as they'll start waking when you put them into their crib and you'll have to start that process over again. Sounds like you have a great wind down/ bedtime routine already, though. Every baby is different, so what worked for us may not work for you all.

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I personally don't think you're doing anything wrong. And I also don't think you're going to negatively impact your baby with what you're doing. It sounds like you're doing all the right things to create a positive sleep for your boy.

Perhaps your husband is jealous or feeling excluded. If that's the case, he can maybe help you with some of the bedtime routine if he isn't already.

Is there any actual issue with your son's sleep? Like, is he not sleeping, wakes often, and i mean hourly/2 hourly or less? Is he hard to settle? Because unless there are issues with his sleep making it hard for you guys, why would he need sleep training. And if your husband isn't helping you throughout the night, what does it matter to him.

I hope you're doing okay and can figure this issue out. All I can say is stick to your guns unless you think you can come to a good compromise that suits you all.

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