What Age Did You Start Sleep Training?

We did a gentle ferber method around 7 months and it started working after just 2 nights. My baby was always a huge contact sleeper and from 4-6 months he would only sleep 30 minutes at a time in his bassinet and we had to co-sleep in order to get any longer stretches. The ferber did work to help him link sleep cycles and stop the waking every 30 minutes. However, I could also sense at 7 months that he was getting uncomfortable cosleeping and ready to transition to his crib, but any sooner likely would have been a disaster, however that's just my belief knowing my own baby. That being said, I believe 3 months is way too early to sleep train. Many sleep training programs recommend starting after 6 months. They are still growing at a huge rate at 3 months and they still really need those night feedings. At 4 months a baby's sleep cycle fundamentally changes and matures (what we know as the 4 month regression) so any training you do now will likely be undone after they go through the regression.

I did sleep training at around 4.5 months with my first baby, 3.5 months with second baby. I did a gentle version though and didn't try to stop night wakings, both of them only woke for milk not comfort by these stages. Things I had in place before were following wake windows, dark room white noise for all sleeps, if they woke in the night didn't go immediately but gave them a few minutes to attempt self-settling, I only intervened if it escalated to crying. Mini nap routine, bedtime routine. No individual nap over 2 hours, capping overall day sleep if necessary. Then I started putting them down awake and left. If they got upset I sang over the monitor, if that didn't work went in their room and sang. My second generally got naps easier so bedtime if he wasn't asleep after 30 minutes of trying I fed to sleep and tried again the next day. I'd say I knew both were capable of self-settling before I started, I'd seen them do it, often when I put them down to have a break from getting them to sleep 😂...

And it worked quicker when I started later with my first. Took longer with my second but he probably took to it a bit easier. I knew he was younger so didn't expect him to consistently self-settle immediately I knew he'd need help. Both were sleep trained by 5 months and slept through the night. Best thing I ever did imo. Of course there are bumps later but if you deal with them intentionally they pass.