Sleep training?!
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Highly recommend sleep training, you will all absolutely reap the rewards. My LO is almost 2 now, and we started around 5/6 months. It was brutal at times, but whatever your method - don't give up! Cut the babe (and yourself) some slack when they go through their sleep regression or teething, but carry on! You got this 😊
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I just feel he’s a little young so I don’t let him cry longer then 5 mins and he’s doing pretty good and sleeps in his own room/crib.
It depends on how you do it. I would never let a baby cry it out younger than 6mo, I didn’t even let my daughter CIO until 9-10 months. We used Ferber method and it worked pretty well. But if you’re just getting him used to his room and crib and sleeping away from mommy doing it now before sleep habits are formed is best
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She never said she lets her baby cry it out ...
We started sleep training at 5th week. I couldn’t let her cry it out, so we do some rocking/walking around until she is almost asleep, then we put her down, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Cry it out method is not for everyone. We built a routine so she knows that she needs to go to bed, we bath/wash her, then baby massage, then I read a little for her on my lap. This routine shouldn’t take longer than 30 minutes. Our daughter sleeps early, usually she gets tired at around 530, we let her play until around 630 and do the routine, she’ll then get her last bottle before putting her to bed. Sometimes she would roll around for 30 minutes before she finally falls asleep, these days it’s better, she sleep within 10-15 minutes after the bottle. At the beginning she woke up anywhere between 3-5 hours for feeding, we started weaning her night feeds at 6 months, she is almost 8 months now and she sleeps through the night, it has been a relieve. Good luck!
Yes I sleep trained my daughter at 8 weeks and it worked like a charm. Read the book "12 Hours of Sleep by 12 weeks old". Super easy read and so helpful. Good luck
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Same! Def recommend this book
We started sleep training at 6 months but be aware it’s not for everyone as it requires lots of patience and persistence. We used the book by Marc Weissbluth and it helped us enormously. He explains the importance of sleep and that babies learn not just by the cry out loud method but by consistency, timing and soothing style (we used the gradual retreat method - it takes longer but it works) It was not easy at first and we all nearly gave up but it was worth it. He started sleeping well from 9 months and he is now nearly 3 years old he still sleeps during the night and we don’t have any problems. It basically means a good routine making sure his naps are not disturbed which means he will sleep well during the night. Every child is different so you have different options to try. Any questions, you can always message me😊
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What is the name of the book by marc called?? I want to get it
My doctor told me by 4 months babies don’t need any food during the night maybe a 5-6am feeding but that’s about it. Unless if your baby is sick or has to be closely monitored id say you can let them cry a little and theyll fall back asleep. Its Always the hardest on the first 1-3 first nights of sleep training
I started at 6 weeks! And my daughter sleeps great at night and she knows right after bath and bottle its bed time .no matter what she always lets me out her down right after.shes 5 months now and sleeping atleast 7 hours. Good luck
We haven’t officially started training but we introduced a loose bedtime routine. My babe is 11 weeks. We feed and change her into a swaddle or onesie and bring her into our bedroom where she sleeps in her bassinet. We’ve been able to put her down around 8/9ish and let her be. She sleeps all night and doesn’t get up until 8:30am or later. FYI she’s a really good eater so I think that’s why she’s able to sleep throughout the night and she’s a thumb sucker. I’m expecting her to have some regression. Right now we are in the middle of our 3rd leap so she’s more fussy and hungry. I’m giving her more comfort and TLC going to bed which has helped but I’m trying to be aware of not being a crutch. I wait a bit to see if she can self soothe. I did want to do the bath before bedtime routine but I realize that’s not practical when I go back to work. I also don’t like giving her baths every day which dries out her skin.
I have a 9 week old, never thought about sleep training him or even heard of it. Can y’all help me out? I have 2 other kids and never did it either. My middle one is 5 yo so it’s been a while since I had a baby. What is it and what are the benefits? Thanks in advance
My daughter turned 3 weeks today when should I start the sleep training
I was against sleep training (mostly because I had no idea what it was) at first... at 8 months when my son was still waking up every 1-3 hours I couldn’t handle it anymore. We started sleep training following the Ferber method... took him 3 nights and he started sleeping 12 hours straight. Each child is different but it worked like a charm for us. First night was the most difficult but starting in night 2 he was a champ! Nap training was a different story but I didn’t mind as much since he slept so good at night. Still does and he’s 16 months. I hope I won’t jinx it lol good luck mama! Do what feels right for you and baby. DM me if you have questions.
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Hey Cindy - did you just use the method when he woke through the night to teach him that night time is for sleeping and day time is for eating?
I’ve had my little one on a schedule since day one . By week 6 I decided I would let her tell me when she wanted to be fed at night only. Currently she is 8 weeks and sleeps from 11-4/5 eats and goes back to sleep till 7am. It’s not necessarily about training rather creating a routine and schedule and trying to stick to it as close as possible . During the day she eats every 3 hrs and I try to keep her awake for her appropriate awake time (currently 45-60mins) . Usually her last nap of the day is only about 45 minutes long as well.
My LO is 12 weeks old tomorrow, I’m exclusively breastfeeding and he tends to only sleep for 2 or 3 hours between feeds. Does anyone have any tips on how I could start sleep training? We have been slowly introducing a bath in the evenings already. Thanks xx
My advice is wait until 6 months or after. Sleep training experts don’t even advise until at least 4+ months. Baby is too little and needs you at all times right now. Hang in there, it will get better I promise!
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Agree with Deia!
I’ve been sleep training my little one since he was 6 weeks old and he’s a little over 2 months old now. It’s hard because he still needs to be fed every 4 hours, but what I do is feed him then put him right back. I don’t let him snuggle or hold him like I would during the day. If he’s upset, that’s different. I also use a sleep sack.
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Yes, I trained my daughter by giving her a bath at 9 and then giving her a big bottle or warmed milk and it took about a week for her to adjust
I sleep trained my son at 4 months! Best decision ever
It's not a good idea. Please don't force your baby to sleep through the night to suit your needs. It's a developmental thing and baby will do it when ready. 3 months is very little still and baby is waking for a reason.
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I don’t force him! Just trying to get him to self soothe. If he cries in the middle of the night I know he’s hungry. He’s waking about 3 times a night and each time he drinks about 2 oz. he’s a snacker
That’s normal! Regardless of feeding habits. Learning to “self soothe” is a myth. The guy who came up with it has NO child development background!
Sleep training is awesome ! Good luck! You may want to wait until baby is between 4-6 months of age because that’s when babies start learning to self soothe !
Best thing I ever did was start at 8 weeks! By 3 months my LO was sleeping 12 hours :) so what’s best for you!
I did not sleep train my baby. There are too many studies showing the negative effect of stress on infant brains. When a baby is sleep trained, if it “works”, all that has happened is that the baby stops crying for you because they have learned that you’re not coming. Studies have shown that sleep trained babies still wake in the night, and are in distress, but just don’t call out for you anymore. It is biologically normal for babies to wake at night, and longer stretches of sleep are developmental. Baby will sleep better on their own in time. Cuddle, rock and feed your babies to sleep, they are so, so little and need you so much right now, but it won’t be forever!
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Actually, legitimate studies show that there IS harm. Even if there are studies showing it does not, the science is far from being settled. There are lots of problems with the studies that show no harm. Tracy Cassels is a developmental psychologist and writes a lot about this subject, you can read more here: a http://evolutionaryparenting.com/no-stress-in-sleep-training-a-response/
That’s actually not true. Legitimate studies have show that there is noooo harm in sleep training .
Sleep training isn’t recommended at this age at all!! Babies are meant to need their moms.
At 4 months their liver has fully matured and can make glucose so they don’t need nightly feeds anymore. I think consistency is key in sleep training. We do a dance or something to burn energy, bath, book, feed and then rick him to sleep. He goes down by 8pm and wakes up around 6-7.
My daughter kinda put herself on a schedule.... she’s 4 months.
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That’s what mine did
Whether it’s right or wrong, I also did not and could not do it. The baby will cry if you try to self soothe and sleep train them, that creates stress hormones, cortisol etc and that can surly be not good for such a little body. Enjoy the cuddles while you get them! I’m sure he will gradually improve his sleep to his needs.
Definitely not ok. Sleep training is neglect straight up.
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She gets tired on her own around 9 so I star giving her a bath and let her tire herself out some more and then I give her a bottle and lay her down and even if she doesn’t sleep right away, she eventually plays until she’s tired!, she still wakes up around 5am
It is not neglect I’ve sleep trained my daughter and she is still this happy go lucky 8months old baby, don’t judge a mama for wanting to sleep train
I like all these responses! I just think it’s truly up to your baby and they will let you know what they need more of or less of. And some sleep with no issues and some need more cuddles Everyone is doing an amazing job
I don’t recommend it. It’s sad to make such a young baby cry. They cry because that’s their only way to communicate with you. They also have no idea about the concept of time, they don’t know it’s night time. It can also backfire on you later....My sisters boy did that, he was sleep trained for a year and now he’s up every night. Wait until he’s a little older, once you cut out all night feedings he will probably start to sleep all night. All 3 of mine did.
We started sleep training at 3 months (with the assistance of a sleep coach) and it was life changing. I don’t even know how to put into words how amazing it was/is and how much more time I got for myself and my husband... AND HOW MUCH HAPPIER BABY IS!!!
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Sleep coach ? I’m interested!
Yeah! The company is called “mama coach” and my coach was a registered nurse and lactation specialist so she gave me a lot of knowledge and support during the whole process. At first I was hung up on cost (400$ CAD) and looking back now, I would have paid a lot more had I known the outcome would be so incredible. It’s kinda like having a personal trainer. I was reading a lot and educating myself but I had no clue how to apply anything as there were so many different “ways” and I was desperate as I co-slept (something I said I would never do)... so I enlisted in finding someone to basically give me a program, and support me throughout the process. Honestly I could go on and on and I see a lot of judgement on here but I would (and will) do it a million times over to experience the results my Happy well rested family got.
Wow. Talk about being unsupportive! This momma didn’t ask for you to make her feel like a pile of crap, nor did she say she was letting her 3-month old cry it out. How about we offer her our stories of success and failure? Maybe show a little support? Maybe not attack each other on a mommy forum? Just a few thoughts ...
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I talked with our pediatrician, our nanny, a midwife, and other moms that I trust and came up with a version that worked for us. With my first kid, we didn’t let her cry it out until after she was 1. With our 2nd, it was 9 months. And with the work we put into scheduling, routine, and teaching to self soothe, both only cried for a few minutes for a few days before they were able to put themselves to sleep with no problems. Nap time is a cinch, they both sleep like champs through the night, and they both still need and love their mommy. You are the only one that can say what works for you. For us, it was almost entirely schedule and routine driven plus teaching them how to emotionally support themselves when they would get upset about anything. It all translated into fantastic and well-adjusted babes.
Thank you! Exactly I’m not letting him “ cry it out” I let him fuss for 5 mins at a time to help him learn to self soothe. When I go in after 5 mins I pat his butt say “shh” and kiss him and he goes to sleep! I’d rather start early on teaching him. And he does know the difference between night and day because he sleeps all night ( other then waking up for a bottle) and then he goes right back to sleep
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My sons about to be 4 months and I always cuddle him to sleep and then when I do put him in his crib (we just started this week we co slept) I put on his little Dino that has a lullaby in it. Or he likes abc’s like they are lullaby’s and I turn his fav YouTube song on my phone and keep it low so it is soothing to him and he slept through the night unless he wakes up to nurse
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No I don’t let my son “cry it out” because of the reasons you just listed pulse he has a medical condition with his larynx. I let him cry some times to strengthen it but I don’t ever let him cry it out everyone tells me I should but I don’t. I cuddle with my son after he nurses until he falls asleep and is in a deep sleep then I put him in his crib.
If you mean let him cry until he understands there is no point crying and he stops - yes it works to get your baby to sleep longer and without sleep association BUT it does damage to his brain as the production of cortisol permanently changes the structure of the brain and make them more prone to anxiety, depression, lack of self esteem all their life, so a cost you have to accept! other gentle methods work as well but can take much more time and patience
Talk to your pediatrician, mine told me pretty early that it was fine. I also didn’t mind if he woke up at night just didn’t want it to be every hour
How about some support instead of judging each other! Not all sleep training involves crying ladies. There are lots of different approaches and every baby has different needs. Sleep training is not neglect either. It’s important for baby and parents to get sleep! We tried Ferber method and it wasn’t for us so we’re going with a no cry method that’s been working well. We’re only a few days into it but our lady is getting better at going to sleep in her own without nursing or rocking and although she wakes a few times, I’m able to gently soothe her and she goes back to sleep without nursing. She’s 6 months old and I wish we would have started a little sooner. Good luck Mama, I’m sure you’ll know what’s right for you and your family 💜💜
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Ferber method is also called Cry it Out or CIO. If you google it there’s an easy to understand chart on how the timing works (you don’t let them cry indefinitely). It was too hard for me and I broke down the first night but I know parents that have had great success and by night 3 or 4 baby is sleeping well. Update - our babe is not doing well with the no cry method tonight. An hour of crying every time she didn’t have her hands on my face to confirm I was still there :( she eventually nursed one more time and passed it in my arms. While I love holding her I really don’t want this to become the only way to get her to sleep.
What is the Ferber method
I don’t know if it’s exactly sleep training, but we’ve been practicing a bedtime routine since she was about a month old. Now at 10 weeks she’s sleeping through the night in her own crib. Of course “through the night” means up for the day between 4:30-5:00 to get her ready for day care and me ready for work, but I’ll take it!
What’s sleep training? Lol when my son was able to go without feeding at night (around 8 months) and started to fight his sleep that’s when I started putting him down to sleep. If he cried I let him cry for about 10 minutes and then go and calm him down then start all over. Now he usually cries for like a minute or not at all and is out. He still fights his sleep though
I did no sleep training and on good nights she sleeps for 6-12 hours either co-sleeping or by herself in her crib
I just want to mention something everyone is missing. This baby has epic hair. What a cutie
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I know right definitely a cute babe and look at that huge smile. I can't get enough of babies' smiles it just adds to the cuteness
Let me make something very clear not once did she mention letting him cry it out. Sleep training can consist of cuddling rocking bouncing and even feeding the child until he falls asleep. My little one cuddles with Mama, at 9pm i give her a bath, infant massage, pjs and feed, cuddle and rock to sleep. Whether she is crying or not i check her diaper first after she wakes so she has a clean nappie to sleep in when i put her back to sleep. With that said i am changing her every half hour or every 3-6 hours. Everything must be dark, quiet and relaxing for her to sleep that way she knows its bed time. So in a way i've been doing sleep training without knowing it. However bedtime is the only scheduled sleep time i let her do her own thing throughout the day and keep everything, bright and loud even during napping. So go for it do what is best for you and your cute little boy.
My son is now 3 months old and we got him in to the routine of eat , bath , sleep. But we only do it at night and he sleeps throughout the whole night.
Babies cannot self soothe they just learn that they've been abandoned. I would never do that to my child. Have you researched it at all?
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Not true my daughter self soothes by sucking her thumb 😊
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/moral-landscapes/201112/dangers-crying-it-out
https://www.laleche.org.uk/letting-babies-cry-facts-behind-studies/
https://sarahockwell-smith.com/2014/06/30/self-settling-what-really-happens-when-you-teach-a-baby-to-self-soothe-to-sleep/
I'm not trying to say you're a bad mom or bash you, I'm trying to help and offer information you may not have had available to thought to look at. What you do with the information is up to you but I know you will do what's best for your baby just as we all would ❤ good luck with your new handsome squish!!
Breeeaaaathe... stop preaching and start sharing YOUR experience. We can all find articles to suit our opinions but that’s not what this mama is asking. Let’s share our experiences whether trained or not and let her decide what’s best for her and baby. Both ways have worked and no way is wrong. If you believe sleep training is the devil then share what you do with your baby rather then bombing the thread with links and negativity. Whatever you decide mama, it will all work out!
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Yes, I completely agree.
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We kinda do a little bit of self soothing. Baby is amazing at sleeping and great at going down for a nap- but going down at bed time he becomes very anxious and won't settle for almost an hour on bad nights! I try not to pick him up when he cries because I want him to know once he's in his cot, it's sleep time. All I do is either stand at the side of the cot or stroke his face until he calms, he sleeps within seconds, I walk away and the crying starts again! It's so hard, and you just have to take each night as it comes! All good fun!
Sleep training worked well with my son was so easy to put down my daughter not so much but once we put her in her own room she started to sleep really well and now I get sleep too 🙌 there is a book a like that helped me with this, it’s called babywise. Wishing you the best of luck in this area
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Have to disagree with u it’s a good book sorry
Baby wise is one of the most dangerous books please please please do not follow their advice!! Many babies have ended up failing to thrive because of that books info!!! There are so many news reports about how dangerous that book is!
I personally think 3 months is a little early. I did modified Ferber which worked well, but I did it when LO was 10 mos old. It only took me like 3 days. I only did timing like day 1. It was something like this: Number of minutes to wait before responding Day 1: 1st wait period-3 , 2nd wait period-5, 3rd wait period-10, remaining wait periods-10 Day 2: 1st wait period-5 , 2nd wait period-10, 3rd wait period-12, remaining wait periods-12 Day 3: 1st wait period-10 , 2nd wait period-12, 3rd wait period-15, remaining wait periods-15 Day 4: 1st wait period-12 , 2nd wait period-15, 3rd wait period-17, remaining wait periods-17 Day 5: 1st wait period-15 , 2nd wait period-17, 3rd wait period-20, remaining wait periods-20 Day 6: 1st wait period-17 , 2nd wait period-20, 3rd wait period-25, remaining wait periods-25 Day 7: 1st wait period-20 , 2nd wait period-25, 3rd wait period-30, remaining wait periods-30 This is the website. Best of luck!!! http://www.mybabysleepguide.com/2009/01/sleep-training-ferber.html?m=1
Do it now! Mine is 11 months and still sleeping with me..
We followed this book “12 hours in 12 weeks.” It worked like a charm and our baby sleeps like an angel and our life is sooo much better now that he is on a schedule
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Where can I find the book? My daughter WAS sleep trained until her dad moved here. Now she only sleeps 3-4 hrs in her crib before waking up crying. She wakes up around 3 times a night now, and she’s 13 months.
Since my little guy was on the smaller side when he was born, docs and LCs recommended we wait to try when he wasn't feeding through the night - easier on mom & baby isn't necessarily crying to be fed. But otherwise, I agree - he's still a little young! Snuggle that guy til you think he's really ready, they're only little once 😉