When is the right time for sleep training your baby ?|
One of the main concerns for parents facing sleepless nights is when to start baby sleep training. After trying nearly everything to help their baby sleep through the night, many parents hope that this is just a temporary phase and that their baby’s sleep will eventually improve on its own.
Unfortunately, that is not always the case. While it’s natural to want to provide more help to encourage sleep, this approach can create strong sleep dependencies that make the baby more reliant on external help. Instead of fostering independent sleep, it can go backwards.
The reality is that the best way to promote healthy, independent sleep is to teach your baby how to link their sleep cycles. From an early age, it’s important to reduce the amount of assistance you provide. By doing so, babies can gradually learn to soothe themselves back to sleep without external help, fostering confidence and better sleep habits.
If you want to find out more about the 10 Secrets for Successful Baby Sleep Coaching, ask for the Free Guide here.
This does not mean parents should neglect their baby’s needs. The challenge lies in distinguishing between actual needs and temporary wishes. It’s important to take a step back, observe, and figure out whether your baby truly needs your help or if they can handle the situation on their own. At times, babies simply need a little more space and time to try things on their own.
Before baby sleep coaching
Meet Carol, a mom of a 5-month-old baby boy who experienced terrible colic a couple of months ago and ever since the 4-month sleep regression woke up almost every hour and needed extensive rocking and feeding to fall asleep.
Parents were really exhausted when we had our Discovery Call and I remember mom saying:
“all these wakeups and hours of rocking have to stop!”
However, her doubts and worries about the timing of sleep coaching her little baby and of changing so much in their everyday life were there, big time.
But so was her need for sleep and for some quality time in the evening with her partner. Something they used to have before the baby.
As usual, I am honest in my discovery calls and even if my interest is to get the client, I always try to assess their level of anxiety, commitment and determination in going forward.
So, I told Carol that 5 months is actually the right age for baby sleep coaching, which sets a solid sleep foundation for her baby and promises easy-peasy sleep regressions in the future. This is what other sleep experts said long before I discovered my passion for sleep.
I think that this argument made a big difference in this family’s decision to get on board on this challenging sleep journey.
After the baby sleep coaching
With determination, trust and awareness that her baby’s need for longer and connected sleep will pave the way for a rested & happier family, in less than 2 weeks we managed to help little Sam fall asleep in 5-10 minutes and on his own at bedtime, waking up only one time per night for a milk feed, have a restful and predictable daytime sleep plus a smiley face most of the time. At 5,5 months, this is remarkable!
Sure, many parents are still worried at the end of our sleep journey that “this is too good to be true” and they fear that their babies will forget all they have learned after our sleep coaching program, but reality shows the opposite.
Babies who are sleep trained at the right moment (when parents can’t take it anymore), in the right context (sleep-friendly and conscious coaching) and with the right approach (holistic), develop healthy sleep habits for life, grow & develop well and form a secure attachment with their parents.
Sure, the consistency in staying on this path, with a certain level of flexibility, lies on the parents’ shoulders, but after they have seen the progress and benefits of a good night sleep for their baby and for the entire family, most of them keep going with trust and confidence.
Here is what Carol’s partner had to say at the end of our sleep journey:
“We worked with Carmen to address the sleeping problems of our 5-month-old son. Before working with her, he could only fall asleep after being carried extensively and with the use of a pacifier. He would wake up frequently during the night, leaving my wife and me extremely sleep-deprived. However, after just one week of Carmen’s guidance, our little boy was able to fall asleep on his own without needing a pacifier. The improvement was remarkable. We don’t know what we would have done without her help and can warmly recommend her to anyone in need of sleep support.”
The moment of truth
I think the biggest question to all overtired parents out there is: are you really ready for the change? Because even if we say we are, when it comes to implementing it, many of us fight it even more than the baby. In other words, there is one thing to want the change and another thing to be able to go for it.
But remember! It is never too late to ask for help, to prioritize sleep and open your ears to the science behind baby sleep and close your eyes for a more restful sleep.
It makes a big difference if you have a virtual helpful hand and a conscious human being guiding you along the way.
If you are an overtired parent or know someone who could use some sleep support, share this story or book a free Discovery Call so we can chat.