Not sure if you are ready to jump on the sleep training journey? It can be confusing and with public pressure around your from social media, friends and family all telling you different things you may feel torn on what to do, what is the right thing to do and how to go about it.
In todays blog I am going to tell you about 4 signs you see that may help you make the decision to jump on the sleep training journey…
1. Your Baby Wakes Every 2 Hours
Age and stage of development is a huge factor when it comes to sleep training. A new born baby is expected to wake every 2 hours at least in the night and feed. That is normal and life survival skills! But when your child is say 6 months or older and still waking every 2 hours to feed then this is perhaps not so “normal”. At 6 months, night sleep starts to consolidate and naps start to take shape.
After 6 months I will tell you it is normal for a baby to still wake in the night for a feed and many will still wake for a feed up to the age of 12 months but if it is every 2 hours this is extremely hard on everyone and your child will not be getting the deep sleep they need to grow and develop.
It may be time to do something about it…
2. Your Baby Will Only Go To Sleep One Way or with One Person
When your baby wakes frequently in the night and only goes back to sleep with a specific parent doing something like feeding or rocking or bouncing up and down on a yoga ball or naps only on the move then this can take its toll on you.
Many parents report that their baby will only go to sleep with a breast feed or a walk in the pram around the park 370 times!
If this sounds familiar to you let me tell you what is happening here. Your baby has come to learn that these are the ways to fall asleep. Neural connections in the brain have been established when these sleep associations have taken place and when practiced over and over again it becomes like a habit.
This habit can be changed and your baby can learn to fall asleep independently without these associations. It may take months and months for them to naturally forget these associations but in the meantime what does that mean for your daily life and sleep debt? You may be returning to work or have older children to look after and the energy is slowly being drained from you.
It may be time to do something about it…
3. Timing /Age I only sleep train babies over the age of 5 months. Many babies are not ready until the age of 6 months and this is because their brain has not developed fully to be ready to learn new sleep skills. That 4 month sleep regression is a great sign to know your child’s development is moving the right way forward and once they have come out of it…its time baby! Equally are YOU ready, your child’s age is one thing but is the timing right for you? Maybe you are going on holiday or having family come to stay? Then I would say wait, wait until you have returned from holiday and waved bye bye to your visitors. You need to have the head space and flexibility in the day to concentrate on your sleep plan and be consistent with it. Perhaps you are returning to work or expecting another baby soon and you know that life will become unbearable on the little sleep you are currently on now to also deal with work or a new baby. It may be time to do something about it…
Ultimately YOU have to be ready and know it is the right decision for your family. Your family’s sleep is no one else’s business but yours! But remember if how you sleep currently works for you and your baby then there is no need to change it. If it isn’t broken then no need to fix it right! I am not here to tell you YOU have to sleep train, I am here to support you through your choices and give you options, support and guidance. Sleep is my passion and when I see how much life can change for a family who all sleep well his make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside and a drive to help more families!
If you feel you are ready or would just like to chat about it all why not book in a FREE 15 MINUTE DISCOVERY CALL to find out how I can help you be one of these Mum's you have just read about today CLICK HERE! Please feel free to share this blog with all your friends and let them know I am here to help you with my blogs, PODCASTS and more! Peaceful nights to you all, Rachael,
Your Paediatric Sleep Consultant
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