The Best Way To Sleep Train Your Baby

What to do when your kids’ sleep patterns differ

Every parent wants their child to sleep through the night, but even the experts struggle with their own kids in this department

Are you sleep deprived and longing for more than a few hours of sleep in a row?

Are you feeling overwhelmed with all the information and uncertain how to make the best decision?

You are not alone.

One Australian dad, who has come to be known as the “How to Dad”, gives some light-hearted advice on his YouTube video, “How to put a Baby to Sleep”.  (If only it were that easy!)

Article Continues Below Advertisement

 

 

It’s easy to question the methods you’ve chosen and feel guilty that you are harming your child

All kidding aside, sometimes getting your baby to sleep is no laughing matter. It’s easy to question the methods you’ve chosen and feel guilty that you are harming your child. But pediatrician Perri Klass, MD reassures parents in her recent New York Times article "Parents Shouldn't Feel Guilty About Training Babies to Sleep" that “there’s some good evidence that the various methods of ‘sleep training,’ none of which should involve letting a small infant cry for hours in a dark room, work for many children and many families. There’s no evidence that they do lasting damage to the child or the parent-child bond and, in fact, some reassuring evidence that they don’t.”

Article Continues Below Advertisement

Another New York Times article "Some Babies Are Just Easier Than Others" (by the same author) seems to follow the “If at first you don’t succeed” mantra. Even though she knew the methods and research as a skilled pediatrician, her attempt at training her first child failed. But children are different and her second child was completely the opposite.  It was a successful experience because child #2 followed all of the typical timelines.

So here’s the bottom line: know that all kids and parents are different. Find a method that works best for your family and give it a chance to work. If it doesn’t work, don’t feel like you failed, just try something else.

 


Annie Wiesman

Annie Wiesman

Annie Wiesman is the co-author of “Education Begins at Birth: A Parent’s Guide to Preparing Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers for Kindergarten.” She is a former kindergarten teacher turned stay-at-home mom who enjoys traveling, hiking in the mountains, and creating memories together with her husband and little girl.


Facebook Comments