Sleep training is simply teaching a baby to fall asleep on their own without being rocked, nursed, or cuddled, even when they wake up in the middle of the night. parents or guardians are normally advised to sleep train their babies when they are between four and six months.
This is because, during this stage, they can sleep for long hours at night without being fed.
Some of the ways that can help a parent or a guardian achieve successful sleep training are;
Pick a date
One should pick a date when the baby is not going through major changes in life like; introduction of a new nanny, when they are teething, or when they have been moved to their own room.
Have a routine
This is whereby one develops a routine almost bedtime like, bathing the baby, massaging them, or singing lullaby which helps ease their mind, and with consistency, the baby will slowly adapt to it.
Have a sleep diary
Keeping a sleep diary helps one to have track of the baby’s sleep pattern. This is whereby one is able to note the time when they are fussy and when they should be put to sleep.
Set the environment
Setting the environment around where the baby is going to sleep is essential and it involves keeping it warm if the room is cold, installing shades that help darken the room if there is too much light coming in especially in the morning hours, and also putting off the light so that they can be able to differentiate between day and night.
Choosing a training method.
This consists of choosing a method that is convenient for both you and the baby. Some of the ways involve, picking up the baby when they cry and putting them down when they stop crying, the other way is by cuddling and soothing them until they fall asleep and another way is by sitting beside their crib but few meters away and try not to soothe them until they fall asleep.
Consistency
The other way of ensuring effective sleep training is by being consistent. This is using the best effective way every day until they slowly adapt to it. For example, when they cry at night you can comfort them from outside their room or check on them to confirm that everything is okay.
Every baby needs sleep training and once they get used to a particular routine, it’s important to stick to it because they normally don’t like any change.
