It's true! Teaching your baby how to fall asleep initially at bedtime will lead to less night wakings. The behaviour your baby uses to fall asleep on the first night will be used repeatedly throughout the night in between sleep cycles. Remember, everyone wakes up multiple times in between sleep cycles throughout the night —including your baby! The difference is that most adults know how to fall back asleep on their own, whereas babies often have sleep associations, which could mean they have a behaviour associated with falling back to sleep. Cue the need for the bottle, nursing, a soother, rocking, shushing, pacing or the patting at 2:00 a.m.
In a 2018 Parental Survey, parents who committed to some sort of sleep training were asked about their results. The majority of parents reported success within the first week with many reporting fewer night wakes and less time to initially fall asleep after the first night! This is the case with our clients as well. We typically see major improvements with our babies after 3 nights. We often tell our clients, the initial bedtime will be the hardest, but you can expect it to get better each night after that with minimal to no crying after the first week.
Here are some tips on how to get through your first night of sleep training
Don't start too early! The best time to work on your baby's sleep is usually after or during the 4 month regression. When your usually sleepy newborn is waking every 45 minutes all of a sudden, this may be a sign that they are ready for the work.
Avoid an overtired baby Follow appropriate wake windows for your baby on the first day. You do not want to start the first night with an overtired baby. This may lead to more crying. Instead, do whatever it takes during the day to make sure your baby sleeps. This is your time to use ALL the sleep crutches -- feel free to hold, nurse or feed your baby to sleep. Do whatever it takes for your baby to catch some ZZZ'z.
Create the perfect room environment - Ensure the room is DARK with blackout curtains, include a sound machine to drown out noise and ensure the room is at a cool comfortable temperature. (Keep the sound machine 6 feet away from baby and do not exceed 50 decibels)
We realize that the first night of sleep training can be difficult for parents. Some babies will cry longer than others. If you have any questions or would like support during this process, Book a Discovery call!
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