Sleep training tips for babies for a good night

After a wait of nine months, when you finally have your bundle of joy in your arms, there is no other feeling as good compared to it. With your baby by your side all the time, you only wish to look at those blush pink cheeks all day long. But with a cute little baby comes a tired and exhausted mother. It becomes a common thing for every new mom to wake up several times throughout the night to the sound of her crying baby. When your child cries, it becomes your responsibility to wake up, feed him/her, soothe him/her and put him/her back to sleep. Continuing this would make your child dependent on you to fall asleep no matter how many times he/she wakes up in the middle of the night. To prevent this from becoming a habit, it is best to opt for sleep training methods for babies.

What is sleep training tips for babies?
Sleep training methods for babies is the process of helping the baby to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night. Some babies learn the trick easily while other might have troubles catching up. But rest assured, sleep training methods for strong willed babies do work wonders once you start inflicting them.

Right age to start sleep training methods for babies
The best age to start sleep training methods for babies is usually between the age of four to six months. You need not worry if your baby is a little older than that, he/she can still catch up easily. During this age, babies have a regular sleep-wake cycle and also don’t rely heavily on feeding to fall back asleep.

The different sleep training methods for babies are as follows

• Cry it out: Parents usually hesitate to try this method. It involves leaving your baby in the crib and walking out after saying or kissing him/her good night. Your baby will often cry out loud and fall asleep shortly after. This sleep training for babies’ method will surely teach your child how to self-soothe. The idea is to let your child cry and fall asleep but if the crying escalates, you can intervene and soothe the child back to sleep. It may take a few days for this trick to work so you might want to be prepared to hear a lot of heart-breaking cries from your little one. This period is enough for you to determine on the success or failure of the trick.
• Shush method: In mastering sleep training for babies, the shush method is a popular one. This technique can be applied on your child without offering him/her much help to fall asleep. You can put your child in the crib and leave the room. Whenever the baby cries, you simply shush them, pat their tummy or apply pressure to calm and reassure them. But if the crying escalates too much it will be only best to pick up your baby and soothe him/her to sleep.
• Ferber method: This is a popular sleep training methods for breastfed babies wherein you can leave the baby in the crib and leave the room. Within a few minutes you can come back to check on the baby, say some sweet assuring words, rub to soothe them and leave. Remember to not pick up your baby as it would mean that your child will be dependent on you. Repeat your check-ins every few minutes, gradually increasing the time between every check. This tip might take a week to show positive results.
• Sleep consulting for babies: Reserving this for the last, approach this method only if none of the above has worked for your baby. If your baby can still not sleep by himself/herself, you need to approach a consultant. A doctor would be of great help who would suggest other alternatives that will work for your child.