Sleep training

smwiggle

I know I have one of the older babies on the board, but I was wondering if anyone has started considering sleep training yet (or for moms of 2+, what did you do?)?  DS is almost 4 months and is a horrible sleeper.  He won't go down for naps consistently, won't nap unless held most times, and while we mastered the awake but drowsy method for night sleep, it is in the bassinet in our room.  Plus, DS has to have the paci to sleep.  This means that before he goes completely down for the night, he will fall asleep, the paci will fall out, DS will wake up and fuss, where I then insert paci and he is back out.  This occurs about 4-5x's in a 2-3 hour period.  It is also the reason why we have yet to transition to the crib. Any suggestions on which training method to use?

smilelari

We didn't do any sleep training with DS until he was 14 months old and we did it then because our usual tricks weren't working any more (we were doing things like holding him for entire naps up to about 9 months old).  We used the Sleep Lady Sleep Shuffle which is from the book Good Night, Sleep Tight by Kim West and is a gentler approach to sleep training (and she calls it sleep shaping)

My suggestion would be to read the book Bed Timing.  It describes the various types of sleep training methods (no cry, cry w/ checks, cry to extinction) and what ages are best for sleep training developmentally (like, for example, 8-11 months is one of the worst times to sleep train and usually failures during this period are due to bad timing, not bad methods).  So, that book helps direct you to the style and timing that is best for you.  Then, you might read more books that train in the style that best fits you.

This baby so far is a wonderful sleeper compared to DS, but if that changes and we decide we need to sleep train we'll either do it between 6 and 8 months or after she's a year old

jnealet

We did sleep training with D1 when she was 6 months old.  I woudn't do hardcore training anytime before 6 months.  There are some things you can try, even now D2 knows the "bedtime" routine - turn on her fan, rocking in the glider and singing the same song every night.  Its not always at the same time but its the same routine.

She wasn't ready to go to bed the other night and she burst into tears when I turned on the fan, so I know she knows what that means.  We went out and tried again later - I knew I was trying to get away with an earier bedtime.

So there are things you can do and I think the book the pp suggested is a good one.

b.heather

We did sleep training with DD at 4 months and it worked very well for us - she was a terrible sleeper and it was affecting her during the day big-time. 

We used a graduated check and console method from the book The Sleepeasy Solution. https://www.amazon.com/Sleepeasy-Solution-Exhausted-Parents-Getting/dp/0757305601