Progressive Parenting Network is an online community of parents, educators and caregivers that promotes physically, educationally and emotionally healthy children who surpass developmental milestones. The goal of Progressive Parenting Network is to collect and share the best practices for helping children achieve and exceed expectations.
SLEEP TRAINING – The nursery is painted, the crib and changing table are put together…finally. You have created a perfectly coordinated safari scene of 3-D giraffe, tree and zebra wall art from www.beetling.com. The only problem is that even though she is old enough, your bouncing little baby does not want to sleep in her brand new room by herself. You and your spouse take turns every night easing her into sleep then gently laying her in the bed and sneaking out of her room only to hear that dreaded “whimper” as you tip-toe down the hall. Then back into the room you go. The cycle seems to continue long into the night. You wonder how other parents seem to find time to do other things while your nights “begin” at midnight each night!
Not to worry, new parents, there is a solution that will have you sleeping in your own beds again. It is called “sleep training” and it is exactly what it sounds like. Please be aware, that training your little one to sleep is not the most fun you will ever have—especially if you are extra sensitive to a crying baby; but ultimately the process is well worth it. There are several methods of sleep training that have merit, however the one that worked for us was a cold-turkey approach, suggested by a friend whose son (born a week after our baby girl) was able to put himself to sleep without being held.
Our little one stood up in her crib and cried for about an hour for the first night. After she realized the crying was not working, she fell asleep standing up! She stood sleeping, leaning on her crib for two and a half hours for the first night. Fortunately we installed a baby-cam in addition to the audio baby monitor so we could keep an eye on the progress and make sure there were no actual problems. The following night she only protested for about 20 minutes— probably because she was tired and likely figured that the extra effort to stay awake just was not worth it. After a few days, our daughter was able to put herself to sleep in her room (in complete darkness) without Mommy or Daddy holding her. For this process to work, there are several factors that need to be addressed by the parents. To keep this post moving, however, the summary is that the child needs to be able to trust that everything will be alright when she goes to sleep and that you will be there for her when she wakes up. Your child can feel this sense of security because of your effort on the front end – all of the loving and nurturing pays off now (among other times)!
After sleep training, our daughter knows what to expect and has a routine where she is able to put herself to sleep and remain asleep for 11 -12 hours each night with a 2 hour nap during the day. The best part is that we are able to be adults after her bedtime and we can get the rest we need. When you step out of your home people will not immediately identify you as the parent of a baby evidenced by your disheveled appearance and bags under your eyes. Sleep training might be the single most important thing we have done for our whole family since she was born.
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