Peaceful Parent Sleep Coaching -- baby and child sleep consultant for parents of young children in Brooklyn and globally
  • About
  • Services
  • Free Consult
  • Sleep & Parenting Hacks
  • Success
  • Videos
  • Health Coaching
  • About
  • Services
  • Free Consult
  • Sleep & Parenting Hacks
  • Success
  • Videos
  • Health Coaching

Sleep & Life Hacks

New Year's Resolutions (Like Sleep Training) Made Easier: Part Two. Make a Workable Plan Customized To Your Family.

1/6/2020

0 Comments

 
how to sleep train


In my previous blog post, I talked about how doing “thought work” has changed my life, and how it can make sleep training, or any big life change, a lot easier. 

In this blog post, I’ll talk about figuring out how to actually execute the changes necessary to change your life. And your sleep. 

First off, I recommend that you do daily thought downloads and thought models every single day. They help me stay motivated and I know they will help you, too. I would love to hear yours -- post in the comments below!

Secondly, you need to figure out how to execute the dramatic changes you wish to make in your life.

There is no one right answer to this. It really depends on you and your style. 

Are you a rip-off-the-bandaid kind of person that would rather get the pain over and done with? Then you might consider doing an extinction-style method of sleep training. This method involves putting your baby to bed and not returning until morning.

Critics say that this method is cruel, but evidence-based research shows that short-term crying associated with sleep training is not dangerous and doesn’t hurt a child’s attachment to her parents.

https://pediatrics.duke.edu/news/sleep-training-your-child-myths-and-facts-every-parent-should-know


Proponents say that extinction-style sleep training is the fastest method and involves the least amount of crying, overall, for children. And gets children (and their parents) the sleep they need in the least amount of time. Because it’s quick, it is more likely that parents can remain consistent long enough to get the training completed. 


Others prefer a more gradual approach. For children older than four months, this typically involves sitting on a chair next to the crib every time the child is in the crib but not yet asleep. Every few days, the parent moves the chair further from the crib until eventually, they are in the hall and out of sight. At that point, the parent is free to leave the chair but can still call out to verbally reassure the child if needed.
​

Fans of this method like that the child can see the parent and doesn’t feel alone, especially if the child is accustomed to co-sleeping. Dissenters feel like this method takes too long and thus, is harder on both the child -- who is upset to see the parent and not be picked up -- and the parent, who has to be consistent for many nights in a row and can’t even read or look at a screen while sitting in the chair.

Some folks fall in the middle, choosing to leave the room but return briefly to check on the child at ever-increasing intervals of time. This is slower than extinction but faster than the chair method. 

There is no one “correct” method. Every family is different. Only you know what is right for your family.

Regardless of the method chosen, families will want to make sure that bedtime, morning wake time, and naptimes are optimized to catch the child at just the right moment, tired but not overtired. Naptimes and bedtimes at inappropriate times can create overtiredness, which means cortisol, the “stress hormone,” makes it harder for the child to fall asleep and stay asleep.

But every child, and every parent, needs great sleep. Great sleep is a gift to the entire family.

Let’s make 2020 a well-rested year for your family. Schedule a free consult and see how we can get your family the sleep you deserve.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Abby Wolfson is a pediatric nurse practitioner, certified child sleep consultant and certified life coach for parents. She divides her time between Brooklyn, NY and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. 

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    Categories

    All
    Achieving Your Impossible Goals
    Adolescents
    Boundaries
    Breastfeeding
    Coaching
    Cosleeping
    Developmental Leaps
    Early Waking
    Illness
    Life Coaching
    Living Internationally
    Naps
    Newborns
    Overtiredness
    Overwhelm
    Parent Coaching
    Positive Reinforcement
    Postpartum Depression
    Potty Training
    Preschoolers
    School Aged Child
    Self Soothing
    Setting Limits
    Sibling Challenges
    Single Parents
    Sleep Crutches
    Sleep Deprivation
    Sleep Essentials
    Sleeping Through The Night
    Sleep Obstacles
    Sleep Schedules
    Sleep Training Methods
    Sleep Training Success
    Sleep Transitions
    Strong Attachment
    Tantrums
    Thought Work
    Time Changes
    Toddlers
    Travel
    Twins
    Vulnerability
    Wake Windows

    RSS Feed

SCHEDULE A FREE CONSULT
Picture
Every child deserves a great night's sleep.
​© 2019 Peaceful Parent Sleep Coaching. All Rights Reserved. Storybrand Website Design by Red Door Designs