Sleep Train Your Baby: 5 Most Popular Methods And When To Start

When you decide to sleep train your baby, it can seem like a daunting task, especially for new parents. Although it can be challenging and involve many tears, it will provide both parents and babies with long-term benefits.

With a range of sleep training methods available, the key is to choose a method that works for you and stick to it.

Read on to find out what sleep training involves, when the best time to start is, how to prepare and which method to choose.

What Is Sleep Training And When Should You Start?

Sleep training is simply when you teach your baby how to fall asleep independently. Once sleep trained, your baby will have learnt how to fall asleep without needing any help from you.

This is an important skill for your baby to learn, as it will mean that if they wake up during the night, they will be able to go back to sleep on their own.

Most experts suggest waiting until your baby is around 4 to 6 months old to begin sleep training. By this point, most babies are able to physically sleep for anywhere between six to eight hours without needing to wake up for an overnight feed.

Sleep Training Preparation 

At 4-6 months old, your baby should be developmentally ready. However, try to ensure that they are not going through a stage of sleep regression, which often happens at around 4 months old.

During these times, their sleep cycles change and some babies’ sleep becomes very light, so you may decide you want to wait until your baby is more settled to begin sleep training.

You should also avoid starting sleep training if you’re going through a period of change, such as moving house or going on trips which may disrupt their sleep cycles and usual routines. 

“You should only start sleep training when you’re sure you’re mentally and emotionally prepared for it,” says Michelle Anderson, a health writer at LiaHelp and OXessays. “It’ll require patience and consistency, so you need to be ready to fully commit to it for anywhere between 2 to 4 weeks.”

Sleep training will be more successful if you already have healthy sleep habits and a consistent bedtime routine. If you don’t, start by putting one in place first.

Many experts also suggest feeding your baby first, prior to their bath time, to ensure that they do not fall asleep whilst nursing.

Also make sure your baby is nice and warm at night this will help when you try to sleep train your baby. If you would like a little peace of mind with the methods below, you can install a baby monitor in the baby’s room.

5 Top Sleep Training Methods

There are a good deal of different sleep training methods to choose from. No one method is better than the others. You may even find that you benefit from combining multiple approaches.

Ultimately, what’s most important is to find an approach that works best for you and your family. Pick what works best to sleep train your baby.

Here are the 5 most popular sleep training methods.

1. Cry It Out Method

Sometimes referred to as the “extinction” method, this approach involves putting your baby down to sleep in their cot and leaving them undisturbed until they fall asleep.

If your baby cries, you let them cry without giving them any help or comfort. For many parents, this method may seem a little harsh. However, if followed consistently, your baby should start to fall asleep without your help within three to four nights.

2. Ferber Method

With the Ferber method, you put your baby to sleep in their cot and then leave them alone. You choose a set period of time before checking in on them (such as one minute). You can go in and soothe your baby, but preferably avoid picking them up.

Gradually increase the length of each interval by a couple of minutes each time until your baby has fallen asleep. On average, this approach takes about one week and you may want to keep a training log to track progress.

3. Chair Method

If you have an older baby, or you don’t feel that either of the methods above are for you, you could try the chair method instead.

This approach involves putting your baby to sleep in their cot and sitting in a chair beside them. You don’t pick them up, but stay in the chair until they’ve fallen asleep. Each night, you move the chair further away, until you are near the door and eventually, completely out of the room.

4. Pick-Up-Put-Down Method

With this approach you follow your baby’s usual bedtime routine but put them down to sleep in their cot whilst they are still awake, but drowsy. 

“If your baby cries, wait a few moments to see if they soothe themselves back to sleep. If not, go in and pick them up. You can then soothe your baby and wait until they are calm again before putting them back in their cot. You continue to repeat the process until you baby falls asleep. It’s a much gentler approach, but it can also take a couple of weeks, so you need to be patient,” says Julianna Eaton, a parent blogger at State Of Writing and PaperFellows. 

5. Fading Out Method

This method allows you to continue with whatever method or strategy you were previously using to put your baby to sleep, such as nursing, rocking, singing or snuggling.

However, you slowly begin to decrease the amount of time you spend doing this, until you no longer have to do it at all and your baby can fall asleep on their own. This is a good approach if you want to minimize crying, but it can take a long time and requires commitment and patience. 

When To Seek Further Help

If after a few weeks of consistently trying your preferred sleep training approach, you’re still struggling, don’t hesitate to seek further support or advice from your doctor. You may also want to consider enlisting the help of a sleep consultant or taking part in a workshop. 

Conclusion

Remember to sleep train your baby it requires patience and commitment, but the benefits are worth the effort. Whichever method you choose, the key is to ensure that you are consistent.

Sleep training your baby will enable them to gain an important life skill and gift you both with many nights of good quality sleep.