“Sleep Training” is such a buzz word!
A lot of people think of it negatively.
Many people have visions of babies being left alone in their rooms for hours on end. I promise, that’s not what sleep training is.
Well it may for some sleep consultants but it sure isn't for me!
I LOVE babies! And sleep too, but mostly babies! So, what does it mean? What is sleep training?
Different people and even pediatricians discuss the subject without realizing they have completely different definitions of the same words. Even sleep consultants can have slightly different definitions of what they mean when they say “sleep training”. Since you are reading this, I want to give you a clear answer to the question, “What is sleep training?”.
When sleep consultants use the term sleep training most of them mean “a number of different methods parents use to adjust their child’s sleep behaviors”.
When I ask, is your child “sleep trained?” What I am asking is “have you adjusted to your child’s sleep to where he or she is sleeping through the night and able to fall back asleep unassisted (without the use of sleep props)?”
Now I may have just used a whole bunch of words/phrases that you hear quite frequently but don't really know what they mean.
So here are some definitions, because it’s important that we are talking about the same thing.
Sleeping Through The Night is defined as at least 10 hours from bed time to wake-up time. *Note*Depending on age and weight, this does NOT mean without a feed
Falling asleep unassisted means putting baby down in the crib or bassinet awake and letting him/her sooth them self to sleep, without any sleep props
Sleep Props This is anything the baby is dependent on to fall asleep (pacifier, feeding, rocking, patting, etc.) If you want to learn more about sleep props, check this blog post out "Sleep Props - Friend or Foe?"
So now that we've cleared that up, you can really start to look at what you want for your baby's sleep habits to look like. And you can start looking at whether I am the sleep consultant you want to help you with that journey.
I offer free 20 minute sleep calls so you can get to know me a little more and how I work with parents and little ones. We also can start digging into what your main sleep problem is to see what would be best for you.
Click the image below to set up your call!
