sleep training VS lovingly teaching your baby to go to bed?

Question

Is this true???
Sleep training is the rough way to teach a baby to fall sleep?
If so, is there a way to do it gently? how?

Answer 1

If you get your baby used to a variety of sleep associations, ie don't always nurse to sleep, don't always rock to sleep. They will learn to go to sleep on their own in their own time.

HOWEVER you need to know what is a reasonable amount of time to go without food at any given age and that all babies are different. Because quite frankly most parent's think sleeping through the night is 12 hours, but your doctor means 5 hours when they say it. Do you see a small difference?

Read:
Sleeping Through the Night
http://www.kellymom.com/parenting/sleep/sleep.html

Studies on normal infant sleep
http://www.kellymom.com/parenting/sleep/sleepstudies.html

31 Ways to Get Your Baby to Sleep and Stay Asleep
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070300.asp

Sleep Trainers: Buyer Beware!
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070700.asp

CO-SLEEPING: YES, NO, SOMETIMES?
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T071000.asp

The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night
http://www.kellymom.com/pantley/index.html#ncss

Good Nights: The Happy Parents' Guide to the Family Bed
(And a Peaceful Night's Sleep)
http://www.kellymom.com/jaygordon/index.html

Answer 2

Sleep training worked amazing well for my second child. I feel I made the error of not doing it with my first, although am now realising that although my son sleeps amazing well (11 hours at night plus a 2 hour nap during day - he is 20 months) he only sleep well in his bed. Going away, staying at friends or holidays have been a struggle, he really is only happy in his bed. There is a brilliant book called 'the contented little baby' by Gina Ford - worth a read and will convince you that good routine really is the only way.

Answer 3

I have a five month old baby, and when I was pregnant I did a lot of reading. From all the books I read, there was a great variation of techniques to get your baby on a sleep schedule. The best book I found, that worked for me and my baby, was called the baby whisperer. You can find it at most book stores and it has this but other issues as well. I suggest getting this book. But if not, here is what it said about sleeping, you do not just let your child cry itself to sleep. But you also don't keep picking them up, rocking them or other habits they will get used to that will be hard on you. What you do, is put them in the bed, when they cry, you go in the room, pat their tummy, let them know you are there, as soon as they are calm you leave again. As long as a baby doesn't feel abandoned, it is not cruel. It takes three days to get a baby into a habit, so don't lose focus on the second day when it might seem easier to just pick them up and carry them around. Hope this helps!

Answer 4

Read it all, tried 'em all... Here's what I got to work:

First, remember it is your job to put your baby to bed. Learning to fall asleep is the baby's job... Weird, but true (and it still works with my son, I tell him "I did my job tucking you into bed, you do your job of falling asleep."

Lay your baby down & in the crib. Make sure it's comfortable for the baby (dark, music or no music, okay temp, etc.). He/She will cry eventually. Go back in the room every 5-10 minutes, rub/pat their back and have very little or no verbal interaction. Don't turn on the light, don't do anything stimulating. The point of this "exercise" is to reassure the baby that you are there, but not to give in, play, feed, etc. If this goes on for more than an hour, check the diaper, try to feed, etc. Then begin again. It will be couple of days (took me 3) but eventually my son realized the routine and went to sleep.

What I don't recommend: feeding the baby to sleep (bottle in the crib) co-sleeping (this will take YEARS to break) or picking the baby up out of the crib. Sleep time is sleep time. Not eating time, not playing time.

FYI: dad did this routine very well, as my crying baby really pulled at my heart strings - I really wanted to give in... dad seemed more stern.

Answer 5

If you want to put your baby to sleep in 20 seconds you must get the "Instant Baby Sleep" MP3 sound track. Here is their official web-site: http://www.instantbabysleep.net

The sound track gently produces energy over the full human hearing spectrum with an embedded pulse that gently eases the brain to the Alpha state well known for drowsiness and sleep induction.

Answer 6

I didnt try sleep training until my son was 16 months and he started sleeping thrugh then. I didnt feel he was ready for it before then as it just broke my heart leaving him to cry.

Answer 7

Place your baby in his crib when he's tired and about to fall asleep. He needs to associate falling asleep on his own. If you stand there until he's sleeping, he'll want that all the time.

Answer 8

Here are some books to consider:
"The baby whisperer"
"Healthy sleep habits, healthy child"
They discuss "gentler" forms of sleep training.

Answer 9

I just answered a similar question. I hope you will take the time to read my answer, since it gives a lot of information. You can find it here:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AvQTbPt7Fa5W_w_JaAqyJtPsy6IX?qid=20070209193239AAHdqRM&show=7#profile-info-15c636db2e03258efd83cf44525b9703aa