Sleep training may be the key for parents who cannot get a good night’s sleep because their baby tends to sleep in spurts. In addition to regular daytime naps, babies need 9 to 12 hours of sleep a day during their first year of life.

However, since it takes three to six months for babies to develop their circadian rhythm, i.e. their internal body clock, sleeping in spurts throughout the day and night leads to sleep-deprived parents. Luckily, by implementing a sleep training method you could easily encourage your baby to sleep through the night.

So, let’s see what is it and how to introduce sleep training!

Sleep Training Basics

The main goal of sleep training is to teach your baby to sleep comfortably for hours through the night without needing parental soothing to fall back asleep if they wake up. Eventually, once you’ve sleep trained your baby, you can expect them to sleep 9 to 12 hours every night. This means that both you and the baby will be well-rested and feel better during the day.

Just remember that the key to success is being consistent and patient. And, of course, don’t start sleep training too early. Most babies aren’t ready for it until they are 4 to 6 months old because that’s when they are likely to have their circadian rhythm developed. At this point, babies naturally want to sleep less during the day and more during the night.

Sleep Training Methods

The Cry It Out Method

Also referred to as extinction or full extinction method, this method is characterized by parents completing a bedtime routine, cuddling with the baby, giving the baby a goodnight kiss, and leaving the room. If the baby starts crying, parents are supposed to not respond and stay out of the room. Eventually, the baby will get tired from crying and fall asleep.

The Ferber Method

Similar to the Cry It Out method, the Ferber method also includes a parent leaving the baby alone in a room, but gradually, which is why it is also called graduated extinction. In other words, parents do the same things as in the first method but for the first couple of nights, they immediately enter the room if the baby cries.

Then, they gradually increase the amount of time they let the baby cry before calming them down, eventually getting to the point where the baby doesn’t need parental soothing.

The Fading Method

Also referred to as the camping out method, the Fading method encourages parents to stay in the baby’s room until they fall asleep either by standing or sitting in the room. They do follow their bedtime routine as with the other methods and put the baby in the crib when they are sleepy but not asleep. They start by sitting or standing next to the crib and gradually move further away but still in their sight until they eventually leave the room.

The No Tears Method

Last but not least, the No Tears method, or the gentle sleep training method, focuses on teaching babies to fall asleep on their own but without any crying. To do so, this method relies on following a strict bedtime routine comprised of the same activities, performed in the same order, and at the same time every night. After some time, the baby identifies this routine and understands that it is time for bed.

The bottom line is there’s no right way to sleep train, but only the right way for you and your baby. Hence, if one method doesn’t work for you, try another one until you find your perfect match.