Unlocking Sweet Dreams: When to Start Baby Sleep Training

The art of sleep training is akin to teaching your little one the fine British tradition of tea time—timing is everything. The prevailing wisdom among those who count more sheep than an insomniac shepherd is that the golden window for starting sleep training is when your baby is between 4 to 6 months old (psst 🤫, just between us, it might also happen a month or two). This is not just because we fancy a bit of routine, but because it’s around this age that babies start to develop a more predictable sleep 😴 pattern and can begin to drop night feeds.🍼

Why this particular age, you wonder? Well, it’s all about developmental milestones. At this stage, your baby’s circadian rhythm, which is a fancy term for the body clock, 🕔 starts to tick more regularly. They begin to understand the difference between night and day, much like they’ll eventually learn the difference between a biscuit and a scone.

Moreover, their little stomachs are now able to hold enough milk 🍼 to keep them satiated for longer periods. This means they won’t be waking up as often in the middle of the night with a case of munchies. It’s a bit like us adults not needing a midnight snack because we had a proper dinner—your baby is getting the hang of this too.

Now, every baby is as unique as a snowflake in a blizzard, so some might be ready to start a bit earlier, while others might need a few more weeks. It’s important to look for signs that your baby is ready. These can include:

• Sleeping longer at night: If your baby starts to have longer stretches of sleep at night, it might be a sign they’re ready for some formal training.

• Self-soothing: If you notice your baby can calm themselves down, perhaps by sucking on their fingers or gently rocking their head, they might be ready for sleep training.

• Consistent feeding schedule: A baby who’s got a good feeding routine during the day is primed for sleep training.

Remember, sleep training is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Some parents swear by the ‘cry-it-out’ method, where you let your baby cry for a set amount of time before comforting them. Others prefer a more gradual approach, like the ‘no-tears’ method, which involves soothing your baby to sleep without letting them cry it out.

In the end, the goal is to help your baby learn to fall asleep on their own, so that everyone in the household can enjoy a full night’s rest.