Sometime babies cry during sleep coaching and this is never pleasant for babies or their parents. Unfortunately for some children some crying will be part of the process no matter what the method is or how gentle we make the process. Temperament, past experience and age are contributing factors in the amount and intensity of… Read more »
11.) Start your sleep coaching at bedtime
When making changes to sleep it is vital to start at bedtime, from there you can continue to coach through the night or you can just focus on bedtime for a few weeks to see if the rest of the night improves on its own. Read more: Bedtime is Key
10.) Choose A Sleep Coaching Technique
There are a number of different techniques that you can try to help your baby learn sleep skills. We have included some here that are both no-cry methods and supportive low-cry methods. Each child and family is different and some babies will still cry even with a no-cry method. The amount of fussing and crying… Read more »
9.) Establish A Feeding Plan
Most babies between 4 months and 6 months of age will need to eat 1 to 4 times in the night. Some people may have told you that if your baby stops eating at night that he will start to sleep through the night. Eliminating night feeds in order to improve sleep is completely unnecessary…. Read more »
8.) Create A Daytime Sleep Plan
Your main goal for day sleep at this age is to try to keep your baby from getting over-tired. This will make it easier from your baby to fall asleep and back to sleep. Being over-tired may be the cause of some of your night wakings and may play a role in early morning waking…. Read more »
7.) Review the Better Sleep Basics
Important steps to giving your baby the advantage of learning sleep easier. Some families will see significant improvements with following just the sleep basic steps. We have also seen children start sleeping through the night with only following these steps: Read the Better Sleep Basics
6.) Create A Sleep Coaching Plan
Use the Sleep Coaching Worksheet (PDF Download) as you go through the next steps to create your plan.
5.) Consider Safety
As parents it is your job to assess safety for your child. It’s important that you are informed about the risks and benefits of different sleeping arrangements and decide what is best for your family. Most babies and families will still see sleep improvements while room-sharing, which is the current recommendation for this age in… Read more »
4.) Consider your baby’s temperament
Understanding your child’s temperament will help you choose a sleep coaching technique that is well suited to your child and may give you an idea of how to implement your plan in a way that help her learn sleep skills easier and faster. Does your baby take a long time to get used to changes?… Read more »
3.) Determine if your baby is developmentally ready for sleep coaching at this time
Even if everyone tells you that this is a good time to teach your baby to sleep better, it is important to determine if your child is developmentally ready. Babies who are sleep coached too early will take much longer to learn the skills and they are more likely to cry longer and harder without… Read more »