The Bottom Line on Sleep Training

Does your baby need to be rocked to sleep by you or wakes up in the middle of the night demanding a breast, bottle or cuddle before drifting back to sleep? If your little one is at least 4 months old, it may be time to start sleep training.

By that age, babies can, and should, be able to fall asleep or fall back to sleep on their own by self-soothing.

For many parents, the idea of sleep training sounds very daunting so we sat down with Malaak’s Baby Whisperer, Cecile de Scally to get her thoughts.

“Sleep training does not necessarily have to involve tears! Sleep training is all about instilling good habits for your little one teaching them to fall asleep without help. That means baby is put down for bed drowsy but awake, and goes to sleep without being rocked, swayed, cuddled, nursed or shushed. Sleep training teaches your little one how to fall back to sleep when she inevitably does wake up over night which is a normal part of the sleep cycle, even for adults.” Cecile says.

“Sleep helps our baby’s brain mature and studies show that babies who sleep well and have early bedtimes are better emotionally adjusted and have a reduced risk for health problems in the future. For parents as well who are adjusting to their new routines, having well-rested babies who have early bedtimes are also happier, healthier and have more free time. Research has shown that sleep training can have significant improvements in maternal stress, anxiety and depression for parents.”

Many parents, although excited by the idea of getting more sleep, may still be unsure.

“Rest assured that you can still feed your baby once or even twice during the night, depending on the age and stage that your little one is at. We look at your child’s feeding requirements dependent on age and any special conditions and ensure a solid feeding plan that go hand in hand with your little one’s sleeping routine,” says Cecile.

We asked one of our sleep training mamas, Maxine, her feedback on Malaak’s Gentle Sleep Program.

“I was originally unsure about sleep training Hugo as I heard some horror stories about sleep training and I did not have the heart to do it. I realized I needed the guidance of a sleep expert and heard about Cecile de Scally and Malaak’s Gentle Sleep Program through a few sleep forums. After chatting with her I was much more comfortable to give it a try. She set my expectations that my baby won’t be sleeping through the night from the start and that we would work slowly with my child at a pace I felt comfortable with which I was very happy about! Cecile was amazing and spent time understanding my family’s environment, baby’s sleep and feeding routine as well as our sleep objectives. The Childcare Professional she worked with was absolutely incredible as she worked with us for 5 nights to help me get my little one sleeping through the night! We went from 5+ wakeups to zero in only 5 days! It was Life-Changing. I finally feel like myself again.” Maxine said.

The bottom line on sleep training? It is worth doing when parents want to do it and see it as an issue they need help with. If parents have a baby who is waking up four or five times a night, but they’re happy or coping and managing with that then that’s perfectly fine. If lack of sleep is affecting their quality of life, their relationships or mental well-being then it really is worth looking into getting some help.

If you’re ready to start sleep training your little one and guiding them into a healthier sleep routine, you don’t have to do it alone. Reach out to our team who will be very happy to answer all your questions about our sleep programs, how they work and when is the right time for your little one depending on your baby’s age, personal circumstances, feeding and sleeping routine.

For more information, visit our website or email workshops@malaak.me

Credit Source: https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2016/1101/p750.html

Credit Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3467591/

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