If you have not read the other parts of this sleep training series, I suggest you start at Part 1. In part 3 of my sleep training series, I went over the Fading method, a no-cry (or limited crying) sleep training method. Today, I will discuss "The Chair Method". This is the first of what I would call a "crying method", however, you don't leave your baby unattended in the room at all. The idea is that you start by doing your normal bedtime routine and putting the chair very near the crib and
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Sleep Training (From No Cry to Cry) Series – Part 3
In this sleep training series, so far I've talked about the importance of a bedtime routine and gone over how you can sleep train while co-sleeping. In part 3 of this series, I will be discussing the "fading" method of sleep training. Fading, The Method This method I would consider one of the no-cry (or very little cry) methods. As I'm sure I've mentioned before, when you change the rules how baby falls asleep (usually by breaking a sleep association), it is usually not done without some
Sleep Training (From No Cry to Cry) Series – Part 2
Part 1 of this series I discussed why it's a good idea to sleep train your baby and the bedtime routine, your first step. Now I will discuss the various methods to help your child learn how to fall asleep without your "help". Co-Sleeping Co-sleeping is not a "sleep training method", but I wanted to talk about a way you can sleep train your baby but still co-sleep. Remember, sleep training is not cry-it-out (CIO). You can sleep train without letting your baby cry. Co-sleeping works for many
Sleep Training (From No Cry to Cry) Series – Part 1 – Bedtime Routines
Today I will start a series of posts outlining the variety of sleep training methods that I recommend. I will post them in order (as I interpret them) from no (or very little) crying to the most (potential) crying. There are many variations of these methods, so I am only going to highlight the main gist of each method. Every parent can add tweaks here and there to accommodate their unique style and situation. At the end of the series, I will tell my story of my first son and, eventually, my
Baby Sleep Needs by Age
I am working on a sleep training series where I will outline the various methods, from no-cry to cry, but I don't think it makes sense to write that until I have written out how much sleep we can expect our babies and toddlers to get. If our expectations are too high, we could be trying to sleep our children too often (yes I'm using "sleep" as a verb!) and it will become frustrating for everyone. If our expectations are too low, we might not sleep our children often enough, they may become
How A Child’s Sleep and Weight Might Be Related
Have you ever wondered whether a child's sleep and weight might be related? Time Magazine reported that a Harvard study (https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-causes/sleep-and-obesity/) concluded that too little sleep in babies and toddlers might be linked to obesity. And, they said TV viewing heightened the effect. No surprise there. At first I was skeptical about this study of the link between sleep and obesity. After all, we are also living in a fast food era,
Sleep Associations – Is Rocking Your Baby Harmful?
Is it a bad idea to rock your baby? It depends. It is never a bad idea to cuddle your baby and give him/her lots of love and affection! It's only when rocking your baby becomes something you can't keep up with that it is a problem. Let's take a step back and let me explain what a sleep association is. What is your sleep association? How do you fall asleep? What kind of routine do you do before you go to sleep each night? Do you watch TV? Talk to your partner? Do you read a book? Do you sleep
Is Sleep Training Cry It Out?
In today's article, The Baby Sleep Site® founder and expert sleep coach Nicole Johnson answer this common question: Is there a difference between sleep training and cry it out? ~~~ I thought I should first talk about my philosophy on helping your child learn healthy sleep habits. Sleep Training I don't define "sleep training " as cry-it-out (CIO). You don't have to let your child cry to teach healthy sleep habits. Some people seem to think they are synonymous and I disagree.