Sleep Training: Is it Safe? How it works, and why it is so important?
Will sleep training harm my baby? This is one of the top questions parents ask themselves when they are considering sleep training their little one. There is more and more negative attention surrounding the idea of sleep training that parents are avoiding considering it if their little one is struggling to sleep. They feel like this is normal and resign themselves to the fact their baby is a horrible sleeper. So let me take a minute to explain how sleep training works and why it is so important.
Sleep training is completely safe. It is simply teaching your baby how to fall asleep independently. It sounds very simple right? Well…. Yes, and No. It is very simple. That hard part is sticking to it when your baby protests.
How it works: Do your research as to which method you want to start with then implement it. A lot of parents start the process but fail because they don’t give it enough time and they think that it is because their baby protests so much that it is harming them. They feel defeated and think it simply didn’t work. That’s when they reach out to me and decide to hire me because they have another person to lean on for support that specializes in infant and child sleep. Sometimes that is all they need to feel confident to succeed. Others try it on their own and succeed. It all depended on the parents’ commitment level and how the baby responds.
Why is sleep training so important? Sleep is necessary for your child to grow and develop normally. All their growth and brain development happen when they are sleeping. Not to mention that sleep helps regulate their behavior, attention span, appetite, memory function etc. This list goes on.
Parents need sleep too so all of these areas in their brain can function optimally for each other, and their children. You cannot pour from an empty cup. Mama’s chance of postpartum depression increases from sleep deprivation. If your baby is not sleeping, they struggle meet their milestones, their growth curve will slow or increase abnormally, and their behavior will be irregular.
If your baby is struggling to fall asleep on their own, and/or completely dependent you to do it and your mental and physical health is suffering, reach out for help! Do not let someone else’s negative opinions deter you from making that choice for your family.
If you are looking at hiring a sleep professional to help you, and you’re worried about the cost, my packages have something that everyone can afford. Book that free discovery call to see what sleep training your little one will look like and see if we would make a good fit to work together. It will not cost you a dime, only 30 mins of your time. Let’s get your little one on the road to better sleep.
