Mother, Baby & Kids

Baby Sleep Training: Top 10 FAQs As Answered by a Sleep Coach

Christine Tjahjadi

Image credit: xFrame

Your little one is here and you’re over the moon! A few weeks after your baby’s arrival, however, enduring prolonged sleep deprivation from having a newborn has taken its toll on you. And you may be just an inch away from losing your mind! Does this sound familiar to you? If so, don’t worry, baby sleep training is your answer.

While it’s completely normal, keeping up with your baby’s sleeping schedules can be debilitating. Thanks to the half amount of night’s sleep compared to the amount you used to enjoy pre-baby, you are now extremely groggy, fatigued, super irritable with fuzzy eyesight and a constant throbbing headache.

The good news is, every cloud has a silver lining: As your baby gets older and with a proper sleep hygiene, a good night’s sleep is in the cards for both you and your baby!

Baby Sleep Training with Sleep Coach Ho Wing Yan

If you are contemplating the idea of sleep training your baby but are either unsure if you should, or how to do it, we are here to help! Let’s hear from Ho Wing Yan, a certified Infant and Child Sleep Consultant and the Founder of Precious Sleep, who provides personalised coaching and comprehensive support for parents who seek to solve their baby’s sleep issues.

Ho Wing Yan

Baby Sleep Training Guide: Frequently Asked Questions by Parents

Q1: What is sleep training?

Sleep training means teaching your child to fall asleep without the help of any external sleep props such as carrying, rocking, a pacifier or feeding to sleep, etc. It aims to give your child the chance to pick up self-soothing skills, allowing them to put themselves to sleep independently and avoid waking up midway through the night.

Q2: What is the right age to begin sleep training a baby?

It is recommended to wait until the baby is at least 3.5 months before attempting any sleep training. The best time would be between 5 – 8 months. Newborns are too young to be trained as they are not physically and developmentally ready for it yet.

Q3: What are the common sleep training methods for babies?

The most common baby sleep training method would be the Ferber method whereby parents are encouraged to check-in at intervals. Another one is Pick Up Put Down method, which usually works well for younger babies. However, this method may drag your baby’s dozing off process as the cycle can be repeated and may cause more stimulation to your little one. The third and most preferred method is the Chair method. Here, parents are allowed to be by their baby’s side to soothe and calm him until he falls asleep in the cot. And after a few days, they will slowly progress by moving further away.

Cry-It-Out method is the least favoured as it could mean leaving your baby to cry alone in the room until they fall asleep eventually on his own. This method is more suitable for older kids.

Sleep training methods.

Q4: How do I help my baby develop good sleeping habits?

A baby with good sleeping habits typically feels confident, secured and falls asleep independently without any external props. The foundation to all these anchors upon your baby’s ability to self-soothe from an awake to asleep state.

This is a skill which requires time and practice to learn. In addition, parents should practice other sleep hygiene like finding your baby’s optimum sleep-wake windows and making sure your baby is full enough before being put to sleep. Besides that, they could try establishing a regular bedtime or nap routine, giving your baby enough stimulation during his awake time, setting up a great sleeping environment (i.e. quiet, cool and dark) and ensuring there’s no devices or blue light exposure before bedtime.

Q5: How long does sleep training take?

Most babies will show signs of improvement within a week of sleep training. However, it usually takes 2-4 weeks before everything sets in. It is important that you are consistent in practicing your chosen sleep training method and constantly observing your baby’s sleep hygiene factors for your child to learn quicker.

Q6: What are the common challenges of sleep training a baby?

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  • Being inconsistent – Caving in halfway could cause confusion to your baby hence prolonging the whole sleep training process.
  • Unrealistic goals – Setting fair and realistic goals that is suitable for your baby’s age is important. For example, we shouldn’t expect a baby to sleep through the night without feed for a baby younger than 6 months. Parents need to understand that every baby has his own pace of learning.
  • Parents are not mentally ready – Sleep training can be tiring and emotionally draining for parents, especially without any encouragement and support from their spouse or household.

Q7: Can I sleep train a fully breastfed baby?

Yes, you can! Mothers should look at breastfeeding as a form of ‘food’ for your baby, and not for ‘sleep’.

 Q8: Any tips for new parents embarking on their sleep training journey?

Image credit: Freepik

Your baby has to be at the right age and parents have to be mentally and emotionally ready for sleep training. Know that this is what you want for your child and for yourself before starting. Other prerequisites would include setting up a good sleeping environment for your child, getting a baby monitor so that you do not need to rush in immediately when your baby cries and no travelling, late nights or full day events with your baby during the sleep training period.

 Q9: What do I do if my baby is not sleeping well?

Take a step back and determine the possible cause of your baby not sleeping well:

  • Is he under/overtired before being put down to sleep?
  • Is he full enough before going to sleep?
  • Is he sleeping in a conducive environment?
  • Does he have a sleep prop (i.e. rocking, carrying, feeding to sleep etc.) and can’t sleep without it?
  • Is he sick?

Parents should seek help if any of the above are impacting the quality of their baby’s sleep.

Q10: How do I ensure my baby sleeps throughout the night?

  • Put your baby down before he is fully asleep so that he is conscious of his sleep environment before falling asleep to encourage self-soothing skills before falling asleep.
  • Pause and wait for 5-10 mins before responding to night wakings, so that you allow your baby to practice self-soothing and put himself back to sleep without any immediate intervention from parents.
  • Introduce a lovey, blankie or plush soother such as Fisher-Price® Soothe N Snuggle Otter, Calming Clouds Soother and Baby Bear & Firefly Soother to older babies as this eases the process of falling asleep.

Introducing Fisher-Price® Mummy’s Sleep Essentials!

Looking for baby sleep essentials that help soothe your baby to sleep longer and better at night? Fisher-Price®’s Mummy’s Sleep Essentials are definitely your go-to slumber essentials that will help turn your baby into a sleep superstar so that mums can gain their precious restful sleep back!

Fisher-Price® products are powered by PlayLab – an on-site R&D lab – that are dedicated to designing and creating the best and most practical solutions to meet the growing up needs of babies of all stages.

Fisher-Price® Soothe N Snuggle Otter