Life has a way of throwing us to the deepest part of the sea with only two options, its either you learn to swim with the whales or choose to drawn whichever way the choice is yours. Sleep training is one of such moments that take us to the edge, you rock the baby to your breaking point with several failed attempt. In my wildest dream of motherhood even though I knew it wouldn’t be easy, I clearly didn’t imagine of such extreme moments. I didn’t know that something as simple as putting a baby to sleep or getting constant sleeps would become a nightmare in my life. Well, now that I know better, simple is definitely relevant, it’s easier said than done.
Desperate times calls for desperate measures, so they say, when getting constant sleep became an uphill task for my baby and a source of stress to me, I realized something wasn’t right, and that needed urgent fixing. Upon digging deeper in research I was pointed out to a sleep consultant, who walked the journey with me. In my mind, this was supposed to help my baby get constant sleeps hence a better development; little did I know that this was more beneficial to me than the baby. Sleep regression not only disorients the child, but the mother as well.
In my 3 months journey of sleep training, I grasped a lot towards achieving my so much desired peace and quiet moment. Here are my take home tips for you: –
Do not shy away from asking for help
Getting overwhelmed does not mean that you do not equal to the task, every baby needs a functional sleep structure, and it is okay to hire helps to assist you in achieving that. No one was born knowledgeable enough to stand alone. The moments you spend learning how to make sleep manageable for your child, bring you closer to your baby hence making you an even better and happier mother. Having someone lift the load off you makes you a less exhausted and more functional mother.
- Know where to start from
It’s okay if you want to aid the baby through nap times but training ought to start from the bedtime. Research has it that any baby who can hold on to sleep during bedtime can easily slip into rest during nap hour. Also, the baby’s energy is more drained during the day and becomes tired by night hence deserving a smooth and longer sleep than during nap time. It is also easier teaching a baby how to fall asleep when you need them to rest for many hours than when you want them to rest for a while.
2. Have a working routine
Every permanent solution begins with a formula; create a workable routine for your baby’s transgress to sleep. Stick to the scheduled time and formula till it becomes a routine, and the baby will easy follow suit. Also note that when you do it repeatedly it does not only become easy to do but also sticks in the baby’s system hence a smooth transition.
3. Schedule the desired bedtime
It may sound counter-intuitive, but putting the baby to bed at the right time allows them to adjust well to the desired hours of sleep. When many parents feel keeping a baby up later may help them sleep into morning, it’s actually never the case because the baby gets exhausted beyond comfort and may fail to find sleep in that state. It is therefore, advisable to find a workable sleep hour that falls within the right hours after the last nap and thrive to honor it.
4. Be open to midnight feedings
Hacking a sleep training program does not necessarily mean you completely eliminate midnight feeding. A child’s health, age and feeding program entirely determines if the child is fit enough to evade midnight feeding of not. Sticking to midnight feeds does not necessarily mean interfering with the baby’s sleeping routine, but rather it may prolong the sleep. A child who wakes up due to hunger should be able to sleep immediately after feeding and in most cases they slip back to sleep on their own. It may take a while for a child to adapt to sleeping through the night without a midnight feed hence you should be open to the gradual process.
5. Find a soothing destruction
Babies are different, some fear noise while other love it, and some sleep through music while others can’t. Find a suitable destruction for your baby, something enticing enough to capture their attention. It will help put them in a quiet state, and naturally soothe to sleep.
6. Get all hands on Board
It’s important to incorporate your entire household into your plans, run the routine by them and make sure you are reading from the same page. You do not want your house manager running the vacuum cleaner during the baby’s scheduled nap time or feeding the baby during bedtime. Sleep training requires sync as a little alteration lead to sleep regression which will mean starting all over again. Staying in sync will also help you rest while you take shifts on monitoring the baby.
7. Be consistent
A good training is nothing if it lacks consistency, with an active routine and repetition it becomes a habit. Babies are fast learners, but only with consistency, if you stick to the plan they respond with results.
Sleep is paramount to both mother and child, lack of enough sleep may cause exhaustion, poor development, malnutrition, baby blues and worst case scenario postpartum depression. It is therefore, very important for a mother and child to find adequate rest throughout the nursing period. Like they say, ‘if symptoms persist seek medical advice’ so when sleep becomes a hindrance or a genesis to your mood swings or the baby’s tantrums then you know it’s time to find help. Do not wait until the walls come crumbling down on you get help from a sleep consultant, there is probably one around you. Alternatively speak to your pediatrician.
Did this information benefit you or give you an insight? Let’s hear your say. Leave us a comment below so we know we are walking the journey with you.