What is Sleep Training
Sleep training is a method used by parents and caregivers to help infants and young children develop consistent and healthy sleep habits. Sleep training typically involves setting consistent bedtime and nap times, as well as helping children learn to self-soothe, fall asleep, and stay asleep in the night.
Importance of Good Sleep Habits
Getting enough quality sleep is extremely important for a child’s overall health and development. Good sleep habits help with behavior regulation, mood, memory, learning, and growth. Poor sleep, on the other hand, can lead to a range of problems such as difficulty concentrating, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and irritability.
Types of Sleep Training
There are different types of sleep training methods that parents and caregivers can use to help their children develop good sleep habits. Some methods involve interventions such as controlled crying and others involve providing comfort and nurturing but encouraging children to self-soothe. The most commonly used methods are cry-it-out, controlled comforting, no-cry, and gradual extinction.
Cry-it-Out Method
The cry-it-out method, also known as extinction, is the process of gradually eliminating parental intervention when a child wakes in the night. Caregivers allow the child to cry or fuss for a specified period of time and then intervene. This method involves putting the child to bed and not responding to cries until the specified period of time is up.
Controlled Comforting
The controlled comforting method involves parents or caregivers intermittently responding and intervening in their child’s protests during the night. This way, the crying or fussing is reduced and eventually extinguished as the child begins to associate night time with sleep rather than protest.
No-Cry Method
The no-cry sleep training method involves helping children become independent sleepers over time with comforting rather than protest. Parents and caregivers provide support, comfort, and reassurance during bedtime, nap time, and wake-ups to help children develop their own abilities to sleep.
Gradual Extinction
The gradual extinction sleep training method encourages parents or caregivers to gradually reduce their intervention in the night when their child wakes. Rather than responding immediately to your child’s cries, wait a few minutes before intervening, gradually increasing the amount of time you wait each night.
Conclusion
Sleep training is an important part of helping your child develop good sleep habits and getting enough sleep at night. There are several different methods of sleep training which parents and caregivers can use and they can choose one that works best for them and their child. It is important to remember to be gentle with yourself, your partner, and your child during the sleep training process.