5 Tips For Sleep Training Your Baby 

Sleep training your baby is valuable as it helps your baby adopt consistent sleep habits. The key is to teach your baby how to put themselves to sleep - and stay asleep. As with everything, you’ll find methods that work and don’t work for your baby (and yourself too). So why is it so frustrating for parents and babies alike? Here are 5 tips for sleep training your baby from one mama to the next that will help you and your baby get a better night’s sleep.

Lights Out, Sound On

The combination of blackout curtains and a sound machine is the key to have my babies sleep anywhere. When I first created my nursery for my baby girl years ago, I was excited to have rosy curtains that filtered light to keep the room nice and bright. I quickly learned that this was not the best idea if she was going to sleep past sunrise. Once I installed blackout curtains (and made sure to minimize the cracks of light coming through) she slept a couple hours longer each night! Additionally, I needed to have a sound machine in my baby’s room because we have a loud house with guests and dogs coming in and out during nap times. Any mama out there knows there’s nothing worse than when someone wakes up your baby (especially if you worked so hard for them to fall asleep).

Swaddle Young Then Sleep Sack

A nice and tight sleep sack is on my list of baby must haves. Babies love to be wrapped tight and it helps muffle their startle reflex, which helps them sleep longer. When babies start to roll over, it’s time to transition out of the swaddle. I have found that transitioning them to a sleep sack is a good way for them to continue to feel secure in a safe way. Blankets should not be introduced to the crib, so a sleep sack is a great alternative. If your child is older and can safely use a blanket, it’s important they you choose one that keep them warm but is also breathable, so they don’t overheat. Duray Baby offers a selection of bamboo blankets that will keep your child cozy during sleep training.

Routine is Key

Babies thrive on a routine, so implementing a nighttime routine will help the sleep training process. Your routing might look something like: bath, lotion, book, song, bed. It’s important to keep the routine consistent so your baby can follow along and know what’s coming. 

Same Page as Partner

If you’ve chosen to sleep train your baby, which may or may not involve some crying, it’s important that your partner is on board. Say you’ve chosen to do the a method where you go into the room in specific increments of time, it’s important that your partner knows to follow the schedule. The more you “break” the sleep training method you’ve chosen, the longer it may take to sleep train your child.

Put Them to Bed Awake 

It’s super important that you put your baby to bed drowsy (not asleep) when sleep training. Imagine being a baby falling asleep in mama’s arms but waking up in a dark room in a crib, I’d be unhappy too! When babies know the environment they fall asleep in and wake up in the same environment it allows them to put themselves back to sleep more easily.

Remember, no baby is the same. In fact, even your own kids are probably not the same in the way they will adapt to sleep training. Ultimately, consistency is key and following these 5 tips for sleep training your baby will help your whole family get better sleep.