Sleep Training Myths Busted
As a parent, I have found that if you really want to get a healthy discussion started with a room full of parents, ask for an opinion on sleep training. Many jump straight to ‘cry it out’ (known also as the Ferber method) and assume it means lots of tears...for everyone but this is absolutely not the only way. As leading sleep consultants, we know that there are a whole range of strategies from camping out which involves starting right next to the child in their cot or bed, pick up put down (coined by Elizabeth Pantley) all the way through to the invisible string method that can help children deal with attachment anxiety at bedtime, there are a whole array of options and it should be what is right for YOU and YOUR family.
So here are a few more sleep training myths busted:
MYTH 1- THEY WILL SLEEP THROUGH FOREVER
Anyone that promises you that, once you sleep train your baby, they will sleep through the night forever is, I’m afraid, telling you a little porky. The fact is that teething, illness, life changes and regressions can all cause sleep wobbles down the line however, if you can understand the science of infant sleep and develop tools that you can keep in your toolkit to address the issue, then you can tackle any hiccups with confidence later on.
MYTH 2 - NOW I HAVE A BABY, SERIOUS SLEEP DEPRIVATION IS A FACT OF LIFE
Certainly in the early days, when you are response parenting and feeding through the night, sleep deprivation is a fact of life but, as you navigate through those first precious months, there are small steps you can take to help your child to sleep longer and for you to get a bit of time to rest and recover yourself. Some parents just aren’t aware of the many different strategies out there and so believe that sleep training can harm a baby in the long term. In fact, sleep improves everyone’s mood so attachment and overall wellbeing are often strengthened by families achieving more, higher quality sleep. A little self-care and prioritising sleep for you as a parent will lead to more time for you to look after yourself leading to you feeling more rested, energised and being able to give more. Whether that be because you get your evenings back, some time in the day to catch up on sleep or even time carved out to have a relaxing bath, go to the gym, do some at-home yoga with Adrienne (legend!) whatever it is, having time for you is important and your child sleeping means that this is possible!
MYTH 3 - ONLY GOOGLE HAS THE ANSWER
And what about the theory that Google has all of the answers? Well, I can tell you from personal experience that it does have many many answers, reading all of which can send you into a spin and make you doubt that you know anything about your baby or sleep, especially at 2am! In fact, sometimes, the sheer amount of information out there means that you can’t see the woods for the trees and this is sometimes, not always but sometimes, when an expert can really help. Even talking your situation through with a professional can really help to add clarity to the way forward and reassure you that there is a solution and, in most cases, it’s more simple and much less dramatic than you could have ever imagined.