Sleep Training Tips for New Moms

How, where and when a baby sleeps is a pretty hot topic in the parent world. There are strongly opinionated advocates of co-sleeping. On the other side there are very fiery opponents to co-sleeping. I fall into the camp of...do what works for you so long as you are keeping your kiddo safe.

What worked for us was having Mr. Bink sleep in a bassinet in our room on my side of the bed until he was six months old.  At six months we transitioned to his crib. I'm not going to pretend the transition from my room to the nursery was easy. In fact, it was terrible.... FOR ME! I sat in bed, staring at the video monitor ALL NIGHT LONG. For at least 5 nights straight. Then I got my shit together and calmed down. 

The issue really arose when I stopped nursing. Mr. Bink was a "fall asleep on the boob" type of guy. That was his bedtime routine. We rocked and nursed and he'd drift away into Milkland. This is really when sleeping went off the rails. Getting him down to bed became a nightmare and dreaded part of my day. He'd wake up throughout the night sobbing and looking to nurse. I work a full time job and my days just became dreadful. I was literally hanging on to my sanity with a single thread and decided I needed to sleep train. 

Here are some tips I can offer all of you Mama's out there:

1. Remember... it's much harder for you than it is for them.  Mr. Bink is a baby that needs sleep, love, sustenance, safety and stability. Sleep training him takes none of these things away. You need to remember that. In fact, it help children sooth themselves which will come in handy later in life.

2. Feel the baby a nice big meal before they go to bed. Early on I made the mistake of feeding Bink when he woke in the night during our sleep training process. He began to expect it. Feed your little a nice big meal before he goes to bed and offer a pacifier to help sooth him during the night if he wakes up.

3. Let them cry it out a bit. I was SO concerned about extended crying. It was something I even spoke with my Pedi about. I wanted to make sure I wasn't being cruel or neglectful if I ever let the baby cry. I know there are so many different opinions about it but we decided that letting him cry for 10 minute spans was acceptable. At the 10 minute mark either my husband or I would go in, comfort him by rubbing him on his tummy or giving him his paci. 

4. You need to be persistent and consistent. If you do this for three days straight, it will become a habit. TRUST ME. Take a long weekend. It will be a weekend full of stress, tears from everyone and a lot of emotions - but at the end of it you may just have your sanity back. 

Please share your experiences in the comments below!! 

xx