How To Get An Infant To Sleep At Night Baby Sleep Training

How to get an infant to sleep at night is a question that we are often asked. To help you with this we have created this baby sleep training guide. It will reveal the best baby sleep training methods for getting a baby to sleep. We have researched the most commonly asked questions about how to get a baby top sleep and you will find the answers here.

What is Infant Sleep Training?

The best way to describe infant or baby sleep training is that you will teach your baby how they can fall asleep without any assistance from you. Using the best infant sleep training methods, you can get your baby to sleep through the entire night. Baby sleep training can also help your infant to take naps for longer periods as well.

With successful baby sleep training you can put your baby down at the right time and they will go to sleep without you having to cuddle them, rock them, nurse them, sway them or do anything else. If your baby wakes up from their sleep during the night, good sleep training will teach them to return to sleeping again in a short time.

We will answer the first of many questions that parents have about this subject “is sleep training good for babies?” The answer to this is yes, it is. Good sleep training will help to improve the quality of sleep that your baby gets. It will also help you get more sleep as a parent which is important too.

There are a couple of rules to follow to ensure that baby sleep training is safe. The first is that your baby needs to be the right age to benefit from sleep training. Secondly, the environment that you use for sleep training needs to be safe. More on these things later.

When to Start Sleep Training Newborns

Can you start sleep training at 4 months? Yes, you can start to train your baby to sleep from around 4 to 6 months old according to the experts. The reason that the experts believe that this is the best age is because your baby will not have learned to stand up at this stage but they can also sleep without swaddling.

If you want to know how to get your baby to sleep through the night then the truth is that you can start them on sleep training at any age. You will face different challenges if your baby is less than 4 months old or older than 6 months old. But it is still possible to successfully start a baby sleep training schedule with them.

How to Start Sleep Training

Before you begin your baby sleep training journey and learn the methods for how to get a newborn to sleep at night, there are a few things that you need to do prior to starting the infant sleep training. The most important thing to start with is to get your baby used to a regular sleeping schedule.

The best way to do this is to begin putting your baby down to sleep at the same time each night. You need to choose a good time (we recommend 8pm) and put your baby down at this time every day from about 2 months. If your baby is older then still do this. Your baby should be drowsy but still awake. Even if they kick up a fuss, stick to the routine.

Another thing that you need to do is to not let your baby sleep for too long during the daytime. If your baby has slept for hours in the afternoon then they are not going to be tired at 8pm. Create an entire routine for your newborn which includes bath time, feeding, storytelling etc.

When it comes to feeding your baby, it is usually a good idea to feed them at the start of your sleep training routine. You want your baby to associate this feeding with sleep. It is very important that you get your baby into the right routine so that they are primed for sleeping through the night. Here are some proven baby sleep training methods:

Cry It Out Sleep Training

Some parents find the cry it out sleep training method difficult to do because you will leave your baby to cry until they fall asleep. Sometimes you will find this called the “extinction” sleep training method.

As long as you stick to your routine and your baby has been fed the cry it out sleep training method can be very effective. When your baby cries do not go into their room to comfort them. You need to toughen up to ensure that this method works.

Chair Sleep Training Method

If you are sleep training 8 month old baby for example, you may find that the chair sleep training method is more effective than cry it out as it tends to work better with older babies. You need to place your baby in their crib and then sit in a chair next to the crib until they fall asleep.

Do not pick up your baby if they cry. As you progress with the chair sleep training method you need to move your chair a little farther away from their crib every night. Your aim is to eventually move the chair outside of your baby’s room so that they will sleep without you being there.

Ferber Sleep Training Method

The Ferber sleep training method is for parents that just cannot deal with their baby crying with the cry it out method. You will provide some attention to your baby by checking on them and consoling them from time to time. This method is considered to be a gradual extinction and is often referred to as the check and console method.

You will need to let your baby cry when you have put them down to sleep for a specified time before you give them any attention. As you progress with the Ferber method you will lengthen the time your baby cries without attention gradually. After a while your baby will sleep without your attention.

Pick Up Put Down Sleep Training Method

This is a simple method where you will put your baby down to sleep at the usual time and then if they cry you wait for a period of time to see if they fall asleep. If your baby does not fall asleep then you will pick them up and console them and then put them down again when crying stops.

You will need a high degree of patience if you go for the pick up and put down sleep training method. This is because it can take a long time for this method to work effectively. Lengthen the crying time and reduce the number of times that you pick up your baby for the best results.

Bedtime Fading Sleep Training Method

If your baby cries a lot when you put them down to sleep then it could be that they are not ready. The bedtime fading sleep training method can help to change their sleeping pattern so that you can get them to sleep at the time you want.

You need to monitor your baby to see when they are showing signs of tiredness such as yawning and rubbing their eyes. When you see these signs then put your baby down to sleep. If your baby cries a lot then pick them up and try putting them down again a bit later.

Keep gradually moving the time you put your baby down to sleep back for about 15 minutes until you achieve your desired time for them to sleep. In addition to this, you can also reduce the number of times that you go into your baby’s room after you have put them down to sleep.

Final Words

Now you know how to get an infant to sleep at night using baby sleep training it is time for you to take action. Start by establishing a routine for your baby to go to sleep at the same time each night. Then choose the infant sleep training method that you are most comfortable with from the ones we shared above.

Is sleep training really necessary? According to the Cleveland Clinic, sleep training is both beneficial to your child and for you as a parent. Not getting enough sleep is not good for you or your baby. You need to be disciplined and consistent with your sleep training to get the best results.