Why Sleep Training Worked For My Family

Hello Friends, Today, I want to talk about why sleep training worked for my family.

Please remember that there is no right or wrong way when it comes to putting your child to sleep. Like most aspects of parenting, each parent does what feels most comfortable to them. Co-sleeping or putting your child in their room are both acceptable methods as long as everyone is getting a great night's sleep, and both parents are happy with the decision. I'm writing this blog based on my own experience.

After several months of co-sleeping with Little Penny, I realized how unhappy and tired I was. Not only was I not getting a good night's sleep, but it was also interfering with my time with my husband. To me, being a mother is just as important as being a wife, and it wasn't fear that I was starting to neglect my husband when we had other options.

One day I was venting to a friend, and she completely understood my frustration and, without any judgment, gave me her advice on sleep training. I started to do more research on it, and after talking it over with my husband, we both agree that it was time to get Little Penny out of our bed.
 
After tons of research, I found that the Ferber method was the best option for my family. This form of sleep training requires for you to put your child down on their bed while still awake, you exit the room and close the door. In the beginning, the child cries because it is new and different to them. The ultimate goal is for your child to self soothe and fall asleep on their own. 

On our first night, I let Little Penny cry for three minutes went into her room to soothed her for a few minutes, left again for five minutes, and repeated the process. You're supposed to go in at 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 15, and then 20 minutes. I went in every 20 minutes until she fell asleep. 

The first couple nights of sleep training were incredibly hard and extremely heartbreaking, but like my pediatrician said; It's always harder on the parents, then it is on the child. My husband and I had to stay strong! Eventually, things got more comfortable, and now Little Penny goes to sleep on her own with no fuss or crying. Having a bedtime routine did help the process to be less stressful.

Below I'm sharing some useful tips that made the Sleep Training process easier for me. 

1. Read articles, purchase books, and do research that can help you with the process.
2. Get a video Monitor: This was incredibly helpful for me because I was able to see and hear everything Little Penny was doing. It also reassured me that everything was fine.
3. Mom and Dad both need to be on the same page: This was one of the most important factors because if one of us cracked, the process started all over again. It was making Sleep training longer and more stressful. 
4. Be Consistent: Consistency is key! Having a bedtime routine was extremely beneficial for us. I found that when I did the same method every night at the same time, Little Penny started to adjust quickly. 
5. Nap and night train at different times: I started with sleep training at night. After Little Penny got adjusted with her routine at night, I found it to be much easier to sleep train during nap time.
6. Have a support team: Sleep training is one of the hardest things I ever had to do! Hearing my baby cry was extremely painful. Having a friend that had a successful sleep training with her child was so important. My friend rooted for me when I felt like giving up; she understood my pain and kept me motivated.
7. Join a respectful sleep training group: Facebook offers many different support groups. Find one that feels most comfortable to you.

We have the same schedule at night since we started sleep training with Little penny. She was about fifteen months old when we began the process. The routine consists of; dinner at 8:00 pm, followed by bath time, brushing her teeth, and reading a book. She does sleep with a sound machine on and loves to sleep in the dark.
 
I hope you find this blog to be extremely helpful.

I'm looking forward to our next chat!
Xo-Cinthia