Mistakes parents make when gentle sleep training
If you are getting started with some gentle sleep training, you want to set yourself and your child up for success.
Even though you won’t be leaving your child to cry alone, gentle sleep training isn’t easy. You’ll always be with your child and helping them as much as needed, which is undoubtedly easier and so much more supportive; you’ll still want to know the mistakes parents make when gently sleep training.
Mistake 1. The Wrong Time.
There are times when gentle sleep training can be easier than others. If you choose the wrong time, it can be disastrous!
You don’t want to start gently sleep training if your child is unwell, in pain teething, in the middle of a sleep regression, when traveling, you’re moving house, going back to work, etc. Well, that’s basically all the time I hear you cry. It kind of is, but you get the gist, things don’t need to be perfect, but you don’t want to gently sleep train when something big is going on.
Mistake 2. You’re not working with your child’s sleep personality.
When you work with your child’s sleep personality, you work at a pace that will get you success, go too fast or too slow, and your child may struggle.
Take my sleep personality quiz to find out your child’s sleep personality.
Mistake 3. You don’t have a solid plan.
When I work with families, I want them to know exactly what they’re doing and when they’re doing it. They need to be on automatic pilot. This comes with having a solid plan. Before the families I work with begin gently sleep training, we have thoroughly gone through the plan; I’ve asked questions so many questions. “When you go into your child when they wake, do you think they’ll be sat up? Stood up? Laying down?” These questions help the family imagine what their night will look like. We then have the opportunity to make that solid plan. The family will then have one or two nights before they get started gently sleep training; they go through the night, and as they’re dealing with the wakings and feeds, they think about how they’ll be implementing our gentle sleep training technique. This solidifies their plan and gives them the opportunity for me to answer their questions before they get started.
Mistake 4. Parents are not on the same page.
Teamwork makes dreamwork! Or something.
If you are getting started with some support, you want to make sure you and your gentle sleep training partner are on the same page. Your partner needs to do the same thing you are doing, and you need to work together. 3 am discussions on who needs to be doing what never, ever end well.
Mistake 5. Unrealistic expectations.
As your gently sleep training, you won’t get instant results. With cry it out, families begin to see significant results at night 3 or 4 (only because your child has learnt that there is no point in crying as no one will come and help them.). You will begin to see results on night 3 or 4 when gently sleep training, and you never know that may involve 7 hours of sleep, but it’s more likely to look like a much easier time falling asleep and back asleep during the night.
The more you know, the easier it will be when it comes to gentle sleep training. So, take your time, and get as much information as possible.
