When it comes to sleep training, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Sleep training will vary greatly depending on your child’s age. Each stage of development, from newborns to preschoolers, brings new challenges and milestones that can impact sleep training. Understanding how sleep training changes depending on your child’s age can be helpful for parents struggling to get their little ones to rest easy. In this blog, we’ll look closer at how sleep training differs based on age and provide tips for tackling common sleep issues at each stage.
Sleep training for newborns (0-3 months)
I don’t suggest getting started with any sleep training in this age group. Your baby is just too young. They should wake often and feed. I know it’s tough, but you are creating an amazing secure attachment with your baby, making them more independent as they grow.
Sleep training for infants (4-12 months)
With this age group, we want to begin by looking at what’s normal when it comes to sleep and feeding through the night. A 2015 study shows that over 60% of children in the age group continue to feed during the night. You can sleep train, giving your child the skills to get themselves to sleep at the beginning of the night and back to sleep during the night when they’re not hungry.
You can get started with some sleep training when your baby is 4 months old, BUT, you will want to use a gentle technique, no cry it out! If you’ve been here a while, you know that I prefer more gentle sleep training techniques and don’t use cry it out when advising families. Even if you’re using a more gentle sleep training technique, it’s best to pick your child up a little sooner and have a shorter period before your cut-off point. The older your child is, the longer you can have before getting to your cut-off point.
What’s a cut-off point?
When you’re gently sleep training, it is always beneficial to have a cut-off point. This is when you’ll use your sleep training technique before you stop. This ensures you are not going for the entire night or making your child so overtired that they have difficulty falling asleep and getting back asleep during the night, which is not what you want when sleep training. I’ve found that sleep training can still be successful if you have a cut-off point, and families usually see their child fall asleep with their sleep training technique within 3 or 4 nights.
Sleep training has a very different dynamic when your child gets to sitting or standing, as your child will not remain lying down when you first lay them in bed. That’s okay. Let them get up. It will be a big fight if you try to keep them down. Lay them back down every 3 – 5 minutes; they’ll keep jumping until they tire. They won’t just up as quickly then, and this is when you can help them fall asleep lying in their bed.
Sleep training for toddlers (12 months – 2 ½ years old)
Sleep training will be pretty different now! Now we’re helping opinionated toddlers learn how to fall asleep without help, and they are not afraid to share their feelings with you!
Continue to have your cut-off point. As toddlers have so much energy, expect them to jump up a lot. Toddlers have a lot of stamina!
Your child will probably be pretty frustrated when you’re sleep training. Toddlers deal with change, especially change to things that they don’t want to be changed, by getting frustrated.
I believe you should remain with your child and help them; they don’t understand why you’re making these changes. Think of it like you’re helping them learn to ride a bike. When you start teaching them, you remain with them, hold the bike, and as they become more confident, you begin to let go, they’re doing more, and you’re doing less. Within no time, they’re riding the bike themselves. Sleep should be the same. Remain with your child, give them help, and gradually reduce the help so they gradually become more independent.
Sleep training for preschoolers (2 ½ years old – 4 years old)
As your child gets older, you can reason with them. This can make sleep training a little easier. You can give options; which pj’s would you like to wear tonight? And talk about why you’re making the changes and even ask for their suggestions.
You want to make sure the steps you’re taking are manageable. When steps are too big, they are more likely to be unobtainable, and you’re not setting yourself or your child up for success. Your child will not be able to remain in bed until the morning if they’re used to coming to your bed at 10:30 pm. You can set up an okay-to-wake clock for 10:45 pm. When the clock changes, your child can come into your bed. As they become comfortable with this and see that they can do it, you can slowly and gradually make the time later and later.
Slow and steady wins the sleep training preschooler race.
Getting started with some sleep training can feel a little overwhelming. Finding the right technique and adapting to your child’s age, and sleep personality, will make things so much easier, and sleep training is something we want to be as easy as possible.
I hope this article has given you some helpful insights into how your child’s age can impact sleep training. Remember that every child is unique and may respond differently to sleep training methods. The key is to be patient and always prioritize your child’s well-being. If you have any questions, I would love to hear them in the comments below. Sweet dreams!
