Is it OK to not sleep train your baby?

As long as your baby is old enough and is in a safe environment, sleep training (no matter which method you choose) is perfectly safe and healthy.

Will baby sleep through without sleep training?

Sleep training is necessary if you are so frustrated at your little baby that your relationship with them is being damaged. But, if none of those things apply to you, if you can put your baby ahead of yourself, sleep training is NOT NECESSARY. Your baby will learn to sleep eventually.

How do I get my baby to sleep without sleep training?

Put your baby in their crib at a set bedtime, when they're drowsy but not asleep. Place a chair near your baby's crib and sit next to them until they fall asleep. Leave the room. If your baby begins to cry, come back into their room and sit in the chair until they fall asleep.

Can babies learn to self soothe without sleep training?

No amount of training is going to teach a baby to be able to calm themselves down from a place of distress, and then happily drift off to sleep. Most adults don't have the emotional regulation skills to be able to do that.

Is sleep training cruel?

Of the few studies that have looked at the short- to longer-term outcomes of sleep training, none have found an effect on a baby's attachment or mental health.

WHY I'M NOT SLEEP TRAINING // My Baby's Sleep at 9 Months



When should you not sleep train?

Some examples of when NOT to sleep train: Before age 4–6 months of age. When your mother-in-law is visiting. Right before a vacation.

Is cry it out damaging?

The practice of letting a baby cry it out, or cry until the child drifts off to sleep, does not cause long-term emotional or behavior harm, according to a new study.

Does sleep training damage attachment?

One of the studies, published in Pediatrics showed that “graduated extinction” and “bedtime fading” (two common methods of sleep training) had no adverse effects on the stress response of infants, and no effects on parent-child attachment.

How long should I let my baby try to self soothe?

“Graduated” basically means that parents are encouraged to put baby to bed when they're drowsy but still awake. Then, you're to let your baby cry for 5 minutes before responding the first time.

Will babies eventually fall asleep on their own?

Babies don't begin showing a regular “day-waking, night-sleeping” pattern until about 4 months of age. This is why we recommend that you wait until your baby is at least 4 months old before you begin sleep training of any kind.

Does sleep training cause psychological damage?

No evidence of negative effects

There are two medical studies that specifically examined the effects of sleep training on child mental health and development, both of which found no adverse outcomes.

Does crying it out change a baby's personality?

Leaving your baby to 'cry it out' has no adverse effects on child development, study suggests. Summary: Leaving an infant to 'cry it out' from birth up to 18 months does not appear to adversely affect their behavior development or attachment.

How long is too long for crying it out?

But if your baby's naptime is typically on the shorter side and only lasts 30 minutes or so, you may want to limit how long you let her cry (to around 10 minutes) before you try another sleep training method or even give up on the nap for that day.

What is the happy sleeper method?

Basically, you come up with a bedtime routine and a reassuring script and then you lay them down awake. If they cry, you go in at 5 minute intervals and say the script, then leave again, no touching.

How do I get my baby to self soothe?

Self-soothing techniques by age
  1. putting the baby to bed at the same time each night in a quiet, dark room.
  2. establishing a bedtime routine, which may include a bath or a bedtime story.
  3. being warm and affectionate at bedtime so that the baby feels safe.
  4. not letting the baby nap for more than 3 hours during the daytime.


How do I teach my baby to sleep alone?

Here are a few things to consider when you're ready to move your child to his own bed:
  1. Consider transitional options. ...
  2. Put your baby to sleep while she's still awake. ...
  3. Start with naptime. ...
  4. Develop a bedtime routine. ...
  5. Adjust your expectations. ...
  6. Set reasonable limits. ...
  7. Consider a toddler bed.


What happens if you let a baby cry too long?

It claims that distressed babies who are repeatedly left to cry are at risk of developing problems in later life. Leach argues that recent brain research proves that babies who are left to cry for prolonged periods are at risk of suffering damage to their developing brains, which reduces their capacity to learn.

At what age do most babies sleep through the night?

Most babies sleep through the night around 6 months1. In one study, about 38% of 6-month-olds were not sleeping through the night, but that number dropped to less than 28% by 12 months. This is reflective of how the sleep cycles for babies change as they grow.

When can babies put themselves to sleep?

Babies have the ability to soothe themselves to sleep from around three months old, but that doesn't mean they will! You know your baby best, so you may prefer to wait until he's six months old, before you encourage him to settle himself at night.

Is sleep training selfish?

One of my most important jobs is giving families permission to sleep train their children because parents often feel very guilty and selfish about this. The fact is, sleep training your child is not selfish, and sleep training doesn't hurt your child.

Is Ferber method cruel?

Babies subjected to the Ferber method may become much more distressed during training than they were before. These so-called “extinction bursts”–which include more frequent and intense crying, protests, and tantrums—persuade some parents to give up.

Is sleep training learned helplessness?

As for those who believe that sleep-training teaches infants learned-helplessness, we have no research evidence that babies who are sleep-trained are at higher risk of behavioral and psychiatric disorders later in life.

Does cry it out cause SIDS?

Boston researchers found that in more than 21,000 healthy newborns, unique differences in the way some babies cried made them up to 32 times more likely to die of SIDS than the other infants.

Is it neglect to let a baby cry?

Letting babies "cry it out" is a form of need-neglect that leads to many long-term effects. Consequences of the "cry it out" method include: It releases stress hormones, impairs self-regulation, and undermines trust.

How do you sleep train without crying it out?

How to avoid crying
  1. Making sure you're following an age appropriate nap schedule for your little one to avoid overtiredness or under tiredness (our Little Ones App can help you here)
  2. Making sure they're being fed (milk and solids) at the ideal times during the day to assist with good settling and sleep.