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One of the biggest challenges we all go through as parents is sleep. Those first few months we are all sleep deprived. Getting a new born baby on a sleeping schedule takes time and patience. Here are four steps to help you sleep train your baby. Plus, how you can get your very own personalized lullaby for your little one to make this journey that much more special.

Four Steps To Help You Sleep Train Your Baby (Plus Personalized Lullabies)

Sleep is such a powerful word when it comes to the world of parenting. The moment that baby makes their debut sleep is never the same for us parents. The first few months there’s little to no sleep. Late night feedings, diaper changes, teething, etc.

Sleep training a baby can be challenging and takes a lot of patience. It doesn’t happen overnight and the key certainly is in consistency. I did a lot of reading and research for sleep training towards the end of my pregnancy and first few months of Emma’s life. My goal was to prepare and have an idea of what to expect and how to go about it.

I learned a lot from my research but I definitely felt overwhelmed and wasn’t sure where to start. The last thing I wanted was to do anything to stress my baby in the process. I picked up tips and advice that I felt more comfortable with and that I felt would work best for my baby daughter and us as new parents.

I wanted to put together this list of steps you can take to help you get started sleep training your little one. Every baby is different and I’m not a trained professional so while these may not work for you it is still a place to start and help you think about how you want to go about starting your sleep training journey.

First, here are a few of points to keep in mind:

1. Baby’s are not capable of differentiating between day and night the first three months of their lives. Sleep training before this age is counterproductive and won’t really work.
2. Ferberization methods are not really necessary but learn to not run to them right away when you hear them cry. Wait about 5-10 minutes before you check on them. They may just be making noises while trying to get comfortable and not really be awake.
3. Don’t tip toe around them and try to be quiet to not wake them up. As soon as you get home  from the hospital allow normal noises to go on so that baby gets familiarized with sounds around them while they sleep (Ex. screeching floor, tv, talking, etc).
4. Keep in mind there are normal fussy periods of time babies go through the first few months of their lives. These are typically two hour block times where they just cry and can’t seem to find comfort. Keep this time of the day in mind so it doesn’t interfere with your sleep training. Helping them fall asleep before the two hour period helps get through this phase. 

Four Steps To Help You Sleep Train Your Baby:

1. Follow your instincts:

Do what’s best for your baby, your family and yourself. There are many books, articles, YouTube videos and I’m sure podcasts that can give you numbers of tips on this topic. Just keep in mind that this is your baby and only you know what’s best for them. Trust your maternity instincts and listen to your gut when it comes to your little one.

Anything you read or listen to can advice you to start sleep training at a certain age. However, if you’re not ready then don’t rush it. If you’re co-sleeping and that’s what’s working for your household then that’s ok. If you’re having separation anxiety and want to keep your baby in their bassinet in your room then do that. It’s all about what makes you and your baby comfortable.

2. Stay on top of feedings during the day:

I’m so lucky to have found an amazing pediatrician for my daughter. She is so knowledgeable and goes by “old-school” techniques which I love and feel comfortable with. When it came time to start sleep training my daughter she gave me a lot of helpful insights which all worked for us. This was the main one and I feel like it truly helped us transition into a sleep schedule very smoothly.

Emma’s pediatrician advised me to stay on top of her feedings. From the moment she woke up in the morning and had her first feeding to keep feeding her every two hours on the dot. Even if she was sleeping. Like this she would start consuming enough calories and her night stretches would be longer.

This worked like a charm. Emma started sleeping six hour stretches at night almost instantly. She would wake up in the morning at 6 am and from there I would start counting every two hours and nurse her right on time. I started noticing that her mid-day feeding would put her to sleep right away. Which was basically her lunch time and then she naturally started developing her nap time. I would lay her in her swing and she would sleep for three hours. Then wake up and feed again and continue doing so every two hours until her bedtime.

Now I know her doctor said to feed her every two hours. However,  I followed my maternity instincts and would just let her sleep and take her full nap. My daughter is now two years old and still takes her three hour nap everyday!

3. Choose 1-2 places in the house for baby to sleep in:

This was another big tip from my daughter’s pediatrician. She told me to choose two places in the house that would be her places to sleep. Like this she would start to learn that every time I laid her on these spots it was time to sleep. This could be anything like your baby’s crib, bassinet, playpen or baby swing.

Our spots were her crib and baby swing. She quickly outgrew her swing so then it was just her crib. I moved nap time to her crib in her room as well as her bed time. This was a little hard at first. She was used to sleeping in her swing but was too big for it. It took a couple of days but she adjusted to napping in her crib quickly.

4. Build a night routine:

This is probably the main advice you will find in any book you read or get from any parent who has gone through this sleep training journey. Building a night routine and sticking to it is extremely important when creating a sleeping schedule for a baby. Night routines give baby’s queues that is time to whine down and start getting ready to go to sleep.

Our sleep routine was very simple and just a few steps. I made sure we did this every night and it’s how I built a bed time for Emma. I would start every night with a nice warm bath. Then I would rub her lotion and give her a quick massage. Put on her jammies and read a book. Then lights off and I would turn on some baby lullabies and breastfeed her. I would lay her on her bed and she would stay and sleep for the night.

In my opinion music played a big role in getting Emma to learn her sleep routine. Even if she was fussy she would calm down as soon as she heard the music go on. She knew milk was coming and it was time to relax and go to sleep. I would play for her lullabies played in classic music.

Sleep Train Your Baby with Personalized Lullabies:

I recently came across the these personalized lullabies and I absolutely fell in love with the idea. These lullabies are great to incorporate into your sleep routine. They are sweet, adorable and made to fit your baby’s unique personality and qualities. They are professionally written and recorded and the quality is top notch. You can read all about how you can have your own personalized lullabies for your little ones here.

That’s not all. I love these so much and want you guys to enjoy your own as well. Stephanie is the sweet mama behind these precious personalized lullabies. She has been so kind as to provide me with a promo code I can share with all my readers. You can use my promo code PEACH to receive 30% off any personalized lullabies.

Stephanie is super talented and a true professional. Check out the personalized lullaby she made for Emma! I wish I would’ve had this lullaby when I was sleep training because it would’ve made a wonderful addition to our journey and precious memory. I will definitely be having more done for any other kids I have from here on!

Hope these steps help you and give you an idea of where to start the process of sleep training your baby. Remember all babies are different, they have their own personalities. Not all steps may work for your baby so you find what works best for you. Be patient and enjoy the process. These will all be beautiful memories you will cherish forever. More importantly, your baby will not be a baby forever!

Did you find this Four Steps To Help You Sleep Train Your Baby post helpful? You may also find these other parenting posts helpful:

• Five Breastfeeding Mistakes I Made and What I Learned From Them
• Becoming a First Time Parent (Adjusting To Life As a New Mom)
• My First Time Traveling With a Baby
• A Week Getting Through Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease