Sleep Training Myths Debunked

It’s time to debunk some of those myths revolving around sleep training! If you have played with the thought of sleep training, or hiring a Sleep Consultant, but had some mom-guilt kick in because of all the negative connotations with it, this one’s for you!

Myth: Sleep Training Equals Cry It Out

Fact: Cry It Out is actually just one of many sleep training methods in a Sleep Consultants pocket. There are lots of gentler sleep training methods, that we will usually try first. CIO is actually one of the least used methods by Sleep Consultants. After all, if you were OK with jsut letting your child cry uncontrollably, you probably wouldn’t have to hire a consultant for that! On my sleep plans, I give my clients two options and have them start with the gentler method first.

Myth: It damages the bond with my Child

Fact: Nope! This is simply not true. Studies have shown that sleep training, in fact, does not negatively affect the bonding between parents and children. If anything, it increases the parent-child bond if everyone gets the rest they need and is in a good mood! See my last blog post to read about this subject in depth!

Myth: Sleep will forever be perfect afterwards

Fact: Maybe, maybe not. Children change a lot in the first years of life, and there are a lot of regressions and development in between. BUT, it will give you the foundation, knowledge, and confidence, of how to handle certain situations. In my sleep plans I always give you the tools you need to sleep train your child now, and I include helpful information for the time to come, like how future schedules could look like, what to do for nap transitions, troubleshooting travel and sickness, etc.

Myth: I will never be able to cuddle my child for naps again

Fact: This really depends on your child. Generally a 80/20 rule is what I recommend. Out of 10 times, put your little one down 8 times in the crib/toddler bed like normal. The other 2 out of 10 times it’s usually OK to snuggle or have a nap on the go! As long as they they are fully sleep trained and know it’s an exception, most kids will do really well with this.

Myth: I won’t be able to tend to my child’s needs

Fact: Some parents might be worried that they won’t be able to tend to their kids needs when they are sick, teething, hungry, etc. This is absolutely wrong! First of all, we do generally not start sleep training when the baby is sick or acutely teething. Second, we always provide the best conditions possible before starting to sleep train, so we know when a little one is crying during sleep training, it is a protest cry, and not because there is anything wrong with the child. Third, once the child is completely sleep trained, it is often easier to determine when the child is actually sick. A lot of parents have noted that they only knew their child had an ear infection because they usually sleep amazing, but now don’t anymore. When something is off, your child will tell you even when sleep trained, and then you can OF COURSE tend to his/her needs!

Myth: I will be stuck in a rigid schedule

Fact: While an important part of sleep training is determining an optimal schedule for your child to prevent over- or under-tiredness, you are not stuck in certain ways. Same as above, I recommend a 80/20 rule. But we all know that life happens (especially when you have kids!) and you can’t always be home for naps, or have bedtime at exactly 7pm each night. Car naps and late bedtimes happen, and that won’t ruin your little ones progress. Just take it easy on your child and yourself if you missed the regular quality sleep.

Myth: Sleep Training won’t work for my child

Fact: You have tried everything already, from rocking your child to sleep to CIO, to shorter naps, longer naps, earlier bedtime, later bedtime, you have read all the books and nothing has worked. So you come to the conclusion it just won’t work for your child and you will just never sleep again until the “grow out of it”. Wrong! Trust me, your child can sleep through the night, too. Hiring a Sleep Consultant is such a great tool, because we do a full personalized analysis of what is going on, find the root issue and help you implement the solution. Sometimes it’s just a little thing you didn’t take into consideration. Sometimes we have to mix things up completely. Not every child is the same, so every approach is different, BUT every child can be sleep trained.
Also, even though Sleep Consultant are NOT medical professionals, we can recommend further sleep studies or doctors appointments if we think an underlying issue, like sleep apnea for example, could be the issue.

Conclusion

Don’t let those myths or the bad reputation of sleep training hold you back! I hope this article helped you ease your mind a little bit, so that you are ready to end those short naps and endless night wakings! Feel free to schedule a free 15 minute Discovery Call with me to talk more about your family’s situation and how I can help you get the sleep you need to thrive!