Sleep training books, do they actually work? Are they worth spending your hard earned cash on? Or are they just a load of mombo jumbo…Well, if you are ready to tear your hair out because of sleepless nights and naps that are only 20 minutes long then you are probably willing to try anything, right? Most of us would spend a small fortune if we needed to. But whatever method of sleep training you choose the most important thing is you want to see results, as in, you want your baby or toddler to sleep through the night.
Well I am here to tell you in this post, that luckily you don’t have to part with all your cash, that sleep training books CAN actually work. And I am talking about one in particular.
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THIS BOOK completed changed my baby’s sleep. She now goes to bed at 7pm and sleeps until anywhere between 6am to 7.30am. Naps are usually an hour and a half, twice a day. The odd one could be 40 minutes, but hey, she’s a baby so it’s OK! I will share the back story on my little ones sleeping pattern and why I needed to buy a sleep training book at the end of this post, if you are interested or want to see if you have a a similar situation.
What Is Sleep Training?
In a nutshell, sleep training is basically a process where your child is “trained” how to go and stay asleep. There are lots of different methods on how to achieve the goal of getting your child to sleep and I read somewhere where the definition of sleep training was ‘where the child is left to cry without been comforted’. Thankfully, if this is not your preferred method, this is not always the case! Read on if you want to find out what method this book has.
When Can You Start Sleep Training A Baby?
There are of course recommendations in the book that advise what age is best to start sleep training, but I also think that the saying Mum (or Dad) knows best, also goes! You can get an idea of when you feel like your baby might be ready. Personally, I just knew with my little one at 6 months (I should even have started at 5 and 1/2 months), that the broken sleep was because she was just completely over tired with naps that were too short which meant a poor sleep at night. We were just in this cycle of bad naps and bad night time sleeps so something had to change!
How Do You Start Sleep Training Your Baby?
I am obviously not going to go into detail on how exactly to start the sleep training but the one big tip I wold give is, mentally prepare yourself as there will be tears, your tears and your babies tears! And only start when you are can completely dedicate yourself to it. By that I mean don’t start and then after one week head off on a plane for the family holiday you planned, where you child will be all out of sorts from the flight and sleeping in a new bed in completely different surroundings. All the hard work you started will be completely undone!
How Long Does It Take To Sleep Train A Baby?
Honestly, every baby is different so I don’t think there is a straight answer to this question BUT I will tell you that after one full week my little one was actually napping in her cot twice a day (she refused to nap in her cot before this) and was waking just once at night for her night feed. She was 6 months old so I hadn’t chosen to wean her off the night feed yet. I weaned her off the night feed at around 7 months.
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But I Don’t Want To Hear My Baby Cry Themselves To Sleep!
Neither did I! So this is why this book is the BEST. As the Amazon description says it “introduces the stay-and-support method for parents who want to help their babies sleep through the night.” This is such a great method for sleep training. I just assumed that all sleep training was letting the baby cry it out. Obviously, there will be tears, that is a given, but it is just because your baby is trying to get used to something new but you are right their beside when to help them get used to it.
Will This Book Really Work For A Breastfed Baby?
I can confidentially answer this question with a YES, it most definitely can work for breastfed babies because I was exclusively breastfeeding when we started the sleep training. And if you have managed to get through those cluster feeds at the newborn stage, then you can definitely get through the sleep training!
Related: Breastfeeding Essentials That Will Make Nursing Easier
What Are The Benefits Of Sleep Training?
Your sanity is saved! But on a serious note, sleep for a baby is hugely important for their development. Getting you baby into a routine is also really great as babies LOVE structure and routine and it’s also great for you as it you can plan when you can get stuff done! I mean this in the nicest possible way, it also means that you can get a little time to yourself! We love our kids, but we definitely love a little quiet time too. Since my daughter goes down at 7pm instead of between 9 -10pm I have sooooo much time in the evenings to get things done or just relax with a glass of wine on the deck in Summer!
What Should I Know Before I Start?
- The key with any of these sleep training methods is consistency. Don’t start if you are going into it half-heartedly.
- You should definitely prepare yourself mentally as this won’t just work on the first night. As I mentioned earlier, after a week we found success which was great, but a week may not be what happens for everyone.
- Stick with what the book says, it says it for a reason. Don’t think, ‘oh I don’t need to do that bit’, because that one bit might be the one thing that is missing from having success
- Just think of the end result, a baby that sleeps in their cot at nap times and sleeps through the night.
- Tag the pages that you know you will be referring back to again and again as you go along, it will save a lot of searching!
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Just a little back story on why I went looking to buy a book on sleep training – although I am sure all of our stories are fairly similar! My daughter was almost 6 months old and the only way she would fall asleep whether it was for a nap or at bedtime was on someone, usually me as I was breastfeeding. Once she was asleep at bedtime, which could take anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour, putting her into the cot while she was still asleep was challenge, a big one. As soon as she was put lying on her back she would wake and cry. It could take up to three attempts to get her to settle in the cot. She would wake anywhere 2 – 3 times a night, the very odd time she wake just once.
Nap time wasn’t great either. She wouldn’t wake as easily when she was put down because I would lay her on her belly (which she preferred) but this was on the couch in the sitting room. So she was always watched when she was asleep on her front but this also meant I could hardly get anything done around the house, one because I had to watch her and two, I could do anything too noisy or she would wake.
It really took this book to show me that I was doing things all wrong and really prepare me for any future babies!
The author, Lucy Wolfe, has two books about the best sleep training method, but I just want to let you know which one I bought. I bought the blue, ‘The Baby Sleep Solution, Your Questions Answered’ book. But I bought this not realising that there was an original, more in depth book available. If I was to recommend one, I would definitely suggest that you get the original, ‘The Baby Sleep Solution’ white book even though the other one worked for me! I will eventually buy this one anyway as it does say that it helps with kids right up to the age of 6 and I think there would be some really valuable information in there.
I am obviously not going to give information from the book, as that would be completely unfair to the author and, well, plagiarism! Instead, this post is meant to be a guide to help you decide if you should buy a sleep training book or not. I will admit that I never really bought into the idea of these types of books before, but I was so wrong! So if you are sitting on the fence of whether or not to give it a try, then do your sleep deprived self a favour and get it (or any one you have been recommended), you will not regret it!
This post was not in any way affiliated with the author of The Baby Sleep Solution nor am I an expert in the subject of sleep training. I purchased the book myself and I am just sharing my personal experience and recommending it as I found great success with it and I hope other sleep deprived parents do too!
