Although parents can start teaching babies healthy sleep habits from the beginning, it is not advisable to follow any kind of formal sleep training method when the baby is too young. What's too young? It depends on the baby! Most babies are ready to start formal sleep training at 4 months, and others aren't until they're 6 months old. That's the perfect window 4-6 months.
That doesn't mean that up until they're ready, parents can't do anything. As we mentioned in our previous post, parents can start instilling good sleep habits and associations from day one.
What are the risk to start a formal sleep plan too early?
1) You will be fighting against nature:
- During the early months of your baby's life, he sleeps when he is tired, it's really that simple. You can do very little to force a new baby to sleep when he doesn't want to sleep, and conversely, you can do little to wake him up when he is sleeping soundly.
- Newborns need to be fed every two to four hours - and sometimes more, since their tummies are very small and can't hold food that last for longer.
- Babies under 4 months don't have the ability to sleep very long stretches of time. Somewhere between 5 and 8 hours would be the maximum at that age.
2) Sleep training done before their cardiopulmonary control mechanisms are mature enough to handle prolonged deep sleep could be risky.
3) Sleep training done too soon might increase the risk of SIDS (While there is no scientific evidence that cry-it-out causes, many famous pediatricians -ie. Dr. Sears- believe there's a correlation).
Even though our sleep training methods are very gentle and don't involve cry it out, we would not advice you to follow them before your baby is ready (4-6 months). Parents can learn how to make sleep training not necessary or easier by following a very simple plan for those first four months. Please contact us if you are interested in learning more about that plan.
Diana Gonzalez Blanco, B.B.A., M.B.A., is a Certified Youth, Parenting and Family Coach; a Baby and Toddler Sleep Expert; and founder of Smooth Parenting. Smooth Parenting is a baby & toddler sleep training consultancy and parenting coaching firm, that helps families around the world get a good night sleep and a peaceful, smooth and happy family life.
Diana has an impressive track record of helping families teach their babies to sleep. Her approach to sleep training and parenting is gentle, progressive, effective, holds the wellbeing of the child first, and follows the guidelines provided by the American Association of Pediatrics.
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