Teaching our baby to go from being awake to falling asleep without needing outside assistance, without needing to be fed right before sleep, without needing to be rocked or held. This is actually a skill that all children need to be taught. If they are not taught this skill early on, they will have trouble sleeping as toddlers and even as adults. Self-soothing is an important step in sleep training. There are two things that we cannot do for our children, we cannot eat for them and we cannot sleep for them, therefore, the two most important skills are to teach them to eat healthy and to sleep healthy. No matter what method you choose, consistency is the key to sleep training.

An infant needs to sleep around 17 hours out of a 24 hour period. According to studies on infant sleep patterns, around 40% of babies are sleep deprived. This directly affects their development both physically and emotionally. This is why sleep training is so important. It's not just about making life easier for the parents, it's about providing the infant’s basic needs.

https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/index.html

There are many approaches to sleep training. Our favorites are the following two but we are open to discussing other approaches if these two don’t meet your needs.

This is the ideal method for sleep training where the baby comes in as a blank slate. If we can help her/him understand the pattern through establishing a routine right away in which we anticipate all of her/his needs, then there is truly no reason for crying. Starting out with a daily routine sets the foundation for the baby to learn self-soothing and gives them a feeling of predictability which allows them to feel safe. Some parents are waiting for the baby to tell them what is next, but it is our job to anticipate and meet the need before the baby gets stressed out, overtired, or over hungry. This is a no cry approach and must be started within the first month of life since this is when we can easily teach good habits. We provide each parent with a daily schedule and we customize it according to the family's existing routine and according to the baby’s specific needs. This is a method that I have used for over 20 years and now I call it The Joy of Sleep Method because it has been so effective. This method works for singletons, twins, triplets, and more. A more detailed explanation of this approach will be discussed during the first consultation.

This is a method that we use for babies that are 12 weeks of age or older and have not been taught the Joy of Sleep Method. We teach the baby self-soothing techniques during naps since these are shorter intervals of sleep. During the nap, we allow controlled crying with the purpose of teaching the baby self-soothing skills. Self-soothing is one of the most important skills we can teach our children since this is what will help them sleep through the night. We have all learned how to self-regulate at some point or another and the younger the child is, the easier it is for them to learn this skill. Once they have learned this skill, it will serve them the rest of their life. A more detailed explanation of this approach will be discussed during the first consultation.