Is Sleep Training Just CIO?
Over the past few years, I’ve come across many online accounts that are anti-sleep training. Some of these influencers talk about having early memories of crying themselves to sleep in the crib, and having feelings of abandonment being left there alone. The thing is, when we think way back to our childhood, it’s rare to remember anything that happened before age 2.5-3 years old. Even that may be a stretch.
However, regardless of how intact your memory of childhood may be, sleep training is far more structured than simply letting your baby cry-it-out. In fact, if your child is crying for a long period of time, there’s generally something else happening that’s causing the crying.
There are 4 main sleep training methods out there:
Extinction (cry-it-out)
Leave and Check (intervaled check ins)
Stay in the Room (staying with your baby while they fall asleep)
Pick-Up-Put-Down (very hands on)
The methods I teach my clients are Leave & Check, SITR, and PUPD. But, when teaching my clients these methods, I take into account a few things…
the age of their baby
their sensitivity to crying
their previous sleep habits
their sleep goals
how fast they want results
As you can tell, I left one sleep method out. Extinction. While in some cases it does work, extinction refers to putting your baby into their crib and leaving for 12 hours. The thing is, extinction doesn’t think about any other factors that impact sleep. It simply means letting your baby cry-it-out until they’re asleep.
The sleep training I do with my clients has so many factors. Here are just a few things I’m thinking about when it comes to your child’s sleep plan:
Sleep Pressure
Awake Times
Food Intake
Bedtime Routine
Nap-Time Routine
Avoiding Drowsiness (and why!)
Daytime Sleep Amounts
Being Overtired or Under-tired
Sleep Prop Attachments
Self-Soothing Techniques
Safe Sleep Environment
Ideal Sleep Environment
Medical Conditions
Pediatrician Recommendations
Your Baby’s Comfort
…and finally, the actual Sleep Method we use
There are SO many things that go into a proper sleep plan and especially the follow-up support that you get from me. As you can see, sleep training is so much more than letting your baby cry it out without intervening. There are many many more things we are doing to help your baby get the best sleep possible.
That being said, crying is the only form of communication your baby has. So, when making big changes to their sleep environment and their sleep habits, it would be normal to hear some protest (in the form of crying) from your baby. When sleep training with me (and many other consultants!), you’re always welcome to comfort your baby with gentle touch and also with your voice.
If you have questions about how sleep training would look like for your family, I’d love to book a free discovery call with you to see if we’d make a great fit to work together. My sleep packages are always listed on my website, so you can get a good sense of what my offerings are before we chat.
