Can’t I just let my little one fall asleep on me and then put them in their crib/bed for the night? Yup! You absolutely can, but chances are they will either wake, upon you putting them down OR they will wake up after their first sleep cycle, and after that sleep cycle, and again in two sleep cycles and cry until you get them back to sleep.
Ummm….hate to admit it, but I’ve been there. I remember waking every hour or two, feeding my daughter back to sleep, just to wake in another two hours. Full well knowing this was going to keep happening and I didn’t understand why it wouldn’t stop?! This was prior to educating myself on sleep training and all things child sleep related. Thank the lord for my sleep certification class and further sleep education. Now I am here to help YOU all learn the ins and outs of independent sleep.
Independent sleep is the skill of falling asleep and back to sleep completely on your own.
Now that doesn’t mean you pick your child up from the middle of playtime, put on their pajamas, put them in bed and they magically fall asleep. THAT would be magical. ha! But it does mean you have some calming activities, you go through a nap or bedtime routine, you make sure the environment is appropriate for sleep, you kiss your tired child and place them into their bed/crib, and as you leave the room they begin the process of falling asleep all by themselves! Independent sleep also means when your child wakes up between sleep cycles during the night or during nap they are able to fall right back into that next sleep cycle on their own just like we do as adults.
Independent sleep is a skill that must be taught, just like any other skill.
Think about riding a bike. You could put the bike in front of a child and some might be able to figure it out on their own, it likely would be pretty painful to watch. Most (if not all) of you would support your child in learning how to ride that bike and once they get down the balance and coordination you back away and allow them to wiggle through and do it on their own. You know the more practice they get the better they get at it, so you give them many opportunities to practice the skill of bike riding, you set them up and then you back away. Teaching independent sleep works in the same way!
That is what sleep training is, it’s supporting your child through learning how to fall asleep independently and gradually pulling back that support so they can do it on their own! I use various methods depending on the circumstance and comfort level of each family. The sleep training methods I use are: Just Sit, Shush/pat, pick up/put down, check and console, and the chair method. I also use various tools and incentive based ideas for toddlers and older.
A child can learn the skill of independent sleep as quickly as two days and for older kiddos sometimes it takes a good three weeks.
You can absolutely teach your child the skill of independent sleep on your own OR you could hire an expert (me) to help you decide which sleep training method would work best for your family, while also ensuring all else is in place to help the training process go as smoothly as possible.
Wouldn’t you love to be able to have everyone in the house sleeping through the night in a matter of a few days or weeks?! Wouldn’t you love to have your bed and your evenings back?! Reach out today to schedule a free discovery call to hear what working with me would look like! https://winterslumber.com/contact/
Let’s get everyone in your house sleeping independently!
