Sleep Training: Does it work and should you do it?

One of the principal changes after having a baby that all new parents come across is the change in sleep patterns. While it is completely normal for babies to not sleep through the night, it is also extremely exhausting. If you’ve ever found yourself in a sleep deprived state endlessly searching Google for the magic tip on sleep training or how to get your baby to sleep longer, you are not alone.

And *spoiler alert* there is no magic tip.

When my son was born, it seemed like all the other newborn babies were adapting miraculously to their parent’s sleep schedule while my little guy was, well… a dud.

It took me months of scanning Amazon books, taking online courses and consulting professionals to finally realize that my babe was in fact, not a dud. And I wasn’t doing anything wrong. He was just being a normal baby.

I am a firm believer that everyone exaggerates when they talk about their kids. I mean, it’s human nature. We want our babes to be the best. So that’s why we need to take what others say with a grain of salt. Especially when it comes to the topic of sleep habits. Sure, your neighbor might go on and on about how little Sophie sleeps from 7 to 7, but is she really doing that every single night? She probably is not.

While it is true that some little ones will naturally sleep better than others, most babies won’t make it a full night with no waking until almost a year old. And even that is relative. What makes a “full” night? Is it 6 hours? 8 hours? Is it waking up, but being able to self-soothe back to sleep? What makes ‘sleep training’ successful?

Then comes the sleep regressions. Just when you think that you’ve mastered the routine, *bam*, a new sleep regression. A sleep regression is a period of time when a baby’s sleep patterns will shift, and they will wake more frequently and at different times during the night. These are usually temporary, however, the previous sleep pattern will be lost, and a new one will be formed.. no matter how much sleep training was done beforehand.

While some parents swear by sleep coaches, online courses, and specific training books, the slightest regression or lifestyle change can shake everything off balance and send you right back to square…