The Truth (And Misconceptions) About Sleep Training That You Need To Know
I don’t know if you all know this, but I am a mother of three beautiful biological children and 2 step children - although I do consider them to all be my children. I wasn’t around when my step children were infants or toddlers, but I most definitely was for my biological children. My two older children, whom are girls, were pretty easygoing when it came to sleep and I never needed to look into sleep training for them. Fast forward to my third child, my son, whose sleep was so horrible that I took up a career in sleep training so that I could help other parents who were once in my position (exhausted, frustrated and desperate) to get results in a way that works for their little one and their family. When I first started looking into how to sleep train my son, I started on Facebook. I thought what better way to figure out if sleep training is for me than an online group where I could get feedback from real parents who have tried it. Well,… let me tell you, this is something I do NOT recommend doing unless you can find a group that is neither for or against sleep training, but this is usually not the case. There was so many mixed opinions, with a lot of them saying sleep training was basically a way to harm your child for life (which has been proven in studies to not be true at all - even in CIO cases). I decided maybe Facebook groups aren’t for me and tried googling on the internet and that got even more confusing, to say the least…
The truth is, simply googling or joining a Facebook group to learn about sleep training will only leave you confused and overwhelmed. It won’t guide you to the truth of the matter, it will usually only teach you misconceptions about sleep training that are not true at all! In this blog, I want to help you to understand the truths about sleep training and get rid of the falsehoods! Keep reading to learn more!
The Misconceptions About Sleep Training
There are so many misconceptions about sleep training that it would take me literal days to write about all of them, so I am going to stick to some of the most common ones. A lot of the time, these misconceptions come from people who have never actually sleep trained their little one, have had a bad experience sleep training because they didn’t do it correctly or maybe from people who are flat out against sleep training and really have nothing good to say about it (whether they’ve tried it or not). So what are some of these misconceptions?
Your little one has to be in a separate room for sleep training to work
Sleep training will break the parent-child attachment
You’re a selfish parent if you choose to sleep train your little one
You have to do the cry-it-out method for sleep training to really work
Sleep training is only beneficial to the parent, it’s not beneficial to the child
Here’s one thing I know for sure, based on experience with my own child and clients’ children:
NONE of the above statements are true! These misconceptions are just that: misconceptions! They are not based in truth or on reality. When people (in Facebook groups or in person) or blogs are saying these things, don’t believe them! I can tell you from sleep training my son (who, until I sleep trained him, would only sleep if I held him or was in contact with him in some way) and from helping clients sleep train their children that these statements are the farthest thing from the truth.
So, what IS the truth then? What does it mean to sleep train your little one and is it really as “bad” as people try to make it out to be? Nope, it’s most definitely not! Is it easy? I won’t lie and tell you sleep training is a walk in the park because habits are not easy to break, but once your little one is sleep trained your life will most definitely get much easier than it was before.
The Truths About Sleep Training
While it is ideal to have your little one in their own room to sleep train (you will usually get results quicker), it is not necessary. If you would prefer to keep them in your room (or maybe you don’t have the space to move them to their own room), that is totally okay! You can most definitely still sleep train your little one and room share!
Sleep training can actually help you increase the bond that you have with your child. You will learn how they try to communicate with you, it can increase feelings of security for you and your child and it can help you to become more in tune with your child’s needs. When it comes to breastfeeding and the bond you share because of that, don’t worry! Sleep training won’t break that bond either and you can absolutely still breastfeed while sleep training!
One of the great things that sleep training does is helps you and your little one get more refreshing, restorative sleep! If your little one is struggling with sleep, you will be too. What does this mean? It can mean you will suffer from sleep deprivation, which is nothing to mess with. Sleep deprivation is a very serious mental health issue that can cause huge problems for you which in turn affects your little one also. So, to say it is selfish to want to take care of yourself (and therefore, be there in the best way for your child) certainly makes no sense. Self-care is not selfish!
When it comes to sleep training, you are able to choose the most suitable method for your little one and family. For some, that may mean they choose to use the cry-it-out method - and there is nothing wrong with that! Studies have shown that using the CIO method does not equal harming your child for life - regardless of what you’ve heard from other people. Other parents may choose to use a more gentler method of sleep training and some may choose something in between the two. Whatever you choose is totally fine! You have to start somewhere and you can always change methods along the way if it becomes necessary - there is no harm in that either!
Sleep training can be super beneficial to the parent because it allows them to finally start getting the sleep that they desperately need - but the same goes for your little one! In order for your little one to develop and grow in a proper way they need a deep, restorative sleep. Sleep training can help your little one get that - and it can help you too! Therefore, sleep training is not only beneficial to you, but it is extremely beneficial (and necessary) for your little one as well!
So there you have it! I bet you feel better knowing the reality about sleep training and how it can actually be very beneficial to not only your little one, but to you as well! Although, there are many misconceptions about sleep training that you can find by googling or by asking other parents in a Facebook group it is truly best to ask the experts and get their opinions on it.
The truth is, sleep training can actually be one of the best things for your little one and your family, so if this is something you would like to do then don’t hesitate to check out the packages I offer and then contact me! I offer personalized, 1:1 sleep plans that are suited to your little one and family’s needs and I help you every step of the way to make sure you get the best results! I can help answer any questions you have and get you on the road to better sleep!
If you liked this blog, please share it with other parents in need! Sharing is caring! If you want more great content like this, you would love my FREE Facebook group called Sleep Little One (it’s run by me - a certified pediatric sleep coach - so you’re safe) where I give weekly tips and advice to exhausted parents looking to improve their little one’s sleep! I hope to see you there soon!
