From the day you bring your little one home, friends and family will immediately ask, “are they a good sleeper? Are they sleeping through the night yet? Have you thought about sleep training?”
The expectation to have your baby sleep through the night as soon as possible is not only completely unrealistic, but can also be harmful. Understanding the different phases and kinds of sleep for new babies helps parents prepare and manage their expectations.
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Newborn sleep is unique
The first two weeks of sleep in your baby’s life are actually controlled by their nutritional needs. All babies lose weight after birth and should be offered a feeding every 2-3 hours if breastfeeding, which helps to support breastmilk supply, and every 2-4 hours if bottle fed. So until they reach their birth weight again, which typically takes 2 weeks, you are waking them to feed around the clock. After that two week period, they are feeding on demand and will still need to wake to eat, which is why only 4% of new mom’s are getting 8 hours of sleep or more per night. Are you one of the 96% not getting 8 hours a night? You’re not alone!
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Don’t rush sleep training
The AAP recommends sleep programs and sleep learning or sleep training after your baby is 6 months old, not only because some babies still need night feedings but also because most babies can’t master the skill of self-soothing until closer to 6 months. That doesn’t mean you can’t start a program and start practicing getting Baby to sleep sooner. Just remember that all babies are different and it’s no reflection on your parenting skills if you find your baby isn’t sleeping completely through the night or even still requires night feedings after a week of sleep learning. Every milestone, tooth cut, or illness will also challenge your baby’s self-soothing skills and although they may not always succeed, it’s a process. They’re doing the best they can and so are you!
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Sleep train with Dream Lab
Wondering where to start? We’ve got your back! Dream Lab is a sleep learning program that can be started after Baby is 4 months old and can help support your baby in learning self-soothing skills, night weaning, and how to get longer stretches of sleep at night. It’s like a baby bootcamp for self-soothing. Dream Lab’s process can take 3-5 days, but some parents experience more rest as soon as night one, with 91% of parents reporting better sleep within 7 days!
You will be supporting your baby every step of the way as you focus on self-soothing, bulking up their daytime feedings, and helping them schedule their naps. Dream Lab will help you get on a consistent schedule that will not only be great for you but also your baby’s growth and development. It can be a lifesaver for working parents and homes with more than one kiddo, too. Good sleep is good for the whole family!
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Make sure Is Baby sleep training
How do you know when your baby is ready for sleep training? There are a few things to consider when deciding if it’s time to start sleep training:
- Can you dedicate one week of your life to focusing on sleep learning?
- Is your baby struggling with a milestone, teething, illness, or even a huge life change?
- Most importantly, do you even want to attempt sleep training?
Sleep training is absolutely not a requirement and will not determine your baby’s future success! But there are sleep skills you may appreciate learning in Dream Lab. Self-soothing is such an important skill for your baby to learn and will help them later in life. The art of putting themselves to sleep can take some time to master, and is helpful even if you want to snuggle them to sleep some nights. Sleep learning can and will look different for every family and you should never attempt a sleep learning process that makes you uncomfortable, no matter how much social pressure you receive.
So if you’re ready to answer the age-old question of “how to Baby to sleep through the night” check out Dream Lab and get started tonight!