Does my baby need sleep training?

As a new mother, you must have this question: "Should I sleep train my baby?"

Below are a few questions for mothers to self-check:

Q1: "Has my baby's sleep affected my rest?"

A1: In some families, there are many helpers, such as the father, grandparents, who can take turns soothing the baby to sleep. In this way, besides feeding the baby at night, the mother can get enough rest. If the baby's sleep doesn't cause trouble for the family, then sleep training is not necessary.

However, some babies wake up as soon as they touch the bed, and if there's no other help at home, the mother has to hold, soothe, or even nurse the baby to sleep every day, severely affecting her diet and rest. This not only easily leads to mood swings in the mother but also increases the risk of postpartum depression. In this case, sleep training for the baby is a good choice.

Q2: "Has my baby's sleep affected their health?"

A2: If the baby wakes up frequently at night, leading to drowsiness during the day and poor mental state, and then the quality of daytime naps cannot be guaranteed; or if the nap time is too long, causing insufficient sleep at night, and this cycle continues, affecting the baby's growth curve, then sleep training is necessary for the baby.

Q3: "Are my expectations for sleep training reasonable?"

A3: I often get questions from mothers like:

"Can you adjust my baby to sleep at 10 pm and wake up at 10 am? I don't want him to wake up at 6 am. Our whole family are night owls."

"My baby is now 4 months old, can you help me wean him off night feeds? Getting up to feed at night is really exhausting."

I fully understand the mothers' desire to have a full night's sleep. However, although "sleep training" contains the word "training", it is more about "sleep guidance", guiding the baby to do what they can, and helping mothers understand the baby's sleep needs. This way, for this soft and cuddly baby who can't express themselves yet, they can be content!

The purpose of sleep training is not just to let the baby sleep enough but to sleep healthily! When the baby develops healthy sleep habits on their own, sleeping through the night will come naturally. Don't rush the process!

So, does your baby need sleep training? After answering these three questions, mothers should have an answer in their hearts~.