Chapter 1: Before Starting
Setting up the sleeping space for success
Your child’s sleeping space is important, they should feel comfortable and secure in their space. It should also be nonstimulating and boring. If your child can see or hear you watching a movie in the living room, they are not going to want to sleep. They are going to want to be where you are. Ensuring the space is set up for a night of good sleep is another crucial step for successful sleep training.
All Sleep
-The sleeping area is dark for sleep. Complete with blackout blinds so the sun is not peaking in. The room in the picture is the perfect darkness level; just do not ever put a light machine where it is placed in the photo. You can use these machines for falling alseep, but after that, they should be off. For reference, the darkness should be such that you can barely see your hands in front of you. If your child is afraid of the dark, it's recommended to use red lights instead of blue, as blue lights can be stimulating.
-Sleep sack, wearable blanket, and dressed for sleep.
-The ideal room temperature is 68 to 72 Fahrenheit or 20 to 22 Celsius.
-Good quality sound machine. You will want it as loud as a shower. It is also recommended to keep the machine away from your child's head and place it a couple of feet away from the sleep space. Like on a dresser or the window-ledge is great if it is far enough away.
Naptime
— The sleeping area is dark for sleeping but as soon as your child is awake make it bright, and open the blinds.
-Do not allow more than three hours of daytime sleep in a row.
-I prefer the same sleeping space for all sleeps but do what is best for your family.
-During the day when your child is awake, make the house lively and active.
Nighttime
-Dark for all sleep and middle-of-the-night wakeups. If you or your child need light in the night, red is the best color choice. It is the least stimulating.
-Quiet, calm, and do not talk or interact unless needed.
-If you have a night feeding, have everything you need ready to go and close by. Anything you need to make that feed fast, efficient, and effective.
If you needed to do something for a quick minute and you were to place your child into their crib and walk away, would your child cry?
If the answer is yes, you should get your child familiarized more with their sleeping space.
To practice this here are some steps you could take. You will not put toys into the bed, if they have a lovey that is okay. Books or stuffies are okay for this exercise as well, remove them for sleep.
Day 1:
- Open the blinds, turn on the lights, and turn off the sound machine (playful music/sounds are okay).
- Place the child in the crib and lie next to them on the floor for five minutes or less. You can talk to them or read them books. You can do this a couple of times a day for two days.
Day 3:
-Place the child into bed, with lights on and curtains open, but this time instead of laying down on the floor next to them, walk around and talk to the child while you put away clothes or straighten up the room, staying in their line of sight.
- Repeat this a couple of times a day for two days.
Day 5:
- Repeat the process from the last step, but this time, leave the room for a minute or two. Gradually increase the time to five minutes.
- Do this once or twice a day for a couple of days.
By following these steps, your child should become more familiar with their bed and understand that you will return when they are placed in bed. They may still cry at night when the lights are off and the sound machine is on, but they should cry less when waking up in the middle of the night. You also now have a place to put your baby while you shower or use the restroom. You can always watch them on the camera. Try to use this for only a few occasions. Again it’s not for fun, it is just to get to know the crib in a different light.