What is wrong with sleep training?

Question

I asked my Mommy chat group how to train my baby to go sleep at night without using comfort nursing. I got hell, that she's too young to sleep train!!! Now my LO has found her thumb soothe herself to sleep so that's going well for now. Why are some against sleep training? And when is the appropriate time to start?

Answer

Sleep training is typically associated with CIO. There are some gentler methods that include picking your baby up when they cry and laying back down or just trying to comfort them while they still lay down. But the traditional method is just letting them cry.
The issue I have with it is that babies are too young to self soothe, it's really not fully developed until 6 months and starts to develop around 4. I also would never do cry it out. The reason it works is because babies feel like they have been abandoned so they stop crying to preserve energy which goes back to basic human survival from however long ago. And I never want my baby to feel abandoned. In addition, CIO results in more dependent and anxious children and then adults.
For the gentler methods I feel all it does is teach them what to do to get you to do what they want and if it's that much of a struggle, they arent ready. Its relatively new when it comes to how long humans have been around for moms to not he with their babies constantly and also hold onto them throughout the day and night. When a child is ready they will naturally progress to more independence. If you're forcing it and it's difficult to do it's because its goong against maternal instincts and therefore likely isnt the right thing to do.

Answer

People like to think they know everything about everyone. You know your baby best and no one else does. Don't listen to anyone else Momma. It is your child and you can do what you want.

Answer

I think doing a gentle approach sleep training is ok as long as there old enough but to let a baby cry it out is so sad, they cry because they need you and want you to comfort them. All ages need comfort but babies just spent 9 months being held constantly so it takes time for them to adjust on the outside world. Babies only want cuddles for so long when your kid gets older your lucky to get a hug and a I love you every day. Comfort your baby as long as you can, you can sleep when there older.

Answer

As Ashley said above, sleep training usually means CIO or even gentler methods. The problem with that is that 1, babies shouldn't be forced to cry themselves to sleep...and 2, it doesn't always work. My daughter is a tension increaser, which means once she starts crying it's hard to get her to stop, so any sort of "letting her cry" is just going to result in a VERY stressed out baby. I also can't stand the sound of her crying, it breaks my heart. If your babe is like mine, no amount of sleep training will work until they're ready to self soothe on their own. If they're a tension decreaser/releaser, they may fuss a minute or two and then fall asleep on their own, which I'd call a victory at this age.

Answer

We started doing sleep training for naps at 15 weeks. We let her cry but check on her every few minutes and soothe her so she knows we’re still around. Generally she falls asleep within 10 minutes and wakes up happy! 
That’s early though- most books say 4-6 months. But she was sleeping in her crib at night and putting herself to sleep (we put her down calm but awake) so we knew she could do it. You know your baby best! 
You can always try a method and if it’s not working after a week (or making things worse) you can try again when they’re a little older.

Answer

Wow. People suck. 
So we started the Little Z’s Sleep schedule the day of birth. It is not sleep training from day 1, rather a routine of sorts. 
Next week - 16 weeks (Friday) we will start sleep training officially with the 4 month program. I highly recommend this course 4-16 months costs us $67! Best investment ever!! My friends and I are all doing the same program, so it’s really nice to have support. You can google it and check her out yourself. 
Also, there is another program online called Taking Cara Babies. It’s similar in some ways and a bit more expensive. 
Find the route that works best for you! Best of luck mama!!

Answer

I started ST since birth. But what that meant at the beginning was start a soft routine based on the baby. That way they learn to depend on you and they know you’ll come for them when they cry. 
Once we hit 2.5months we then started naps in the crib so he’d get used to it. But I still went in to sooth him. 
Now at 3 months we do extinction. I tried a modified version but my baby didn’t like that. 
And since we kept his arms unswaddled since birth he’s learned to self sooth a lot faster. 
I’m sorry your getting that kind of feed back. I noticed I also get those same responses. 🤷🏻‍♀️ oh well.

Answer

I think it’s all about routine. We’ve had the same routine since my girl was a few weeks old. Bottle, books, short cuddle, bed. I think it’s super important to always end with the same book.. a nice calm soothing one like goodnight moon... at the most she will fuss for a few minutes and need her binky popped back in once or twice..
Most nights she actually does better now if I read and put her right in her crib. She’s asleep almost instantly.
I personally don’t think cry it out is necessary but it works for a lot of people!

Answer

I sleep trained my first and am doing the same with this baby, started at 3 months old. Whatever you are comfortable with you should do. I didn’t want to be one of those moms you hear about that have a 1 year old who still doesn’t sleep through the night. My son was sleeping 12 hours at 4 months old and did not go through any sleep regressions. My second baby is almost 4 months old and he is sleeping 10 hours at night straight.

What is wrong with sleep training?

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