Sleep training?

Question

What’s y’all’s opinions on sleep training? We chose not to so far, and my 5 month old sleeps 6-7 hours(sometimes longer) before waking up for a bottle then sleeps another 3-4. Our pediatrician seemed pretty adamant about starting to sleep train at our 4 month appointment, but it just seems cruel in my mind, if he’s hungry, he’s hungry. I’m just curious on y’all thoughts. Thanks. :)

Answer

Personal choice, but I don't believe in sleep training in any form. It is biologically normal for babies to wake up in the night for food and/or comfort. I'm with you on thinking it's cruel, and I personally didn't expect to be sleeping 8 hours at a time after baby was born lol. Do I miss sleeping longer? Yes, but I am okay to sacrifice sleep for my baby to wake to nurse and snuggle me when she needs because this stage won't be forever, and when she is grown, i will never regret responding to her needs. I could go on forever about sleep training, but by the sounds of it, your baby seems to be sleeping just fine for their age 😊

Answer

Really depends on your unique situation.
There is nothing wrong with sleep training, and there are even gentle methods you can use that maybe take longer, but don't leave you feeling like you're abandoning your babe at night.
If your baby waking in the night is impacting your physical or mental health, do it. Sometimes you don't even realize how much the lack of quality sleep is negatively impacting you until you actually get a good night's sleep.
Also, if you do it right, sleep training can get set your little one up for good self-soothing habits for the future.
At this stage, your little one should have the belly capacity to be able to make it through the night without a feeding.
My recommendation isn't to take mine or anyone's word for it, but instead, give your pediatrician a call and have a conversation about it.

Answer

It’s up to you if you want to sleep train. Your baby your choice. I will not sleep train.

Answer

I did a very light version of sleep training. Baby was fed, changed and ready for a nap and I lay him down while sitting with him for a bit until he falls asleep and then just move myself back each night. He now falls asleep on his own initially for night sleep and naps. 
Sleep training did not affect his night wakings though. He still wakes 1-2 times a night for a bottle. For me, sleep training was only about him learning to self soothe with me there. The nighttime wakings and needing a bottle will drop on their own. I did the same with my first and he stopped nighttime bottles by 9-10 months old. 
My dr recommended to stop night feedings but if he’s hungry, he eats 🤷🏻‍♀️ some nights he doesn’t need it, others he does. All depends on how his day goes.

Answer

Sleep training for my toddler wasn’t about sleeping through the night (though it helped). I sleep trained my 2.5yr old when she was 6 months because I got in the habit of nursing to sleep and she was waking up every 2hrs. I was losing my mind and because I nursed to sleep, my husband couldn’t help. I tried other ways but nothing help. Sleep training was SO important for my family, primarily because I was able to put my daughter down awake and with the light on before saying good night and turning the lights off! This alone was a game changer!!! I still woke up and fed her as needed throughout the night which decreased drastically from probably 6-8x a night 1-2x. Sleep training did not mean I wasn’t there for my child at night, it helped for me that I can’t pour from an empty cup so I found a way for her to start her night sleeping independently. After I would feed her in the middle of the night, I would put her back down awake, and she would put herself back to sleep. No more nursing to sleep. She still sleeps incredible to this day so I have no regrets. Having said that, I have no close what I’m going to do with my 5mth old as we still room share, but My goal is the same as it was with my toddler: putting down awake & stop nursing to sleep,

Answer

Donwhatcyou think feels right. Sleep training is not a needed thing but rather a preference.  I didn't sleep train my 1st and she did fine and I have a 5 month old and won't sleep train him either. I have 4 siblings all with multiple kids and none of them have sleep trained either and all have happy healthy kids who sleep great. If a parent wants to that is fine and up to them but if you don't wanna sleep train you don't have to. My ped doc has never even mentioned it because it is a parenting choice not a medical suggestion. I don't mind feeding my baby once in twice a night, it doesn't take that much time and they are only small and this dependent for such bad short time. I love or midnight feedings honestly. Getting to love and cuddle and bond at such a quiet and peaceful time is something I cherish...it is like our private little world and I could stare at their little face falling back asleep all day. If you don't want to then don't let the doc push you into it and if you wanna try it then go for it. But a lot of people don't sleep train.

Answer

I do small things right from day 1 like sleep sac at bed time,  always dark room even if she wakes up and I don’t talk to her, just shh noises and cuddles, I also don’t offer a snack unless she asks during the night. Sometimes a quick cuddle does the trick. I don’t personally like the idea of cry it out, seems sad to me. Letting them know it’s bed time and having that route in is good for me! (My 7 year old did the same things and has always slept like a champ!)

Answer

So weird your pediatrician is pushing sleep training! Especially before six months. Trust your gut. Do what you think is best.

Answer

With my first the pediatrician recommended sleep training at 4 or 6 months I honestly can’t remember and for me, if I could go back I wouldn’t have done it the way we did. I would’ve done things differently from the start. She would fall asleep on the bottle so we needed to break that habit, but she would cry every time she was put in the crib right away and it made for long nights of her getting upset every time being put in the crib partially awake which made me cry out of guilt. It was a lot of going in there multiple times to soothe her, some nights it took over 2 hours to get her to sleep. After I think a few weeks(maybe 2-3) she was fine but it was incredibly rough. It’s been 3 years so I can’t remember fully how long it took. 
This time around I started from the beginning even in the bassinet putting my son down slightly awake and sometimes fully awake but clearly tired. The transition to the crib was magic and so easy. Also for us it was important to start right away cause he started rolling at 2 weeks old🤦🏼‍♀️ I wish I had done this with my daughter. Would’ve saved a lot of tears for both of us

Sleep training?

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