Sleep Training for New-Born Babies
- by WONDERMOM
- Oct. 24, 2022
It is simple to get confused in the maze of knowledge with all of the many parenting theories and pieces of advice that are available. Continue reading to find out what sleep training really is, as well as what it does not have to be, regardless of the sleep preferences that you feel your kid should follow.
Resting soundly for the whole night
Within the field of sleep training, the phrase “sleeping through the night” is by far the most common but also the most inaccurate use of the phrase. In point of fact, there is no such thing as a person falling asleep and remaining so for the whole night. Babies and adults alike often wake up between 3 and 6 times over the course of a single night.
If a person (whether they are a newborn or an adult), is able to self-soothe themselves back to sleep after being awakened by regular nocturnal arousals, then that person is considered an independent sleeper. However, in order for a kid to learn how to put themselves back to sleep if they wake up in the middle of the night, they must first be able to fall asleep completely on their own at bedtime and throughout all of their naps.
Zero feedings given throughout the night
Sleep training does not necessarily equate to the baby sleeping through the night without any night time feedings, and sleep training does not necessarily mean the elimination of night-time feedings if the baby is hungry. Training does not necessarily mean that the baby will sleep through the night without any night time feedings.
It doesn’t matter how many baby sleep books you read, how many other parents you talk to, or how many random people you meet in the grocery store; the fact of the matter is that a child’s parent and pediatrician are the ones who are best equipped to decide whether or not a child still requires a night-time feeding.
The finest experts on their child are the parents. If a baby is waking up in the middle of the night because they are hungry, it is important to make sure that they are fed. It is not required to give a baby older than four months more than one or two feedings throughout the night. This is the case for the vast majority of newborns.
If a baby has a healthy weight and their pediatrician has given permission for them to have fewer or no nighttime feedings, the parents may have peace of mind knowing that the majority or all of their baby’s night time wakeups are not directly caused by being woken up by hunger.
In conclusion, if a kid is really just waking up because they are hungry, then they should be fed, and then they should go back to sleep almost quickly. This will make it easier for them to go asleep and stay asleep for the remainder of the night. If a kid is still getting up many times during the night, it is very probable that very few, if any, of the feedings are due to hunger. Instead, it is possible that the baby is depending on the feeding in order to put himself back to sleep when he wakes up throughout the night.