Sleep Training Tips For Co-Sleeping

Rest assured: sleep training your baby while he or she is sleeping in your bedroom can be done. If co-sleeping works for your family and is part of your parenting philosophy, only you can decide when to transition your baby to his or her own bedroom. Importantly, do not implement any mainstream sleep training approach if your child is under four months of age. The following are tips to help you create an action plan if your baby is more than four months old.

• First decide if your baby will sleep in a bassinet, crib or communal bed.
• Plan a sleep routine that does not include swaying or rocking as those can become sleep crutches.
• A good sleep routine can include white noise, lowering the window shades, and keeping light low and then turning it off completely once your baby is asleep. I recommend no electronics or television in the bedroom.
• You’ll need to sleep outside of your bedroom while you are sleep training your baby. This generally takes one to two weeks, depending on your sleep training strategy and your baby.
• You’ll be able to transition back to sleeping in the bedroom when your child sleeps through the night.
• At that time, lay out your clothes or pajamas prior to baby’s bedtime, and change outside of your room so as not to disturb your baby when you enter the room.

Co-sleeping is absolutely doable as long as everyone involved is in agreement and you have an appropriate sleep training plan. Providing it is done safely, communal sleeping works for many families throughout the world.

What’s your experience with co-sleeping?