How Long Will It Take To Get Your Child To Sleep Through The Night?

Sleep training takes planning, patience and consistency, and it cannot be rushed. The time and effort you put into it will definitely pay off, providing you do the following:

• Look at your calendar and block out two to four weeks with minimal social engagements.

• Choose a sleep approach that resonates with your parenting philosophy.

• Have a planning session with your support team regarding implementing the plan. Determine who will take what shift.

• Begin sleep training when you have the next day off of work, such as a  Friday, so you don’t have to work the next day and can focus on catching up on sleep during the day, if need be.

• Make sure that all caregivers are on the same page about the sleep training plan; this does not apply to day care situations.

• Ensure that everyone in the household is healthy, especially your little one.

• Create a sleep environment that is conducive to sleep.

• Confirm with your pediatrician that your child does not have any medical issues.

• Begin implementing your plan and be 100% consistent for at least two to four weeks.

Now that I’ve covered what you need to do to prepare for sleep training, the big question is how long will it really take your little one to finally start sleeping through the night, right? Timing of results will depend on the following:

• Your child’s temperament.

• Your consistency with following through day and night with one approach.

• Implementing a biological sleep schedule.

• Your child’s age; the older the child, the more time it may take.

• The sleep training approach you are using—gentle (a month) or more direct (3 to 5 days).

It should take any child from a few days to a month to establish healthy sleep habits providing all of the above is being implemented with 100% consistency.

IMPORTANT: Please do not implement any mainstream sleep training approach if your child is under four months of age.

Let us know in the comments section below how long it took for your child to sleep through the night and at what age!