Dr. Vyas recently submitted a guest blogger post to New Orleans Mom's Blog. Her post "Signs Your Child May Need “Sleep Training” {aka Parent Training}" is filled with insight on how to get your children to sleep through the night. Scroll down for a few excerpts from the blog, and click here for the full post.
Signs Your Child May Need “Sleep Training” (aka Parent Training)
The one common thread through all the books I read on the topic of sleep was that I needed to follow my baby’s cues and let him guide me (instead of the other way around). I had to figure out what he was trying to tell me that I couldn’t hear, couldn’t judge or wasn’t listening to properly. As I watched him more closely, I noticed a pattern emerging. I monitored his sleep cues, as well as his hunger cues, trying my best not to confuse the two. I noticed that when I followed his sleepy cues, he would sleep. When I followed his hunger cues (and fed him only when I saw those), he ate better, which led him to sleep better
So What Is Involved With Sleep Training?
Many people think that sleep training is harmful to your child, that it involves leaving your child to cry for hours on end and that it’s akin to cruel and unusual punishment. What terrible parent would have a baby just to torment that child into fitting into their lifestyle and schedule? NO ONE!! Sleep training is not the best term. It should more appropriately be called sleep adjustment, sleep tolerance, sleep associations, or my personal favorite :: Parent Training. Just call it anything BUT sleep training. Parent training means that you are training yourself, as a parent, to learn what the baby is trying to tell you. In fact, you don’t have to do any of the hard work: just figure out your baby’s cues, and they will lead you. If you do that, the rest is easy and falls into place. It’s a matter of assessing his/her needs and putting in the necessary steps to fulfill those needs. In the process, he learns to soothe himself. You have to establish routine and consistency, and everyone can at least agree that a child needs that to grow and meet their milestones to reach their full potential
Dos and Don'ts for Preventing the Sleep Deprived Child
To prevent a sleep deprived child, parents and caregivers should follow these guidelines: DO put your child to sleep following her natural sleep cues. DO put her to sleep drowsy but awake. DO maintain consistency and sense of routine as children thrive and depend on this. DO what feels right for you and your family and DO trust your gut. DO NOT let your baby fall asleep in one place and then move her somewhere else. DO NOT turn on TV or engage her at night if she wakes up. DO NOT think that this is just a phase and they will eventually become good sleepers. Remember, good sleepers as infants make good sleepers as adults EVERY CHILD CAN AND SHOULD SLEEP WELL.
You can read the rest of the article here.