Sleep training 101. — Ashley Noel

So many of you have asked how I went about sleep training Bexley girl, so I wanted to give just a few tips I have to getting your baby to sleep through the night! With both Karis and Bexley I waited until they were 11 months old. (do it sooner if you want!) I have no idea why that number?? That must have just been when I couldn't take it any longer!! haha There are so many different sleep training methods out there, but this is what worked best for us! With both Karis and Bexley we went with the "cry it out" method. Cry it out, for those of you that aren't super familiar is a technique to get your baby to learn to put themselves to sleep instead of relying on you nursing them, rocking them to sleep, etc. Here if how Eric and I went about things. First and I think very important is that we got Bexley out of our bedroom. Ever since we brought her home her crib has been in our room so as soon as she wakes up she can pop her head right up and see us! NOT good for sleep training haha. Second, we made the new space as cozy as possible. We got a sound machine, I am diffusing essential oils each night, and she gets put in her Zipadee Zip (which she totally loves!) Third, establish some type of bedtime routine. This is so important to transition them into a time to get sleepy and know that bedtime is coming. For now our routine with Bexley is pretty simple. Her and Karis get a bath together, then I nurse her in the rocking chair (DO NOT nurse them until they fall asleep, that will defeat the whole sleep training purpose) then I cuddle her for a few minutes, and put her down to sleep. When she gets a little bit older we will add story time to the routine also! Forth as long as she has a full belly, clean diaper, and is cozy, we let her cry. The key to letting them cry is NOT to just leave them and let them cry all night long. What Eric and I did (and you will know what is best for your baby) is let her cry for 3 minutes, then we went in to comfort her, then for 5 minutes, then for 8 minutes, then for 15 minutes. By then she was asleep (YAY!!!) BUT if she was still awake we would not have gone any longer then 15 minutes in between us going in and comforting her. This is what worked great for our family, and she has been sleeping 12 hours each night ever since! HALLELUJAH! Here are some very important things to remember and know before starting sleep training!

As a mom listening to your baby cry is awful!! It brought me so much anxiety! Sleep training is NOT fun, but so worth it in the end!
Never pick your baby up! When you go in to comfort them you can shush them, pat their back, sing a little lullaby, place your hang on them for comfort, but never pick them up! Trust me, as soon as you pick them up and then put them back down they will start crying 10 times harder!
Set a routine and have a key word you use so your baby knows bed time is coming! I just say "shhhhhh" over and over as I walk her over to her crib and cuddle her. After a few nights of this she will know what to expect! You can also say something like "night night"
Get bedtime started early! There is nothing worse then trying to put a overly tired baby to sleep! We have been starting bath time around 6;30 and having Bexley in her crib around 7:15. Of course this won't work every night, but the nights we are home early, this seemed to be working great!
Stay strong, and if you can't stay strong then buy some earplugs and make your spouse stay strong!! haha
There is nothing better then training your baby how to sleep! You will hardly remember the hard few days it took, but you will remember how happy you are to have a baby that finally sleeps through the night!

I would love so much to hear what worked and didn't work for all of you! I know every baby is so different! Happy sleep training my friends!Xo Ashleytransition swaddle c/o Sleeping Baby |||crib c/o Micuna