Hi mama friends!

DISCLAIMER:

I have to throw a little disclaimer out there for ya, I am no expert /  I am not a doctor, but I am a mother of two who has successfully sleep trained her infants at 3 months. The most asked question that I get from friends is “How do I sleep train my baby?”. Every baby is different, but if your baby is healthy and you feel comfortable with stepping away from your child and letting your child CRY IT OUT then continue reading! Sleep training is not for every parent, and that is OKAY! A sleep trained baby is great, a co slept baby is awesome, a baby that needs to be cradled to sleep is amazing! There is no mom shaming, I really feel that whatever method works for your family is  absolutely fine! After all, a sleeping baby is a SLEEPING BABY!

A little background on my schedule and my everyday life:

• I work at home doing doctor’s and nurse’s credentialing, Monday through Friday (I can start anytime between 5:30am to 9:00am and my shift ends 8 hours from the time I start). I love that I have flexibility on when I can start, and that I can work from home because I am able to get my kids ready in the morning and spend some time with them before I to drop them off to daycare and preschool.
• I am a full time student at University of California, Davis where I commute about twice a week.
• I am a blogger – primarily an Instagram-mer, lol.

Why I decided to sleep train:

Ok, so my life is not easy. Its not always picture perfect. I work an 8-5 kind of job, head to school after work, come home, spend time with my kids and eat dinner together, then it is bed time. When my kids are sick, or I’m feeling down and need extra loving I let them sleep with me. However, on these nights I get absolutely nothing done and then the next day I am even in more stress because I am behind on work and deadlines.

While Ryland and Rori are sleeping the night away and dreaming about lego world, Elsa, butterflies, and rainbows, this is MY time. My time to study so that I can keep up with my class material, my time to shower and put on clean panties or brush my hair. The struggle is REAL. These few hours of the nights are so beneficial for me, for me to relax, get creative, and just have that self care moment that we all need. Whatever your sleep training reasons are, let’s get you started!

Prepare:

First, I consulted with their pediatrician to see if it was okay for them sleep throughout the entire night at 3 months, and she said absolutely so I begun my sleep trained mission!

Second, Mamas tell your husband to get a bottle of wine for you. Lol, I’m serious!

now that you have your wine (lol) let’s begin!

Sleep training begins!

Establish a routine! Routines are SO important! find a bed time routine that works for your family. Here is ours: dinner, bath, teeth/gum brush (I start early because I want to develop healthy habits), story and cuddle time, then bedtime (7:30pm to 8:00pm).

NIGHT 1 SLEEP TRAIN: At bedtime- I placed Ryland and Rori in their crib – no blankets or toys (until able to roll over from back to stomach and stomach to back). I turned on a sound machine (like this one ) – The white noise on the sound machine can be soothing and relaxing, it helps! Then, I turned on a night light (like this one ) – I didn’t want to just leave my babies in the crib which was an unfamiliar territory for them in the dark, so the night light made me feel better! I left the room silently without looking back. Ryland and Rori would cry and I felt terrible for allowing them to cry it out and be in their cribs alone, and at a point my heart felt heavy. but, I knew that I had to just keep my mind busy and ignore the cry, but closely watch the baby monitor (like this one ). I did not go into check on the baby every few minutes because I felt that this would upset them even more and start the sleep training time over. So when you feel like you want to go in and get the baby, just have a glass of wine and text your girlfriends, catch up on your shows. Ryland and Rori both cried for about 1 hour and 5 minutes on NIGHT 1 of sleep training, but they both fell asleep on their own. I felt so much success in this one night! (note, I did SNEAK QUIETLY into the room after they were sound asleep just to make sure they were truly okay, although I could see them on the baby monitor I felt better just going in there to touch their little chest and give them one last kiss goodnight).

NIGHT 2 SLEEP TRAIN: At bedtime- same feelings, but now, I’m not as heavy hearted because we survived night one. Night 2, before I even put them in the crib they’re hanging on for dear life because they know what is coming next. LOL, they are SO smart! do NOT ever underestimate these little humans that we create! Ryland and Rori both cried for about an hour. WHOO HOO! 5 minutes less than night one!

NIGHT 3 SLEEP TRAIN: At bedtime- I no longer feel “bad” for wanting to sleep train because those 2 nights of uninterrupted sleep and spreading myself across my entire bed was HEAVEN! 45 minutes and they are out!

NIGHT 4 SLEEP TRAIN: At bedtime- I’m sure you get it.. 20-30 minutes and they are sleeping and dreaming of unicorns.

NIGHT 5-6 SLEEP TRAIN: At bedtime- This is when the miracle happens. Both kids fell asleep in under 5 minutes!!!!! Can we happy dance??!

NIGHT 7 SLEEP TRAIN: A night to celebrate! 3 month old infant is officially sleep trained!

This the routine I followed with both of my kiddos and the routine that I’ve guided so many of my girlfriends through. ALL positive outcomes! Ryland is now 4.5 years old, Rori is now 2.5 years old and they are the best sleepers and the happiest kids I know!

PS, this is just for NIGHT SLEEP TRAINING. NAP training is another story and another blog post to chat about.

I really hope this sleep training blog posts helps! Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. I love hearing from you!

Xx, Jennifer