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Whoever invented the term sleep like a baby obviously never had one! Usually babies are pretty good sleepers the first several weeks after birth, they will sleep anywhere, anytime no matter what is going on. But as the babies begin to get older they tend to be very particular about where or how they sleep which can be very trying for parents. Usually they will do whatever they can to get the baby to fall asleep, including driving around in the car until the child finally passes out or co sleeping into the school years.

Many crunchy mamas are very much into co-sleeping. I feel to each his own, but for me and my husband we preferred to put the kids in there own bed once they were around 6 months old. We wanted to train them to sleep in their own room allowing us our private time and reserving sleeping in our bed for rare occasions (sick babies or if they are really scared). This post is to share some of the sleep training tricks that have worked for us and have helped us to have some alone time once the kids go to bed.

The most important thing to do is to try to establish a routine. Kids love routine, it just might not seem like it at first. Over the years I have observed that when we stay pretty close to schedule the kids are in better behaved, not as whiney and fussy. But when we are on vacation or just off schedule it’s Crazytown! Our schedule has been the same for about the past 3 1/2 years. We have dinner, then a little playtime/story time, then it’s time for the bath with my secret sleepy potion, brush our teeth, and then we end with some songs and then down for bed. The sleepy time potion I use is an essential oils combination of Chamomile and Lavender. I put a few drops in the tub and when they were babies I had some in a spray bottle that I would spray on the sheets at bedtime to help calm and soothe my little ones.  (You can buy a blend from my online store HERE)

Sleep training is not easy and many parents despise letting the baby cry it out. It was hard for me at first because I felt so sad, as if I was abandoning my child. Or at least that they would think I was abandoning them. The first day or so I would would take awhile with A LOT of crying. I would go in every 20 minutes or so to comfort them, let them know that Mama was there, sing a song and then put them back down. They need to get used to being by themselves and that is a big adjustment. After all, they started in your womb and then paired with the few months of co-sleeping, they are used to being near the mom and dad. It takes time and patience but I promise you it gets better each day. After about a week or so they should be comfortable settling into their routine and it will all be downhill from there.

From my experience with two children I have noticed that anytime I have to try something new, whether it be sleep training, potty training or weening from bottle/pacifier it usually takes about a week or so for the hard part to be over. With patience and time it gets so much easier and the unbearable part is over before you know it. Just remain consistent and understand why you are doing what you are doing. Just because your child is crying and unhappy for a short period does not mean that you are neglecting or causing your child psychological damage. I personally think that it teaches many important life lessons and preparation for how to deal with changes in the future that are important to ones growth and development.

I would love to hear any stories, information or helpful tips about sleep training or handling any other milestone changes with children!