How To Sleep Train Your Newborn
Helping your little bundle develop good sleep habits will benefit them their entire life! I sleep trained my first child very strictly and then co-slept my second. I have gone both ways, and my personal preference is to sleep train. Let me explain why: My second son is a light sleeper by nature, but he was encouraged to be that way because he knew that crying/calling out would get him what he wanted, which was to be with me. It ended up being difficult for him to fall asleep alone at night. We had to do the cry it out method to get him to take naps after he was a year old. It was hard. He still does not have good sleep habits. Connected? It looks that way. My oldest son never had to cry it out, and I believe it is because we started right away encouraging good habits.
Basic Tips:
Sleep training starts as early as in the hospital. Parents, grandparents, siblings, have all waited so intently on this little bundle to arrive and everyone wants to oooh and awww and cuddle! However, It is good for her to get used to sleeping in a crib as soon as possible. Trust me in three months you will be so grateful that you have that baby that wakes up once at night to feed, and then goes right back to sleep, as your surrounded by mothers who are sleep deprived and losing their mind. (real thing people)
When the baby is asleep, put her in her crib.
When your infant falls asleep in your arms, gently wake her as you lay her down. If she peeks a tiny little eye open at you, that's okay. It's good for them to register that you are laying them down.
They have a need, its to sleep. If her whining turns back into real crying, by all means, pick her back up and assure her that your still there. Then try again, and maybe sit right near in a rocker til she falls asleep. (As a matter of fact, you should probably nap too!)
If baby falls asleep nursing, gently wake them, either by readjusting their swaddle or by changing their diaper, lay them in their crib.
When you get home and put your little bundle of joy down for a nap, make some noise. I love to use a little background sound or music for them so that sudden noises don't frighten them awake. But do not make it quiet. Talk, run the dishwasher, vacuum. Help them become heavy sleepers.
Always make sure needs are met. They must not be hungry, or wet, and they must be tired. You can't try to get baby to sleep because you are tired. (Momma, when the baby sleeps, YOU sleep!)
When the baby wakes up, don't run in as if something is wrong. Be a calm energy for the baby. Walk in with a gentle voice and a smile, open the blinds, say good morning. Teach them that waking up is a happy good thing. They are taking all their cues from you.
When newborns turn into small children, sleep training can become a little more strict if necessary, but for newborns, this is a very gentle process. You aren't trying to put them on a routine or a schedule you're just helping them get used to their new world. Tuning into all of their needs builds their trust, and is essential to your bond. This bond of trust will afford you a more obedient and loving child in the long run. These action points have made having newborns a lovely experience for me.