The Best Time to Sleep Train

When I work with clients, I begin sleep training starting at 16 weeks of age (or 16 weeks adjusted if your baby was born early). Babies before this are not old enough to sleep train, but you can help prevent them from being overtired, which will help you through the 4-month sleep regression.

After 16 weeks, sleep training will be the most helpful when your baby is healthy (read: not sick) and the easiest when you’re between developmental leaps.

Developmental leaps (which cause sleep regressions) are a huge reason that sleep gets interrupted during the first few years of a baby’s life. Just before they learn to roll, it’s common for sleep to go off the rails. After they learn to sit up? They will “practice” sitting up during the night. When my first daughter learned to sit, she would sit up, fall asleep, fall over and wake up over and over through the night. It was hilarious and exhausting. 

If you’re not sure if your baby is going through a leap, you’re just exhausted and need sleep- if your baby is not sick and older than 16 weeks, go for it. You can feel confident that you and your baby can sleep better.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed and don’t want to do it alone, let’s schedule a call! We can have a quick chat to see if my services are right for you, a once time troubleshooting call, or a full consultation with support. Click over to my “Work With Me” page for more information.