ParentTalk is back to sleep, returning once again to the topic of sleep training, and the challenge, the goal, the dream of sleeping through the night once again.
Reclaiming healthy household sleep is the #1 issue for which parents seek paid advice, which has created an industry of confusing and often contradictory strategies promising to take parents along a singular path to finding reliable sleep. The problem with these promises is that there is no single path for these foundational challenges; parents must find their own way to a solution, and so must each child.
In this episode, pediatrician Dr. Arthur Lavin and child development specialist Susan Glaser dispel the myth of universal tricks in sleep training, and offer specific, proven approaches to finding the right path to a healthy night’s sleep for you and your family.
“As a pediatrician, I’ve had the privilege now of taking care of grandpatients—these are babies who are born to people who used to be babies I cared for—and I can tell you over these years, I’ve found that no matter what parents do, and no matter what children do when it comes to sleeping through the night, none of those decisions have any impact long term. If they get up a lot in the middle of the night, if they sleep through the night, everyone turns out just fine. We really do mean it when we say that the path is very open to what you are comfortable doing.”
– Arthur Lavin
Episode Highlights:
– Assessing existing trends on sleep training in parenting literature.
– Tailoring your approach to the needs of your child, and the needs of your family.
– Setting reasonable and effective expectations for sleep training.
– Understanding the developmental change that takes place in infants at four months of age, and how it impacts their ability to sleep through the night.
– First steps in establishing sleep routines.
– Creating a feeding schedule that encourages a full night’s sleep.
– Understanding the difference between disappointment and trauma.
– How problem-solving works in infants, and how it looks in sleep training.
– Transitioning from crib to bed.
– Tips for sleep training early school-aged children.