Take the guilt out of sleep traning. Sleep training is not a bad thing to do for your baby. It is actually a very helpful thing to do!
By Rachel Rowell from mybabysleepguide.com
Sleep training gets a bad rap. You don’t have to talk to too many moms or look on the internet for too long to get this message. If you want your child to sleep well (especially for reasons that don’t involve your child’s welfare), people start to point fingers and call names.
“What a bad, selfish person!”
“What an uncaring parent!”
“How dare they not put everything, their health, marriage and well-being included, before their child’s every need and happiness.”
“What a bad, selfish parent!”
Maybe you don’t even need someone to tell you this before the guilt sets in. As parents, we give physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually to our children all day, every day. We sacrifice like crazy. But what about us? What about our marriage? What about our family as a whole?
Can nurturing ever be taken to the extreme?
I think it can. There is a balance in all things. And we have our own personal limits to consider. There is a time when we turn from a great mommy to a mommy martyr. And it seems the subject of sleep is often one of these times.
We need sleep to survive and most of us need a fair amount of it to take us from a mindless zombie to a functioning human. We shouldn’t feel guilty because we want some of it. We need it just like our children need it. It isn’t a desire, it is a need. Sleep is food for the brain and body.
Inadequate sleep has many costs to us, our family and others. If you aren’t getting enough sleep you’re more vulnerable to depression, your marriage can suffer, your temper and emotional stability suffers, your health suffers and your children suffer. “A sleep-deprived family is an unhappy, unhealthy one.” (Bedtiming 4) For more on this see adults and sleep and children and sleep.
We need to balance our needs with the needs of our family. We are no use to anyone when we are too tired to think or control our emotions or function in any ability beyond eat, step, sit. If you don’t nurture yourself, you won’t have any energy left to nurture your family.
Post Contents
- Great Sleep Training Books
- Related Posts
- Sleep Training Tips and Info
- Sleep Training According to Babywise (Baby Wise)
- Gentle Sleep Training: The Four S's
- The Big List of Sleep Training Resources
- 6 Rules for Using Cry it Out as a Baby Sleep Training Method
- The Ultimate Cry It Out Bootcamp
- How to Sleep Train Your Baby Responsibly
- Everything You Need to Know About Cry It Out
- The Best Baby Sleep Training Books to Get Baby Sleeping
- Cry It Out Sleep Training Tips
- 5 Important Sleep Training Tips for Baby Sleep
- What Are the Benefits of Sleep Training?
- How to Use the Extinction Method for Sleep Training
- 5 Reasons to Establish Good Sleep Habits
Great Sleep Training Books
A baby’s sleep must work for the entire family. Everyone’s needs should be considered. You are a family, after all.
Maybe this will mean you will continue doing what you are doing. Everything is peachy. Maybe this will mean your sleep training will only involve the encouragement of good sleep habits. Maybe this will mean you will do some kind of further sleep training (my thoughts on some of that). Personal capabilities and limits vary just as situations vary. We need to do what is best for us, our baby and our family.
So drop the guilt and get some sleep!
Related Posts
- Sleep Training According to Babywise (Baby Wise)
- Gentle Sleep Training: The Four S’s
- Cry It Out Sleep Training Tips
Sleep Training Tips and Info
These posts will help you sleep train your baby with confidence. Learn how to sleep train in the method that best suits you and your baby.
Sleep Training According to Babywise (Baby Wise)
Learn the life-changing Babywise sleep training method that will give you back your sleep. This powerful sleep strategy gets baby on a schedule.
Gentle Sleep Training: The Four S's
How to sleep train a baby without crying. This is a gentle baby sleep training method to get baby sleeping independently. No-cry sleep training method.
The Big List of Sleep Training Resources
Sleep train your baby with confidence! Consult this awesome list of sleep training resources to get wisdom on sleep training, read studies, and find how-to's.
6 Rules for Using Cry it Out as a Baby Sleep Training Method
Cry it out is a fast, effective form of sleep training baby. This post outlines six rules to follow for using cry it out as your sleep training method.
The Ultimate Cry It Out Bootcamp
The ultimate guide to how to do cry it out sleep training. Follow this for a step-by-step guide on using cry it out to get baby sleeping well.
How to Sleep Train Your Baby Responsibly
How to Sleep Train Your Baby Responsibly. Tips for doing cry it out in a way that best helps your baby. Sleep training tips.
Everything You Need to Know About Cry It Out
All of your questions about cry it out answered. How long will it take, what age can you start, and will baby be traumatized after it is all done.
The Best Baby Sleep Training Books to Get Baby Sleeping
Find the best books to read to learn how to get baby to sleep. Different sleep training methods to get baby to sleep through the night and take great naps.
Cry It Out Sleep Training Tips
Cry It Out Sleep Training Tips from real moms who have actually used the method. Tips to help you succeed at sleep training.
5 Important Sleep Training Tips for Baby Sleep
Learn the five tips that will help you achieve great sleep from your baby. These tips will help set you up to have a solid, independent sleeper.
What Are the Benefits of Sleep Training?
How sleep training can help your baby sleep and prevent sleep problems from building up. Sleep training helps baby sleep now and later.
How to Use the Extinction Method for Sleep Training
Tips for using the extinction sleep training method to get baby to sleep well. Get great naps and great night sleep for baby.
5 Reasons to Establish Good Sleep Habits
It is not convenient to put the work into great sleep habits for your baby. Here are five vital reasons you should put the effort required into this.