My baby is 7 months old and I have never done any formal sleep training with her. Her sleep is kind of crappy right now but I always imagine someone somewhere is dealing with worse. I know a lot of moms discuss their sleep training efforts here, but I'm curious if anyone is not doing, or did not do, sleeping training for their baby. Did your baby ever become a good sleeper on his/her own?
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I never did any sleep training with my son, N. We coslept since he came home from the hospital. It was easiest since I had an emergency c-section and breastfeeding was super hard. He was an OK sleeper until 3.5 months and was waking every hour. I used breastfeeding to get him back to sleep and he very slowly got better over time. He didn't become a decent sleeper until about 18 months (not to scare you), but finally started sleeping well after we stopped breastfeeding at 2 years and 4 months.
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I never really sleep trained either of my girls. I started early on laying them down drowsy, but not asleep. Naturally as an infant they would fall asleep while nursing but then the swaddle and everything would usually stir them. So I guess I "trained" them to learn how to put themselves to sleep on their own.
My first was always and is still a great sleeper. Normal issues here/there for teething, sickness, potty training but nothing notable. My second had some more normal stuff and did need to CIO a few times. It was nothing intense, she'd fuss a bit, it would get louder I would check to ensure she was not in a dirty diaper and no fever, then let her CIO. This of course assuming she had eaten well the night before...if not I'd give a bottle and let it be. She never cried more than 20-25 mins and this never went on more than 2 nights in a row...(prob 5 times total).
So I'd say mine required no real sleep training...the little one sleeps 7pm-7am and my toddler sleeps 7:30pm-7am. Both take one nap.
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Me! I would like to think that we always gave DD1 opportunity to settle on her own, but we decided to not sleep train unless things took a turn for much worse. Some nights were really bad, but we survived! I believe she started STTN around 7 months and also learned to fall asleep without my help (she had the paci). We were happy with our decision.
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My cousin's daughter STTN from like 2 months old. All she did was let her fuss (not cry) for 5-10 minutes before they'd go get her and she just started STTN. She's had a couple short regressions while sick or teething but that's it. She turns 2 this summer.
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My first did not need it, she was able to get into a good routine on her own. Just personality I think.
My second wanted to cosleep from day one which we did part time. He also wanted to nurse at night which #1 did not after a few months. I was willing to be woken up and have him be hard to put down until around 13m it got really bad with being sick a bunch too. He stopped being able to nap during the day then couldn't sleep well at night and it all went downhill so we ended up doing some sleep training so he could feel better - he was miserable and not himself for a while. He learned to self soothe better and got into a routine. I was never pro sleep training but when it started to affect him (and not just me) it was the right call to me. Do whatever works for you!
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I haven't and I have a crap sleeper who's 23mos. We were "against" sleep training at the ages where it would be easy...and now we're just kinda living with it until LO is big enough to reason with. We will sleep train our hypothetical #2 if his early sleep is anything like LOs.
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We have never sleep trained our 19 month old. As in infant, she was a terrible napper and a decent night sleeper. She went through phases of rough sleep of course, but always averaged one wake up a night. As a toddler, her naps have gotten way better (hour and a naps on average most days, which she never did before), and night sleep has been good except when she's teething or sick. She no longer nurses at night, and wakes up once or maybe twice a night, but is quickly soothed by water and cuddles. That said, we do still cosleep/bedshare. She still spend all, or sometimes just half, of the night in our bed.
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I didn't sleep train either. I nursed both, one until 13 months and the other until 29 months. I can't remember when they started STTN, but it was probably around 15 months for both.
I could have sleep trained but I didn't really see any point. -
Around 14 months with my daughter we actively tried to get her to night wean and go to bed without nursing. But it wasn't training like a CIO or stuff like that.
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I didn't sleep train my son. He's about 18m and just sttn this past week but I don't know if it will stick. He room shares with big sister and although he hasn't had perfect sleep it hasn't been bad enough for me to really think about sleep training.
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@PixieStix: @Mrs D: @snowjewelz: @newlypregnantlady: @newlypregnantlady: @bhbee: @lilyofthewest: @LindsayLou: @matador84: @T.H.O.U.: Thanks for sharing all of your experiences! I love to hear what other do or don't do. I do a few things like try to put her down drowsy. I think in the middle of the night sometimes how very tired I am. But I don't "hate" getting up with her so I'm just riding it out!
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@2littlepumpkins: I hope it sticks!
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We didn't and DS is 2.5 and a great sleeper for both naps and night. He was horrendous until he was 9 months old and we thought we would need to train multiple times but then he would have a couple good days and we would stop thinking about it. We always did a bedtime routine with white noise and a lovey/paci, kept lights off for night wakings, etc. But I don't think we did anything special. He just figured it out and slowly dropped from 4+ wakings to 2, to 1 to none on his own. I realize we are lucky!
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We didn't. LO started to truly sleep through the night when I night weaned about 14 or 15 months. With the next LO, I think I will night wean earlier and hope it works again. Oh, and for night weaning technique, I used the tips in The No Cry Sleep Solution.
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I've done zero sleep training with DD (12 months). I've nursed/rocked her to sleep every night and when she wakes up I bring her into bed with me. We've gone through some rough periods but I personally don't think I could handle sleep training.
I'd consider her a good sleeper but that's only happened over the last few weeks. I nurse/rock her to sleep at 7:00 and then she's up 6:30-7:00. She wakes up at 2:00/3:00 am once or twice a week and I just let her sleep with me the rest of the night. She's not a perfect sleeper but not bad!
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@agold: Thanks, me too!
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@muffinsmuffins: This sounds exactly like us! I hope my baby ends up like yours. Did you nurse your baby?
@Iced Tea: Thank you so much! I will look into what you suggested. I am just starting to cut off her night time nursing sessions minute by minute. I will see if I can keep consistent with it!
@SKINNYCOW: I think that sounds like a pretty good sleeper! It my girl would wake up just once or even twice and go back down quickly then I'd be a happy camper! She used to do it so I'm praying she returns to it. I don't think I can handle sleep training, either.
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@agold: yes my wife breastfed him mostly, but since he was a preemie we also supplemented with formula and pumped milk so I was able to Do feedings as well. Hopefully if we can have a second baby they will also learn to sleep and take a bottle just as well!
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@agold: our babies are close in age and I'm not planning to sleep train. I didn't sleep train my DD. She's 4 and I still rock her to sleep but that's when we talk about her day and she asks some really deep questions.
I cosleep with DS and depending on his daytime sleep he might have a real wake up some nights. Other nights I nurse him and he goes back to sleep quickly. His sleep has been off because of a cold and teething.
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We don't sleep train.
My first two were unicorns and STTN (7pm-7am with no wakeups by 11 weeks). My third is a good shape but her sleep is more disrupted by travel, sickness, teeth, etc. She STTN consistently at nine months but was off and on STTN from three months. -
DS will be 12 months next week (!!!) and we haven't done any sleep training. We bedshare and he nurses throughout the night (and still every 2 hours during the day). Sleep training just isn't for us so we're WIO and FX someday soon he'll STTN
He usually sleeps 3-4 hours in the beginning and then wakes every 1-2 hours after that. Sometimes he does a 4.5 hour stretch and then is up every 2 hours after that. The morning after those nights I feel so refreshed 
!
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I didn't really formally sleep train my son. At 13 months, he was waking too early so once I let him cry for 45 minutes, the next day 30 and now like twice a week he cries for 5 minutes. He's always gone down easily. I'm sure that will change but I'll take it for now
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Not really. We tried with our oldest and he would literally cry for hours and just never settle down so that didn't work. He mostly slept in our bed and over time he would wake less and less. We started the night in his crib (nursing to sleep) and the he would wake at some point to come to our bed. When I night weaned his only wake up was to come in our room. When LO2 was born he didn't like being woken MOTN so he started staying​ in his room all night. I was still nursing to sleep but he stopped falling asleep that way eventually but would just put himself to sleep once in his bed instead. We did have to snuggle him to sleep for bedtime and sneak out for a while. Or go back in several times. He is 4 and now that he's not napping, he goes to sleep no problem and we really don't see or hear from him for 12 hours straight unless he is sick. So yes, totally possible to never sleep train!
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We attempted to do Ferber with my second at 9 months and it was a giant fail. I couldn't handle the crying. He was a terrible mapper until 9 months (30 min naps) but then figured it out on his own and started taking two solid naps (1.5-2h each). He sttn when we weaned at 14 months. From probably 9m-14m was doing one brief night waking to nurse and would sleep 730-630 or 7. After we weaned it was the same but no night wakings and good naps. He didn't drop to 1 nap til 18m. Even at 28 months he is an awesome sleeper - sleeps 745-630 and a 2-3 hour nap. There is hope!
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Never sleep trained. Started co-sleeping at 8 months, and she'll be 2 next month. She started sttn at 13 months when she weaned. Now, she's going through a period of not sttn, but it has more to do with if she doesn't eat enough during the day.
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We didn't sleep train lo1 and won't w lo2 either. Lo1 is 3 and still wants us in the room while she falls asleep but there's nothing wrong w giving her comfort and reassurance . I don't remember when she sttn tbh, but that wasn't particularly late. She nursed to sleep for a long time (I warned at 22 mos) but didn't need me to do bedtime or naptime, she'd fall asleep at daycare or other ppl. Then we rocked to sleep for a few months, then read, and now just sit or sing w her in her own bed. She sttn almost all of the time
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Well, I take that back. With DS1 we had to "sleep train" him at 4.5. We had gotten in the habit of laying with him to fall asleep and it was too much. There were 2 nights of tears. But because he was old enough to totally get it and it wasn't because he didn't sttn...I guess I didn't consider it sleep training!
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Didn't sleep train but kids are not good sleepers. It is my understanding that STTN is a developmental milestone.
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We never did. We coslept until he was 6 months then he was in a crib. He sttn at a year.
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I have never sleep trained either of my kids. I just never really felt like it would work for them. My first was a bad sleeper until 1 and then he became great. My second has been a great sleeper from day one. She had a bit of a regression but is starting to sleep well again at 6.5 months.
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I don't breed sleepers. We have never done any kind of sleep training with our second, and she's kind of a crappy sleeper.
But my first kiddo was an epically, terrible, awful, no good, very bad sleeper and we did sleep training more than a few times and it would work temporarily and then at the first illness or travel or whatever, she would be right back to being up several times a night. But now at 3.5, she STTN at least every 3 our of 5 nights. hahahahaha. Yeah, that's right. She still wakes at night at least a few times a week. And the younger wakes basically every night until we put her in our bed.
So that's cool. =/
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We sleep trained 3 times but I don't think it really truly worked thoroughly until LO was developmentally ready at around 13m. I think it had to do with weaning and taking in a lot more solids. At 13m he started STTN effortlessly, despite not STTN for about the 6 weeks prior.
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Yes! We never sleep trained my 20m old daughter. She didn't sleep through the night until she was 12-13 months but my son was like that too, so I knew it would happen eventually. On the other hand, as "sleep trained" my son at age 2 (basically put our foot down about no longer co-sleeping but he cried a lot those first few nights).
I do find sleep training super popular around here. But in real life I barely know anyone who has sleep trained. So I think it depends what your groups of friends are like. Also, in Canada we have a 12-month maternity leave (soon to be 18 months!) so I feel like we have the opportunity to be more patient with sleep issues than mamas with barely any time off.
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Never sleep trained here! She had always been a pretty decent sleeper. Consistently STTN at 12 months. I BF her until she was 14.5 months.
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Whether you sleep train or not is totally up to you. But don't discount your own struggles because you think someone else must have it worse. It's about whether you are doing ok with it or not, not how other people have it.
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It depends what you consider sleep training. We never did any CIO kind of stuff with G. I nursed until a year and he usually fell asleep while nursing or cuddling afterwards. He didn't sleep through the night until we weaned, but after that I would just rock him and lay him down after he fell asleep. Finally, I started rocking him and then laying him down before he was asleep and patting his back. Then we moved to laying him down after a story and a song but without rocking him into a drowsy state. We kept progressing like that until now (he's 2), I can do his bedtime routine and then lay him down and leave and he goes to sleep. So, while we didn't do any kind of cry it out sleep training, I think of sleep training as more teaching them to fall asleep on their own and we definitely had an intentional (but slow and not involving tears) plan for getting him to be able to fall asleep on his own.
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We've never sleep trained our daughter who is currently 19 months. We're the parents everyone hates, as she started sleeping through the night after her 1 month appointment, when the dr told me she had gained enough weight that I didn't need to wake her anymore for overnight feedings. (That's right, I was waking her up at 1 week old to eat, not the other way around...)
Anyway, I won't say that we won't have to sleep train in the future. We still use a couple of crutches to get her sleep, including rocking and a pacifier. We want to phase out the paci around her 2nd birthday, and that's going to be a challenge. She's never slept without it.
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I was a sleep training drop out. We tried twice using timed checks, but couldn't get it together, mostly on my end. So, my son ended up finally learning to self soothe at about 11 months.
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@agold: We didnt. In so far as, he was never left to cry. At a certain point we moved him to his room, but if he ever cries I go in and pat him back to sleep, etc. It has worked out fine. He does still wake up at least once (for 2 minutes) each night but I am ok with that bc I know it's what I chose. He is 16 months btw.
He usually sleeps 3-4 hours in the beginning and then wakes every 1-2 hours after that. Sometimes he does a 4.5 hour stretch and then is up every 2 hours after that. The morning after those nights I feel so refreshed 
!
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