Sleep Training + Baby Sleep Must Haves
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Paislee was the best sleeper in the world, and then the dreaded four month sleep regression hit, as well as the dreaded fourth leap.
Now, we honestly didn’t have it as bad as some people out there, she would just wake up nightly between 11-2am and just talk to herself.
We were also just transitioning her out of her swaddle then, so it just seemed like everything was happening at once.
I didn’t realize how lucky I was to not be sleep deprived as bad as others, but I knew something needed to change because I needed sleep. P needed sleep. And Kyle, well he slept through the whole thing anyways so it was basically just P and I.
Our Sleep Story
A couple of days after bringing home Paislee from the hospital, we caved and bout the Taking Cara Babies sleep course. It was helpful in the fact that I truly didn’t know much about newborn sleep, so it was great to hear all about how babies are supposed to sleep, but that the first month or two are kinda a wash anyway and just practicing for the real thing. So, yeah.
Liked the course as a first time parent and in the first few weeks I swore by it. But, I then later realized that newborns just sleep (most of the time, if yours doesn’t I’m sorry), and that the class was very educational but not 100% necessary for us.
So when my good baby stopped sleeping well, I just blamed the four month sleep regression. While I’m sure some of it was, I truly think now it was just P’s way of letting us know she was ready for sleep training.
I know, sleep training. There are so many thoughts and opinions–and this is simply just what worked for us. Every baby is different and family is different, so please trust your parent instinct and do what is best for you and your family.
Anyway’s I searched high and low for a good compromise, because I personally did not want her to just cry it out for 20+ minutes without soothing at night. But, I also wanted to teach her how to self soothe, because I know that’s just an important skill for babies to have.
After lots of searching, I reached out to a friend who I knew had successfully trained both of her kids to sleep well from a very early age, and she recommended The Baby Sleep Solution by Suzy Giordano.
It was a couple weeks of middle of the night partying from P. I ordered the book on a Monday, got it by Wednesday, and started it with Paislee on a Friday with her naps.
By the end of the weekend, all I would have to do would be put her down in her bed, and within 2-3 MINUTES she had put herself to sleep.
I. Was. Shocked.
No sleep courses, no book that’s 500 pages long (it’s like a two hour read), and no regrets.
Our sleep game has changed for the better, and honestly I’m never going back to expensive courses again.
Great, so what does this book teach?
Great question, I’ll just give you a quick summery. Basically, it’s a great middle ground between the cry it out method and the no crying at all method.
It allows for 3-5 minutes of crying at a time (the most Paislee cried was for about 15 minutes, where I went in and soothed her every 3 minutes).
There’s also a lot of helpful information in there on a good sleep environment, and tips for when to start. Honestly, I will be starting a lot earlier with my next baby and will be reading again right before my baby is born.
This is definitely the best $14 that I have ever spent!
Our Sleep Must Haves:
As I mentioned earlier, P transitioned out of the swaddle. We use the Michelin Man Suit (aka The Magic Merlin Sleep Suit), and it has been amazing for us.
We also switched to these Tomee Tippee Pacifiers, and P loves them. We used the BIBS ones before, but they were not staying in her mouth at night (we only let her have a pacifier when she needs to sleep or if she’s in the car), and these ones do.
Black out or room darkening curtains were also a game changer for us (we just got the liners, so that we could get any curtains that we wanted!), as it has allowed P to keep her bed time during the summer when it’s still light out, and not wake up as early because the sun was pouring in.
Lastly, the sleep MVP, The Hatch Rest +. This is by far the best sound machine, night light, and audio monitor all in one. You can change the sound and colors and put an automatic timer on. It also will be perfect when she’s a little bit older to have an automated setting where the hatch changes to the color green, letting her know that it’s okay to get out of bed when she’s in a big girl bed. I can not say enough good things about this machine, SO SO SO SO worth every single penny.
Whelp, that’s how I got my baby girl to sleep after the dreaded four month sleep regression, and I wish I would have read a post like this sooner to be honest.
Have you read or are you going to grab this book? What are some of your sleep must haves for a baby?
