Sleep Training Baby

Sleep training is the process of teaching a child to self-soothe and sleep through the night.

According to Ashanti Woods, M.D., a pediatrician at Mercy Family Care Physicians, there are multiple methods to sleep train and there is no one right way to do it. Parents can pick which method works best for them.

"It can include letting the baby cry it out or a parent going in and checking on the baby every couple of minutes. It could be holding a baby and letting the baby go to sleep in your arms and then transferring them to their crib," Dr. Woods said. "I like to encourage my families to start sleep training when it works best for them - whether it's as early as four months or sometimes as early as two months - to try to get their baby to get some good sleep."

Dr. Woods notes that sleep training should include what he calls the ABCs: The child should be alone, on their back and in their crib.

Dr. Woods added that parents should make sure the baby is in a safe sleep environment, which means a place that is smoke-free and nothing in the crib but the baby. Pediatricians can help parents determine when the time is right to start sleep training.

View Mercy pediatrician Dr. Ashanti Woods' interview on how to sleep train your baby.