5 Best Books on Sleep Training You Wish You Read Sooner

Did you know that sleep training can be good for your child? It not only improves their sleeping habits but also makes them feel happier and more secure. Yup, there are so many benefits to sleep training your child. That being said, it doesn’t mean that the process is easy. In fact, it’s one of the hardest things a parent needs to do. Many parents find it difficult to begin this whole ‘self-imposed time-out’ routine with their little ones. 

However, as sleepless nights become more frequent and harder to bear, most parents are willing to do what they can to make things easier for everyone once again. Thanks to effective strategies like cry-it-out and controlled crying, you can help your child get back on track quickly and painlessly. Here are some of the best books on sleep training that will make your life much easier.

Gentle Sleep Training Methods

Consistency is crucial for babies. Repeating your baby’s bedtime routine every night will teach them to associate it with sleep. Due to the repetition of your baby’s bedtime routine, it becomes easier for them to fall asleep. The goal of gentle sleep training is to teach your baby to sleep on his own. So that he can nap and eventually sleep through the night. Babies cannot fall asleep on their own; they have to learn to do so on their own. Babies spend most of their time eating and sleeping. And having their diapers changed, so almost any activity can put them to sleep.

The Happy Sleeper: The Science-Backed Guide to Helping Your Baby Get a Good Night’s Sleep-Newborn to School Age by Heather Turgeon and Julie Wright

The Happy Sleeper is one of the best sleep training books for parents, with a research-based guide. This teaches parents to assist their children in doing what comes naturally to them: sleeping through the night. This book, written by sleep experts Heather Turgeon and Julie Wright, teaches parents how to be sensitive and nurturing while still being clear. And disciplined so that newborns and young children learn to self-soothe. 

The Effective Baby Sleep Training: Gentle, Non “Cry It Out” & Breastfeeding-Friendly Methods to Match Your Baby’s Personality by Julia Jones

This book will teach you how to be firm while still having a loving relationship with your baby.  You will learn the secrets to taking control of your baby’s nighttime sleep and naps. One of the best sleep training books teaches parents how to create a strategy that is unique to them and their children.  You will find tactics and time-tested methods for putting your baby to sleep, whether your baby suffers from stress, illness, discomfort, or hyperactivity. For your and your child’s sake, these tips will make nightmares a sweet memory.

The Graduated Extinction Method

Graduated extinction is a kinder version of “cry-it-out,” where parents ignore their child’s cries for two minutes before gradually increasing their response time for up to six minutes the first night. During the next few days, this period will be extended until the baby sleeps for longer stretches through the night.

Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems: New, Revised, and Expanded Edition by Richard Ferber

Dr. Richard Ferber, the nation’s leading authority on children’s sleep problems, offers important new insights and solutions to one of the best sleep training books of all time. Dr. Ferber incorporates current research to provide important basic information about the nature of sleep and the development of regular sleep and body rhythms throughout childhood that all parents should be aware of. The book addresses the causes of most sleep issues from birth through adolescence and provides a variety of effective solutions for each so that parents may choose the technique that works best for them.

Wake-and-sleep Technique

People are generally under the impression that they can sleep through the night without waking up. This belief is one of the most common myths about sleep. Due to this, many parents look for sleep techniques that will help their baby sleep through the night uninterrupted. Both adults and babies wake up at the night, but for adults, it’s not a problem. And we don’t cry about it. Because babies haven’t been able to adjust to sleeping on their own. And they have difficulties with their sleeping habits or cry when they wake up. In the wake and sleep method, your baby is taught how to self-soothe during sleep. The main concept behind this sleep training method is to get your baby to learn to fall asleep on their own after waking up. The best sleep training books teach parents how to wake their babies so they can learn to fall asleep independently.

 

The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp

Dr. Harvey Karp’s groundbreaking book might be the most important parenting book of the century, revealing an extraordinary discovery that parents have been searching for generations. And a way off-switch for their baby’s crying. In this book, Dr. Karp combines current science and old wisdom in a creative. And thought-provoking reevaluation of early infancy to demonstrate that newborns are not entirely prepared for the world when they are born. He has developed four essential ideas based on his research and experience. That are critical for understanding newborns, enhancing their sleep, and relaxing their senses.

No-Cry/ No-Tears Sleep Training Method

Despite the fact that the name implies that there will be no tears, this sleep training method does not guarantee tear-free sleep training. It is, however, gentler and subtler on the baby than the cry-it-out method, and it entails far less crying and fussing. The parents would rock, cuddle, and soothe the baby as soon as they started crying under the no-cry sleep training methods, encouraging them to drift back to sleep on their own. These techniques prevent the baby from crying excessively, allowing them to drift back to sleep on their own.

Child Sleep Problems – Non “Cry-It-Out” Method for Exhausted Parents by Joyce Wood

It focuses on no-cry-it-out techniques that can be applied to ensure that your beloved child sleeps peacefully each night, unlike other best sleep training books. In this book, you will learn how to understand your baby’s sleeping pattern, why your child is crying for longer than 3 hours, and how to solve these problems.

Pros and Cons of Sleep Training

Whatever method you choose to sleep train, these are the benefits that experts suggest:

1. When a baby is a night of sleep training, they learn that no one will respond to their cries, so they eventually stop crying at bedtime and overnight.
2. Once the sleep training is complete, parents will be able to enjoy uninterrupted stretches of sleep.
3. Sleep training may result in parents being able to provide their babies with more responsive care during the day.
4. With a sleep-trained baby, you won’t have to spend time helping them fall asleep. Your partner and you will have more time to spend together. 

Experts cite the following drawbacks to sleeping training:

1. It has been argued that children who are undergoing sleep training experience higher levels of cortisol.

2. The challenge of sleep training is that there are so many different methods, and it can be hard to decide which to use.

3. Many parents feel guilty and question themselves when undergoing sleep training because they don’t respond to their young child’s crying.
4. It is the emotional and psychological toll that sleep training can take that makes it difficult.

Conclusion

When it comes to baby sleep training, there are a number of methods that can be used. The method should, however, be understood before it is implemented. Choose the one that best suits your baby’s temperament and your family’s needs. There is no single strategy that has worked for everyone. If your baby does not respond well to a particular method for an extended period of time, you may need to try a different method. It is also advisable to consult with your pediatrician before beginning the method.