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The Truth About Baby Sleep Training

pediatric sleep consultant in dmv area infant and newborn sleep training

For many parents, the words “baby sleep training” can feel overwhelming or even triggering. There’s no shortage of myths and misconceptions surrounding this topic, leaving families confused about whether it’s the right choice for them and their baby. At Baby Sleep Pros, I believe that knowledge is empowerment, and it’s time to shed light on the truth about sleep training.

What Baby Sleep Training Is—And Isn’t

Let’s start by addressing one of the biggest misconceptions: sleep training does not mean abandoning your baby to cry for hours, on end. In fact, it’s the opposite of ignoring their needs. Sleep training is about guiding your baby towards better sleep while honoring their unique needs and developmental stage. It’s a process rooted in love, empathy, and responsiveness.

At its core, sleep training is about b a l a n c e. It’s about ensuring that your baby’s emotional and physical needs are met while creating a calm, predictable routines that promotes healthy sleep habits for the entire family. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not a rigid or one-size-fits-all approach. Each family is different, and so are their sleep goals.

Why It Matters

Sleep is vital for your baby’s growth and development. Quality sleep supports brain development, strengthens the immune system, and regulates emotions. But sleep is not just important for babies—it’s essential for parents too. A well-rested caregiver is better equipped to meet the challenges of parenting with patience, energy, and clarity.

For many families, the lack of sleep creates stress and imbalance. Night after night of interrupted sleep can affect mood, health, and relationships. Sleep training offers a way to bring back equilibrium by creating routines that help everyone—including parents—get the rest they need.

An Empathetic Approach to Sleep Training

At Baby Sleep Pros, I understand that every family’s journey is unique. That’s why my approach to sleep training prioritizes empathy & connection. Here’s what sets me apart:

Responsive, Not Rigid: I honor your baby’s needs and emotions at every step. Sleep training doesn’t mean ignoring cries—it means responding thoughtfully and appropriately to help your baby feel secure.

Tailored Solutions: Babies are individuals, and what works for one won’t necessarily work for another. I create personalized plans based on your baby’s temperament, age, and family dynamic.

Support for Parents: I know that parenting is a marathon, not a sprint. That’s why I am here to guide you, cheer you on, and answer your questions every step of the way. I create a partnership with parents to make sure they know we are a team, and they will never walk the road to sleep alone.

baby sleep routine baby sleep coach

Reach out to Baby Sleep Pros today to learn more about our compassionate and personalized approach to sleep training. You may also book a free assessment call via this link: https://babysleeppros.com/free-sleep-training-consultation-washingtondc/ .

Trust me – there is plenty of light, and sleep!, at the end of this tunnel!

Pediatric Sleep Consultant Blog: Baby & Toddler Sleep Training
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Baby Sleep: Early Morning Wakings

Tips on how to deal child's early morning wakings.

Early morning wakings are very common sleep troubles parents encounter and they also can be the most difficult to resolve. An early waking or early rising is anything before 10h from bedtime that considered an early morning waking. It may take a few weeks to see improvement – especially when a baby has just started sleeping through the night and may just sleep the bare minimum 10h, and also what type of an early riser you have.

The Cheerful Early Riser

This baby wakes up very early but is rested and refreshed. Baby has slept at least 10hrs of overnight sleep and takes decent naps. Although, they wake up too early for your liking, they meet their daily requirement for sleep.

What can you do?

– Use 100% blackout shades

– Limit light and noise after dinner

– Limiting naps may help

– You can try moving bedtime to see if it could change baby’s wake up time by shifting a daytime schedule by 15-min increments each day until you reach new bedtime. It may take 1-2 weeks to adjust.

Small percentage of babies are “larks” – they wake up early in the morning, cheerful and refreshed and get tired early in the evening. They wake up at he same time every morning, no matter what time they go to bed. Whether your child is a lark is genetically determined and true “larks” are very hard to change.

The Tired, Cranky Early Riser

This baby sleeps less than 10hrs/night or naps poorly, or both! Baby doesn’t wake up refreshed in the morning and is tired for majority of the day. This baby doesn’t meet their daily sleep needs and could benefit from more sleep. Reasons they wake up are: hunger, external factors (light, noise), discomfort, over-tiredness, habitual waking, anticipation/excitement.

The first 3 are self-explanatory. Let me briefly explain the last three.

OVERTIREDNESS. Yes, overtiredness can cause early morning wakings! If baby isn’t getting the proper amount of sleep and are put to bed late it can cause early rising. It is one of most common sleep myths – later to bed, baby will sleep in. The exact opposite is true!

What can you do?

– Stick to age-appropriate wake windows and daytime schedule. BE CONSISTENT.

HABITUAL WAKING. Sleep is the lightest towards the morning. We cycle more through the light sleep stages in preparation for the morning waking. Also, the sleep pressure is lower in the wee hours. So it is especially hard for the baby to fall asleep in the early morning, especially when they don’t know how to go to sleep on their own. It is very easy for this to become a habit while you are trying to cope with these early morning wakings

What can you do?

– It is very important to teach a baby it is not time to wake up yet – they will learn eventually. Treat this just as you would treat the in-the-middle-of-the-night waking.

– If baby is fussing for about 10 minutes, it is ok to go in and give them a gentle reminder using a key phrase like “it’s sleep time”, then leave.

– If you have done the steps above, it’s been over 25 minutes or it’s around the desired wake time, chances are your baby will not got back to sleep. Pick them up, make a big deal out of the morning (so they do not think you came because they were fussing), and start your morning routine. Your baby may want to go to sleep an hours after they woke up which would be the extension of their night sleep. It is important to wait with that nap for at least 2 hours from the time they woke up or until 9am (depending on their overall daytime schedule).

EXCITED ANTICIPATOR. If baby enjoys whatever it is parent is doing after they wake up, they may start waking up early excited for this. Whether it’s cuddling, going to parents’ bed, rocking or feeding – a parent may be unwittingly creating a situation a baby is waking up for.

What can you do?

– Make mornings less exciting – it isn’t as mean as it sounds! Instead of doing whatever your baby might have been waking up for, start with something less exciting: diaper change, taking jammies off, getting dressed for the day. You can compare it to days you go to work and days off – when it’s work day you can ignore your alarm clock 10 time. However, on a day off you either wake up early excited or have no problems waking up for what you planned 🙂

– Same as with the habitual waker, you would go in with a sleep reminder/treat it as a night waking. Do not go in too often – it may too stimulating and turn into a game.

Seeing improvement in the early morning wakings can take a few weeks BUT it can be very successful if parents remain consistent! Understanding the reasons behind early morning wakings and knowing your little one is growing and learning every day are first steps to a more rested household.

To the balance your family deserves

Pediatric Sleep Consultant Blog: Baby & Toddler Sleep Training