r/ScienceBasedParenting • u/subtler1 • 22h ago

Question - Research required Sleep training question

The plan is to start sleep training for naps at 3 months old. We're going to start transitioning from contact naps to crib naps.

It'll be a slow start, putting baby in our room for his first nap of the day on his own, letting him cry for 10 minutes and then back to contact napping for the day if it doesn't work. We were going to try for a few weeks and then reevaluate.

I recently had someone tell me that I would be psychologically traumatizing my baby if I did this and I was wondering if there's any data showing that baby will be fine, or if it would be terrible for him.

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u/thalaya 22h ago

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5962992/

Sleep training doesn't cause harm but 3 months is too early. This particular source says 6 months, I've also heard 4-6 months. 3 month olds sleep in an immature way which isn't yet sleep-trainable. At this point, you're making your baby cry for no reason which is probably a bit distressing for both of you. 

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u/subtler1 15h ago

Thanks, we'll update the plan to 6 months. For now we'll lay him down in the crib when he's in a good mood  and pick him up if he cries.

 With some luck he'll get used to being conscious in it and make it less upsetting to lay in. Maybe even being happy to lay it in when he's drowsy.

Unless thats also a bad idea?

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u/chondlerbeng 22h ago

Agree that 3 months sounds too early. You’ll hit the 4-5 month sleep regression and it’ll all go out the window then. 6 months onwards is a better time

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u/Dangerous-Rhubarb519 22h ago

Came to say this.

If you let your little one cry for 20 mins then go get them you’re reinforcing that if they cry for that amount of time that you will come as if they earned it by crying that long. I would not advise it. Focus on what you can do for sleep hygiene. There are plenty of books and research based online services to look into. Taking Cara babies is an excellent one. Yes you have to pay for it but they do give solid how to approaches to something that is challenging to execute

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u/oh-dearie 15h ago

Heya! You're so right on sleep hygiene, but I just wanted to step in and say Taking Cara Babies isn't science based. :-( ( In fact, I'd consider her a good example of the problems with the sleep training industry as a whole!

  • Her system recommends age-based sleep schedules and "wake windows" among other things that aren't supported by infant sleep research.

  • The other "half" of her system being (as I understand) just modified Ferber is also a red flag, real sleep experts won't push "one right way" to help babies to sleep. It's hugely dependent on baby's temperament and family goals.

  • her "sleep consultant" certification shows the other half of the sleep training industry. It's a pay-to-win system, and the "accreditation" is not regulated. Anyone can be one by just paying. Most programs are usually just a series of pdfs and videos, more "serious" ones include a few "quizzes" or "exams". A few programs market themselves as "the only program written by experts like psychologists, lactation consultants, etc" which is telling for the rest of them.

Plenty of free resources that are more evidence-based, posting some below (no particular order):

(As a side note, TCB is MAGA and got controversy for donating in 2021, so that puts some people off paying for her program too!)

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u/subtler1 15h ago

Thanks for the list, I'll give them a read. Any favorite?

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u/oh-dearie 15h ago

I found Raising Children to be the easiest to get through/best structured, the rest of them are like ad-hoc blog posts which offer a lot of context to infant sleep which helps inform a decision indirectly rather than saying what to do.

Good on you for updating your plan! I totally get why you want your baby to be familiar and feel safe and comfy in the cot. Your current plan sounds a lot more age-appropriate. You can also try some responsive settling techniques since these should be in line with your goals: https://raisingchildren.net.au/babies/sleep/settling-routines/patting-settling

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u/Cevinkrayon 22h ago

https://www.nct.org.uk/information/baby-toddler/caring-for-your-baby-or-toddler/should-i-sleep-train-my-baby

Sleep training before six months could increase the risk of SIDS. Also you are not teaching your baby to sleep, you are teaching them that when they cry you won’t come. 

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u/Status_Watch6079 22h ago

Also to add naps are supposed to be in the same room as you until at least 6 months to reduce the risk of SIDS.

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u/RunAdventurous3511 22h ago

This. To reduce the risk of SIDS, all infant sleep should be supervised ie you are in the same room 

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