Experts recommend beginning sleep training when babies are 4 to 6 months old. This age range is the sweet spot, since babies are old enough to physically make it for six to eight hours overnight without needing to eat but aren't quite at the point where the comforting you provide has become a sleep association.
4.5-5.5 Months
Most experts recommend sleep training around this time, when babies can make it 6 to 8 hours without feeding overnight. But keep in mind that your little one is learning that crying gets a response from you—so expect plenty of waterworks when you leave the room!
Some experts say sleep training can begin as early as birth. But it depends on the method. Experts like Richard Ferber of the Ferberization (cry-it-out) method recommend waiting until six months.
Signs that your baby is ready for sleep training include: sleeping for five to six hours or longer on occasion, waking more frequently at night after a period of stable sleep and reaching 4 to 6 months of age.
The ideal window to sleep train your baby is between 12 weeks to 5 months old. Babies, in my professional opinion, are ready for sleep training from 12 weeks onward, just as long as they're healthy, eating and growing well, are a minimum of 12 pounds and have basic motor skills to find or suck their hands.
In fact, it's been known to improve parental mood, improves an infant's sleep quality and increases the secure attachment between babies and their caregivers. As long as your baby is old enough and is in a safe environment, sleep training (no matter which method you choose) is perfectly safe and healthy.
Though sleep training is a bit harder after your toddler has turned 1, it's still very possible, though you'll want to start while she's still a year old rather than waiting until she's 2 if you can, since bedtime habits are harder to break the older your child gets.
However, if your baby starts to fall asleep on their own at night (even if they wake up throughout the night), they're most likely ready. Just as there's no exact right age to begin sleep training, you also don't have to sleep train. Babies will eventually learn to sleep on their own.
Even if you assist them to sleep they will likely still cry at some point. Some babies just cry before sleep because that's their process..
While most babies can learn to sleep on their own when they're between 4–6 months old, they need someone to guide them.
Because you are changing your child's current habits, the first night is usually the one with the most protest, because your child doesn't expect what's coming and is generally unhappy about making changes to a routine that's been working for them pretty much their entire lives.
Let her try and fall asleep on her own. If her crying continues for several minutes, you can go into the baby's room, but don't turn on the light, pick her up or play with her. You can give her a gentle pat on the tummy and tell her to go back to sleep. If she has a pacifier, you can give it back to her.
Most experts, however, recommend waiting to start sleep training until your baby is at least six months old (Price et al 2012). But all babies (and parents) are different. You may think your baby is ready to learn to settle herself earlier than six months.
The time it takes for your baby to learn any sleep training method will depend on their starting point. If your baby can fall asleep independently but has trouble connecting their sleep cycles, it will likely take two nights, and the first night will probably have an hour of crying.
If your baby is nursing more than once or twice a night (ages 6-8 months) or still night-nursing after 9 months and you've tried the above 3 steps, then some very gentle sleep training may be an option for your family.
With that logic, there's no amount of time that's too long. They'll typically cry the longest on night one but significantly less by night three or four, with most babies not protesting at all within seven days. If your baby ever sounds in pain, then it's best to check-in.
Assuming your child is… and b) that your pediatrician has approved your approach with sleep training… There is no arbitrary amount of crying that means a child has cried “too much.” Your child should be given the amount of time and space they need in order to figure out how to fall asleep on their own.
It is a common misconception that if you want your baby to sleep well, you have to do some form of sleep training, but we're here to tell you this isn't the case! Many babies, and especially those under 3-4 months of age, are perfectly capable of achieving good sleep without any formal sleep training.
If your baby's not falling asleep within about 10 minutes after 5 days of starting the process, then I recommend playing around with the schedule a little bit. You may be putting your baby down either too late and they're overtired and cranky, or too soon and they don't have enough sleep pressure.
Set bedtime (7 or 8 p.m.) and bedtime routine. Put baby in bed awake, on their back, without props (anything they depend on to self-soothe, so they don't look for it if it falls out of their mouth or crib). Ignore fussing. Leave the room before they fall asleep.
The method involves having the child sleep for 5 hours, followed by 3 hours of awake time, and then 3 hours of sleep again.
Generally speaking, most sleep training strategies will take about a week to implement, but sometimes it'll take longer depending on your method…and your consistency. If you've been trying to sleep train your precious bundle for two weeks with no luck, consider checking in with your baby's pediatrician for advice.