“Sweet Dreams or Hidden Risks? The Dark Side of Sleep Training for Babies”

Photo by David Veksler on Unsplash

Sleep training is a process of teaching your baby to fall asleep and stay asleep without your help. Many parents wonder if sleep training is safe and effective, or if it can harm their baby’s health or attachment. Sleep training for babies has been a subject of debate among parents, pediatricians, and experts. While some parents find it helpful in establishing a sleep routine for their child, others express concerns about potential dangers and negative effects. It’s important to note that individual experiences may vary, and what works for one child may not work for another. In this blog post, we will explore some of the benefits and risks of sleep training, as well as some of the methods you can use to help your baby sleep better.

Benefits of sleep training

Sleep training can have many benefits for both you and your baby, such as:

1. Improved sleep quality and quantity. Sleep training can help your baby develop healthy sleep habits and cycles, which can improve their mood, growth, development, and immune system. It can also help you get more rest and reduce stress and fatigue.
2. Increased independence and self-regulation. Sleep training can help your baby learn to self-soothe and cope with separation, which can boost their confidence and emotional skills. It can also help you establish boundaries and routines, which can make parenting easier and more enjoyable.
3. Enhanced parent-child relationship. Sleep training can reduce the frustration and resentment that may arise from frequent night wakings and feedings. It can also increase the quality of your interactions with your baby during the day, when you are both more alert and happier.

Risks of sleep training

Sleep training is not without risks, however. Some of the potential drawbacks of sleep training are:

1. Emotional distress: Sleep training often involves allowing a baby to cry for extended periods, which can lead to emotional distress. Some babies may experience increased stress, anxiety, and feelings of abandonment when left to cry alone. This can affect your baby’s cortisol levels, heart rate, blood pressure, and brain development. It can also affect your mental health, guilt, and attachment.
2. Cortisol levels: Prolonged crying can elevate a baby’s cortisol levels, which is a stress hormone. While moderate increases in cortisol are normal, prolonged stress may have adverse effects on the baby’s developing brain and nervous system.
3. Attachment and bonding: Critics of sleep training argue that leaving a baby to cry for long periods may negatively impact the parent-child attachment and bonding process. A secure attachment is crucial for a child’s emotional well-being and development.
4. Sleep associations: Sleep training methods that involve abruptly changing sleep associations (such as nursing, rocking, or being held) can be confusing and distressing for babies, potentially leading to sleep regression or further sleep disruptions.
5. Disrupted sleep patterns: Sleep training may not always lead to the desired outcome of improved sleep. Some babies may have naturally irregular sleep patterns or underlying medical issues that sleep training does not address.
6. Health risks: Extreme forms of sleep training, such as the “cry-it-out” method, have raised concerns among experts about potential risks to the baby’s physical health, including increased risk of aspiration, vomiting, and choking.
7. Underlying medical conditions: Sleep disturbances in babies can sometimes be caused by underlying medical conditions that should be addressed by healthcare professionals rather than relying solely on sleep training methods.
8. Long-term effects: Limited research exists on the long-term effects of sleep training on children. Critics argue that the potential negative impacts of sleep training might not manifest immediately but could affect a child’s emotional well-being in the long run.
9. Disrupted breastfeeding and bonding. Sleep training can interfere with your baby’s feeding patterns and nutritional needs, especially if you night wean too early or too abruptly. This can affect your milk supply, your baby’s weight gain, and your breastfeeding relationship. It can also reduce the opportunities for skin-to-skin contact and oxytocin release, which are important for bonding and attachment.
10. Individual differences and variability. Sleep training may not work for every baby or every family, depending on your baby’s age, temperament, health, development, and environment. Some babies may respond well to sleep training, while others may resist or regress. Some parents may feel comfortable with sleep training, while others may find it too hard or unnatural.

11. Sleep training disregards your infant's requirements at night
Teaching infants to "sleep through the night" is one of the objectives of baby sleep training. There are several issues with this:

(a)Everyone does not "sleep through the night." Even adults experience brief alertness at the end of their sleep cycle, but most of the time we are unaware of it. When we have an issue that needs to be solved, such as the desire to use the restroom, a thirsty feeling, or the need to calm down after a nasty dream, that is when we truly awaken and become conscious of our awakening.

(b) Simply said, babies and even older kids shouldn’t be sleeping through the night on their own. Babies rely on us to meet their nighttime requirements just as they do on their caregivers to meet their needs during the day. These demands may be physiological, such as the urge to eat or drink, change diapers, or feel too hot or cold. Or perhaps they are terrified, lonely, or in need of emotional support. The goal of sleep training is to intentionally get a baby to sleep through the night by themselves, without crying out for assistance. The biological and evolutionary urge to provide responsive and caring care goes against this.

Baby sleeping training unnecessary sometimes.

Methods of sleep training

There are many methods of sleep training that vary in their level of parental involvement and responsiveness. Some of the most common methods are:

1. Cry it out (CIO). This method involves putting your baby to bed when they are drowsy but awake and letting them cry until they fall asleep without any intervention from you. This method is based on the idea that your baby will learn to self-soothe and associate their crib with sleep.
2. Ferber method. This method involves putting your baby to bed when they are drowsy but awake and checking on them at gradually increasing intervals (e.g., 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes) until they fall asleep. You can comfort your baby verbally or physically during the check-ins, but you should not pick them up or feed them.
3. Chair method. This method involves putting your baby to bed when they are drowsy but awake, and sitting in a chair next to their crib until they fall asleep. You can comfort your baby verbally or physically if they cry, but you should not pick them up or feed them. You gradually move the chair further away from the crib each night until you are out of the room.
4. Bedtime fading. This method involves adjusting your baby’s bedtime based on their natural sleepiness cues. You observe when your baby usually falls asleep and put them to bed at that time or slightly earlier. You gradually move the bedtime earlier until you reach the desired time.
5. Pick up, put down. This method involves putting your baby to bed when they are drowsy but awake and picking them up and soothing them if they cry, then putting them back down when they calm down. You repeat this process until they fall asleep.

Conclusion

Sleep training is a personal decision that depends on your baby’s needs, your parenting style, and your family situation. There is no one right or wrong way to do it, as long as you are consistent, respectful, and responsive to your baby’s cues. Sleep training can have positive or negative effects on your baby’s health and development, depending on how you do it and how you feel about it.

Nevertheless, it is essential for parents to consider the potential dangers and weigh them against their child’s specific needs, temperament, and development. Many experts recommend seeking guidance from pediatricians or sleep consultants who can provide personalized advice and solutions for improving a baby’s sleep patterns without resorting to potentially harmful sleep training methods. Gentle sleep training approaches that emphasize responsiveness and gradual changes may be more suitable for some families.