How My Two Month Old Is Sleep Trained Already

Routine, Routine, Routine

I remember scrolling through pages of articles and bulletins, blogs and the birth club, trying to remember how I had gotten my first child to sleep through the night so early. I thought there was some kind of trick I had done the first time that I was not doing this time. 

All of the information I had gathered pretty much told me the same thing every time. Consistency. 

It sounds easy. It's really not when you're adjusting at first, it takes you a minute to get your sea legs and develop a routine. 

I'm not talking about a scheduled daily plan but just something that your family does or that you do with your baby individually before quiet time. 

I say "quiet time" instead of bedtime because they have not yet learned the skill of knowing when bedtime is. It really is an actual skill for them to learn at this age. 

The difference between night and day. Lights and play equal awake, dark and quiet mean sleep. 

Don't Give Up

Those first few months will be quite rough but the important thing is to not give up and to continue doing a routine even if it seems like it is not helping. 

Trust me, it is. I thought I was not making a dent in sleep training progress for my son when my daughter had learned it so quickly.

Lily, my eldest had started sleeping mainly through the night (save for one feeding) at one month old. My mom had told me I was so lucky I had a good sleeper for my first child which probably meant I would have a horrible one for my second. She was not wrong, at first. 

Granted Connor had more issues than Lily did. He had a milk protein allergy that made it hard for him to stay asleep for longer periods of time. 

He was also extremely noisy when he did sleep so I would constantly wake up to all of his grunts and noises thinking he was waking up and he really wasn't. So I'd touch him and it would disturb him even more.

Eventually it had gotten so bad that I was not sleeping at all and getting hysterical at times. That's when I moved him into his crib in his room. I used an audio monitor and kept the volume low so I only heard him when he was truly crying. It made me feel horrible and selfish. 

Now after several weeks of consistent night time sleep schedule I know it was the best decision I had made, for both of us.

Set an Actual Bed Time

I am not saying you have to put your baby in his own room to sleep train him. Not at all. Putting my baby in his own room at the same time every night though, gave him a consistent routine of understanding that his crib meant sleep. 

It's better to do this around the same time every night and when your baby is not completely asleep. If they're anything like mine they won't like being put down after being in your arms. 

Don't Pick Them Up Right Away

If that is the case and they start to cry after putting them down for the night wait a little bit before picking them back up. 

I am not saying let them "Cry it out." They are definitely too young at one or two months old for that sleep training method. 

See if you can calm them back to sleep without picking them up by giving them a pacifier, swaddling them, and/or very gently rubbing their tummy in a quick motion to simulate vibration. 

You're comforting your baby with your presence and helping them to understand that you don't need to hold them for them to feel safe. 

It will not work every time, it might not work at all. If your baby cannot be soothed after a few minutes pick them up again and rock them back to sleepiness. Rinse and repeat. 

Be Flexible For Yourself

It will be frustrating and hard. You will cry because you just want it to work, just once. And eventually it will. 

It is completely fine to rock your baby occasionally into complete sleep so you can rest. You need to stay sane. For the majority of the time though, try to put them to bed sleepy but awake. 

It is also completely fine if it seems like for the 100th time your baby cries after putting him down, you close the door and let them cry. 

Just because you need a minute. You are not a bad mom if you need a moment to yourself. 

Give yourself that moment. Remember it'll be worth it in the end, it just takes time. 

After your minute go back in and try again. A baby might just need to cry his frustrations out. Again, do not let them cry for long. 

I started trying this about a month after Connor was born. Now at two months he is asleep by about 8 p.m., wakes up for one nightly feeding at 5 a.m. goes back to sleep and awake for good at 8 a.m. It has been pretty consistent for the last 3 weeks. 

What I Shouldn't Have Done

I do realize now the mistakes I had made in the first month that made sleep training take longer. 

One, I was trying to get him sleepy and ready for bed while I was still watching TV. That wasn't quiet enough for him to realize it was bed time. 

Two, I wasn't doing it around the same time every night. It wasn't helping him adjust his internal clock because there was no consistency. 

And lastly, I was rocking him until he was completely asleep. He could not learn how to soothe himself. 

In Conclusion

There will be drawbacks when baby's have their growth spurts but keep up with the same routine every night around the same time. 

Something that signals baby it's time for bed. A bath, changing them into pajamas, reading a book, singing softly, rocking, around the same time every night. And then finally put them into bed sleepy. 

Every baby is different, it may take some longer or shorter periods of time to learn this skill. Try to be patient. 

Ultimately it is your decision on how to sleep train your child. If this doesn't work for you, if you'd rather rock your baby to sleep every night because that works for you, then go ahead. 

Your baby, your rules. My experience is not the only experience. But if it worked for me it may work for you :)

How did you put your baby to bed every night?