When you are filling out your application for Father of the Year, make sure you mention all the work you put in to sleep training your child.  The Father of the Year Board of Governors quickly rejected my year one application, due to this very omission.  Kidding aside, sleep training can be a very stressful time for all parties involved. This creates a great opportunity for Dads to step up and take some burden off Mom to help get over this hump. Dads can use this baby sleep training program to help Mother and Child get through this difficult time.

Sleep Training Methods

All babies are different, however, babies are normally ready for sleep training between 4 and 6 months of age.  When you start to investigate sleep training you are going to run across many different methods, opinions, and recommendations.  Dads can really help by getting educated on the subject. 

There is plenty of information available online and a site like Today’s Parent or this article from Sleep.org will help Dads navigate the many nuances of sleep training.  Learn the difference between the “Ferber Method” and the “Cry it Out Method”.  Your partner will be thrilled if you start the conversation about sleep training your baby. Imagine dropping knowledge on the “Camping Out Method” in a casual conversation on the topic with your partner.

Educating yourself on this subject will take some of the burden off Mom. You can add value as you discuss the method you are going to use for your child. Develop opinions around the methods and be active in the discussion with your partner.  Do all you can to ensure they feel like the method decided was a joint decision. This will lesson the guilt if the selected method does not work for your child. 

Baby Sleep Training Program – Do the Work!

So once a method is selected and you are ready to begin, volunteer to do the first few nights of sleep training with the baby.  I would even suggest setting up something for Mom these first few nights to get her out of the house (yoga class, wine with friends, visit family, etc.). It may be hard for her to be hands off if she can hear the baby struggling to go to sleep during the initial efforts.  If you can’t get her out of the house, encourage her to plug into her favorite podcast, tv show or movie using headphones. This way she can block out the potential tears that may occur (I did mention that they call one style the “Cry it Out Method”). 

The baby will desire routine. By committing to put the baby down during the first few nights of sleep training, you are committing to this role until the schedule becomes normal.  

Focus on the Goal

Finally, know what you are getting into and own the commitment.  This will make for some long nights and cause great frustration for you when it doesn’t go as smoothly as you hope.  Don’t carry this frustration with you back to your partner. This defeats the break you are trying to give them.  Appreciate that through this commitment you are bonding with your child and that all this hard work will lead to many more nights of good sleep in the near future.