I have been working with a client who really judged herself for considering sleep training for her ten month old twins. The truth is she hadn’t had any kind of quality sleep for that whole ten months and she was frazzled and spent. But still felt like she just could not let her babies cry. I think there is a misconception for many people that sleep training equals crying it out and this is just not the case.
As our time together unfolded, this mom was literally the one in tears. The self imposed guilt and shame and extreme relief she felt was overwhelming and some tears spilled. And I am sure that she did not feel traumatized by those tears. (A common fear I hear when talking to parents about sleep training is that their child will be traumatized if they cry, and this is simply not true).
Needless to say everyone is thrilled with the amount and quality of sleep that is now happening in this home. If the thought of your baby crying is preventing you from teaching them how to sleep at the expense of your own mental health, I would love to talk to you.
Comments