Sleep training

Sleep training is fundamentally about changing the conditions under which the child falls asleep, so that the child learns to fall asleep without the same degree of support from a parent. If the child has fallen asleep with help, for example nursing, rocking or a pacifier, they may need the same help to fall back asleep. This is sometimes called sleep onset associations. There is a broad spectrum of methods, from very gradual habituation with the parent present in the room, to more direct methods where the parent leaves the room.¹

Sleep training is generally not recommended for children younger than about 4–6 months, as circadian rhythm and neurological maturity should be sufficiently developed.¹ It may be relevant when the sleep situation is negatively affecting the child's or family's wellbeing, and when medical causes of sleep problems have been ruled out. Sleep training is always voluntary and never necessary.

The strongest evidence exists for extinction-based methods (where parental support at sleep onset is minimal), which in randomised controlled trials have been shown to reduce time to fall asleep and night wakings.² For more gradual methods, where parental support at sleep onset is reduced gradually, there are fewer and smaller studies, and the evidence is weaker.¹ ³

A common question is whether crying during sleep training can be harmful to the child. This is an important topic that we have dedicated a separate research overview to.