Why traditional sleep training fails in infants?

napsandsleep
Apr 11
2 min read

Updated: Apr 23

Types of sleep in babies

A newborn baby’s sleep cycle falls into the two categories of

Rapid eye movement
Non - rapid eye movement

Active sleep

In babies, REM sleep is also called active sleep because Babies in active sleep may twitch, wriggle, jerk, or even pull faces or they might make grunting, whimpering, or crying sounds. This is absolutely normal

Quiet sleep

In babies, non-REM (NREM) sleep is also called quiet sleep as it is characterized by a relatively still body movement. During quiet sleep, brain activity, breathing, and heart rate slow down, and body temperature drops, promoting rest and restoration.

Difference in sleep : Babies vs Adults

Different sleep cycle

In the first few months of life, babies’ sleep is split nearly evenly between REM and NREM sleep stages. As a baby grows, their sleep cycles progress and they begin to spend less time in REM sleep. They also begin experiencing the three stages of NREM, instead of one. As a baby grows, their sleep cycle looks more and more like an adults’ sleep cycle.

Underdeveloped circadian rhythm

Babies are also not born with a strong circadian rhythm and the circadian rhythm starts maturing from 3 months onwards

Wait till 6 months to traditionally sleep train

Understanding a baby’s sleep cycle is important for parents interested in sleep training. Because babies are not born with a strong circadian rhythm, sleep training is not possible for most newborns. Parents who want to sleep train have to work with their baby’s unique development timeline, and might not be able to sleep train until five months of age.

Why holistic and gentle sleep coaching?

With holistic sleep coaching, you will set up best sleep environment and best sleep practises from 5th month onwards so that your baby will adapt naturally and you might not even have to let your baby go through the grind of traditional sleep training process