13 Things That Can Go Wrong When Trying To Sleep Train

A sleep disorder like sleep apnea, which includes inconsistent breathing and heavy snoring, could pose some obstacles for sleep training. If you think your baby could have a condition that affects her sleep, consult with your pediatrician before starting a sleep training plan, as Baby Center's website suggested.

One of the keys to successful sleep training is getting your baby in bed at the right time. According to Parent's magazine, missing the window of opportunity can sabotage sleep training attempts. To know when you baby is sleepy, look for signs of fussiness as well as yawning and eye rubbing.

When planning to sleep train your child, you may decide on a method that sounds appealing to you, but it just isn't panning out. As the Baby Sleep Site pointed out, different sleep training methods work for different families. You may need to try more than one approach before finding the perfect fit.

Sleep training can be a struggle for some babies, but it can take a toll on the parents too. When I was sleep training my sons, I would always ask, "What am I doing wrong?" when things were off track. This only made me feel worse. On those tough days and nights, don't blame yourself, start brainstorming ways to fix the problem.

Even though you are anxious to sleep through the night, starting too soon won't help. As Judith Owens, director of sleep medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital told the Wall Street Journal, babies two months and under are too young to start sleep training. At that age, they are simple not capable of sleep a full night.

If your baby is falling asleep during your bedtime routine, you're going to want to start the process earlier. When getting babies into a sleep routine, you want to put them to bed awake, but drowsy, as Jodi Mindell, the associate director of the Sleep Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia told The Bump.

Both my children used transitional objects when sleep training, and let me tell you, if a pacifier went missing, crying replaced sleeping. If you're using pacifiers at night with your baby, make sure to have back stock nearby. Not being able to locate this soothing item would send my babies into a fit of tears and throw all the hard work of bedtime out the window.

If your baby is waking at odd times, it could be due to a sibling's sleep schedule. According to Parenting magazine, an older child's bedtime and wake time could effect the baby's sleep training. The chance for this increases if the children share a room. If separating them isn't possible, try using a noise machine to mask the stirring of a roomie.

Sleep training isn't just about bedtime, although that's where a majority of the focus tends to be. As Mayo Clinic pointed out, being consistent with naps helps to set a baby's sleep 24 hour sleep schedule. Whatever method you are using for bedtime sleep training should also be applied to nap time.

With all the different options for sleep training methods, it's possible to get wrapped up in one that just doesn't work for you. In order for the plan to work, you need to be comfortable with and committed to the method you choose, according to Baby Center.

One of the main goals of sleep training is to help your baby be independent with his sleep. But if the parent is doing too much soothing, the baby can't learn how to self-sooth, as Today Parents pointed out.

Even littles need the right temp to get some solid shut eye. If her room is too warm, it may be hard for your baby to sleep. To help your baby's sleep routine get off on the right foot, set the thermostat between 65 and 70 degrees for a perfect snooze, according to Parenting.

Just when everything is running smoothly, along comes an obstacle that feels like a major setback. Somewhere between the ages of three and four months, your baby is likely to experience his first sleep regression, according to What To Expect's website. These are periods of time when a baby that slept like an angel can start to resist bedtime or wake frequently throughout the night. Typically, this is only a minor obstacle that will fade in time.