Was anyone else surprised at how technical and complex some of the common sleep-training methods are? It’s as if the experts aren’t taking into account the level of exhaustion the parents are really experiencing. Okay, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but still, I’m super glad I had a partner that helped with sleep-training efforts when it came time to try and help our kid sleep through the night, because I found the whole process to be pretty overwhelming.
Being "in it" together was crucial for not only my sanity, but for the few sacred minutes of sleep I was able to get each night. Trust me, I've had more experience than I could have ever hoped for in the "functioning without a sufficient amount of sleep" department, leaning on my partner in the middle of the night with one eye open and one eye closed, counting the minutes until I could go back into my baby's room again to sooth him so that, you guessed it, I could start the whole process all over again. Perhaps I should even give him an extra shout-out, because he is the lighter sleeper of the two of us. That short end of the stick meant he would often be the first (or, dare I admit, only) parent awake to respond to our crying kid.
Basically, coming at sleep-training as a team made me so grateful for my partner and the parenting team we've formed together. Sleep training isn't easy and it can be a guilt-filled process and, well, every parent needs all the help and support and solidarity they can get. If you're getting ready to embark on the journey, here’s a few things your grown-ass man can do to help with sleep training: