Can You Sleep Train A 3 Month Old?

Sleep training can be a divisive topic in parenting communities. On the one hand, you want to do whatever is best for your child. But on the other hand, you'd give anything for one decent night's rest. Very young babies in particular operate on a sleep schedule that has zero cares about whether it's morning, noon, or night. With this in mind, can you sleep train a 3 month old, or do you just have to endure the sleepless nights until your kid is in high school?

The answer is: it depends. Proponents of sleep training may recommend you start getting your little one accustomed to a routine at this age. According to Parents, it may be kinder to begin sleep training with a 3 month old, because the baby won't have to readjust their schedule a few months down the road. It will just be a part of their regular routine.

However, not all experts agree that such young babies can adapt to sleep training. As explained in the Baby Sleep Site, a 3 month old is too young to start serious sleep training, which can wait until the kid is closer to 4 months old. You can follow a schedule at this time, to be sure, but maybe not expect your baby to seriously respond to the cry it out method quite yet. And Baby Center reiterates this advice: you can wait until your baby is around 4 to 6 months of age before sliding into a sleep training schedule.

So what is a parent to do? Because there is no hard evidence in either direction, you can make whatever decision works best for you and your family. Depending on your baby's development and sleep needs, you may be able to start working toward sleep training. Then again, you may resign yourself to a few more weeks or months of fatigue and answer every cry on the baby monitor. The choice is yours. That said, it's always smart to check with your pediatrician or other child care experts for individualized advice. And whatever you decide, hopefully both you and your little one will have more restful nights soon enough.