11 week old sleep training?

[mnnewbie12]

Advice please...

My DD is 11 weeks old and I'm having an internal battle with what to do for the best with her sleep.

At what age do they form habits? Currently she sleeps for a few hours at night in her next to me cot (once she's bottle fed and fast asleep) and then will wake for next feed. As the night gets later it gets harder to put her back in next to me cot as she's so unsettled and just wants to be with us. We end up co-sleeping (safely) each night and find she does the longest stretches in with us, and we're so desperate it feels easier than attempting to put her back in cot.
My concern with this is that she may now be forming the habit that she has to be with us to sleep... what are your thoughts? What should we do? I'm battling between her being so young and just wanting to be close with no harm done against us paying for it in a few months when she goes in her own room...

Too early, you would be wasting your time. One of my biggest regrets from maternity leave was trying to get into a routine and worrying about forming bad habits. If I do have another child I'm determined I wont do it again.

It is pretty much the advice from the association of child psychotherapists. Give your baby a chance to settle themselves, a little bit of fussing is OK but pick them up and comfort if they are distressed/persistently crying.
childpsychotherapy.org.uk/resources-families/understanding-childhood/crying-sleeping-first-months-life

As someone who used sleep training, 11 weeks is too old. We did it when he was 18 months.

However if you also don't want to co-sleep, that's ok too. I am an incredibly light sleeper (if my husband starts to breathe heavier than normal or tug at the covers I wake up) so I was never able to actually fall asleep with baby in bed with me, I felt far too conscious of them.

So if you are looking for ways to put them back in their cot agter a feed - ultimately your baby wants the comfort, and after a feed they may feel a bit "naked" being put back in their cold cot after being snuggled with you for their feed. Have you tried a swaddle sleeping bag? I would try do what you can to make them feel comforted by you. A hand on their chest until they are back into a deep sleep? A gentle rock? Swaddled (safely)?

11 months is too young* (not old!)

Lol

OMG i mean 11 weeks.

I'm losing my mind. Can you tell I'm a tired mum?!

I sleep trained from birth, it doesn't have to mean leaving baby to cry but I'm not a fan of co-sleeping so it wasn't an option for us. I looked into wake windows and put him down awake and then worked on a routine to fit around it which I adjust as wake windows change.

It's worked really well for us so far, he started sleeping through at 8 weeks and self settles. He's now 14 weeks. Just waiting for the 4 month sleep regression to ruin it 😂.

If you are happy to co-sleep then there's no issue but if you aren't, that's ok too.

Facebook group called evidence based sleep training. Huge American following but they use multiple peer reviewed papers to show sleep training is safe from any age. Take a look at see what you think

There is no real evidence that sleep training is safe at any age. There are no longitudinal studies past 5 years on the effects of sleep training. Equally there is no evidence that it is unsafe. So you just have to make a judgement call. The association of child psychotherapists advice is that it is fine to encourage self settling but if your baby is screaming/distressed then you should picki them up and offer comfort.

@3WildOnes I agree I've always comforted my children whenever they needed but it's an interesting Facebook group regardless (even just to boggle at those sleep training from day one...)

At 11 weeks baby see you as security my youngest would sleep in our bed and help herself to breast milk still does 10 months later

Mine napped on me until ten months then I just put him down one day when he got too heavy and that was that. He was happy. No 'bad habits' with little babies. Them being close is essential for brain development so it's GOOD habits imo.

Dear god

poor baby