We do not talk enough about the benefits of sleep training! Parents are left alone to figure out sleep training. The parental training classes provided by the hospital did not cover sleep training at all (at least for the classes I took). Despite this, there is a substantial body of evidence in the scientific literature demonstrating the beneficial effects for parents and children of sleep training! Here I will highlight the results from a well-regarded meta-review on this topic (cited below).
- Sleep training works!
The meta-review looked at 52 studies on sleep training. 49 of these 52 studies showed clinically significant results of sleep training. Of the best 11 studies, 9 showed positive effects of sleep training. 82% of kids showed improved sleep. Phone surveys of parents show success rates above 70% for some sleep training methods.
- Sleep training leads to better behavior in babies and children.
It leads to less bedtime resistance and fewer night awakenings. Babies are more predictable; they cry and fuss less.
- No documented negative effects of sleep training in babies or children.
No effect on breastfeeding. No effect on daily fluid intake. A couple of long-term studies have found no long-term negative (or positive) effects of sleep training.
- Sleep training has a rapid and dramatic improvement on parental mental health!
This is perhaps the most important of the reasons! In one study, depression scores dropped 45% in depressed mothers. The positive effects include martial satisfaction and better mood. Surveys demonstrate that parents (~90%) really like education on sleep training and appreciate having someone to discuss baby sleep issues with. Why aren’t we doing more to educate parents? Sleep training may even be as effective treatment for postpartum depression as any other treatment method available!
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17068979
Mindell JA, Kuhn B, Lewin DS, Meltzer LJ, Sadeh A; American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Behavioral treatment of bedtime problems and night wakings in infants and young children. Sleep. 2006 Oct;29(10):1263-76. Erratum in: Sleep. 2006 Nov 1;29(11):1380. PMID: 17068979.