Parents back 'sleep training' to help kids to bed

Parents have expressed their support for sleep training, a method to help children fall asleep on their own and sleep through to the morning.

Writing for CanWestNews Service, Lisa Kadane explains how she and her husband followed the programme laid out in the book by sleep-disorders doctor Jodi Mindell entitled Sleeping Through the Night.

The book suggests checking on a baby at increasing intervals until they fall asleep.

"Parents who choose to sleep train face several hard nights where they often question their decision to let the baby cry," she said.

"They may even face criticism from other parents to whom a crying baby - no matter the circumstance - is anathema."

She explained that her child is now happy and alert when awake and sleeps properly when she goes to bed - which means a better time in bed for mum and dad alike.

AskBaby.com notes there are a number of different sleep training techniques, including the crying down, controlled crying and core night methods.

When getting to bed themselves, parents may want to get to sleep on a Tempura mattress made of memory foam that can shift to support their joints.

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