– Hi, I’m Dana, creator of the Sleep Sense Program and a lot of parents often wonder when is the best time to start sleep training?

Well, it’s kinda like going to the dentist. When is the right time to go to the dentist? Nobody really likes it. Everybody puts it off. But the bottom line is you still have to go to the dentist.

So I feel like there’s never a perfect time to make this kind of change. And what I know about human nature is that we often avoid change, even when we know the change is for the better. So I’m gonna give you a few tips today on when you definitely shouldn’t start but a good rule of thumb is there’s no perfect time.

Let’s just dive in, get this done, and know within a week or two, we’re all going to be sleeping so much better. It’s like light at the end of the tunnel. So let’s start the journey.

A few reasons why you should hold off would be if you are about to go on a trip, if you don’t have a full two weeks to dedicate to this before you travel, then my advice would be, wait until you get back. I would hate to see you make really great progress, and then everything fly out the window when you take your trip.

Another time to wait would be is if your baby is ill. So this can happen in the middle of sleep training too, and I would say if it’s just a, you know, a cold or bit of sniffles, keep going with the plan. If she has a high fever and you have some significant concerns about her, then it’s probably better to press pause on the plan, wait till she’s feeling a bit better, and then resume. If your baby obviously is sick at the moment then wait till she’s feeling better and then start the plan.

Another reason not to start would be if your baby is right in the middle of a developmental milestone. Let’s say for example, that she’s just learned to roll, and she is really driven to keep practicing that skill. And often it even feels like she’s doing it against herself, in a way, the more she’s practicing, the more frustrated and fatigued she’s getting. But it really is just the body’s way of mastering a skill to a certain degree. And then we can relax a little bit around it.

So if she’s in the heat of just learning to roll one direction, then wait about a week for that to subside and then go ahead and start your plan. I wouldn’t worry too much about teething. If you actually see a tooth starting to cut the gum line, then maybe wait a couple of days for that to pass. But teething is gonna come and go, and we often think teething is the reason or answer or excuse for everything under the sun. And if you keep waiting for this day when teething is finished then you’re gonna be waiting about two or three years. So try to put that one on the back burner.

All right, well I can’t wait for you to get started with the program and start seeing sleep improve within just a few nights.

Thanks so much for watching. Sleep well.