ABSTRACT
Sleep training is a topic which divides opinion. A number of sleep training programmes have been developed to help parents regulate child sleep. In the cry it out method, children are left to cry until they fall asleep. A child left to cry will eventually fall asleep through exhaustion. Mothers of children with severe sleep difficulties have experienced reduced depression after the introduction of a sleep training programme. Sleep training programmes work by encouraging the child to fall asleep without assistance. Young children spend a lot of time asleep. A long sleep over these hours is considered sleeping through the night. Many parents consider co-sleeping with a new baby. The main cons of co-sleeping are the associated increased risk of suffocation, strangulation and sudden infant death syndrome. Some research evidence also suggests co-sleeping infants may experience more stress than those sleeping separately.
