Real Talk
Bianca King Weighs in on the Idea of Sleep Training
“There are many different techniques, from gentle to more straightforward types of sleep training,” explained Bianca King in a vlog on her YouTube channel.
To sleep train or not to sleep train? This came up during the Q&A portion of Bianca King’s vlog, where she and Iza Calzado answered questions about being first-time parents.
During the conversation, the Australian-based actress said she had many questions about sleep training. “I think sleep deprivation can [really] rock your world and make parenting miserable,” Bianca began. “A lot of them are fuzzed about sleep like how do you get your baby to get to sleep longer?”
“The answer to that, for some parents, is sleep training,” she said. “It’s not just you leaving your baby and closing the door and [letting] them cry out until they go to sleep,” she said. “There are many different techniques, from gentle to more straightforward types of sleep training.”
While sharing her experience as a mom, Bianca added that sleep training does have a learning curve. “We have to teach our babies to love the safe space they are in and to be calm around bedtime and hopefully put themselves to sleep.”
Sleep training may not be for everyone
According to Bianca, it may be difficult at first, but the safe space created will be both beneficial to the child and to the parents, who also talked to a lot of parents. The actress also notes that while it may have worked for Sadie, it may not work for everyone.
Bianca continued the discussion by saying that many parents will be reading up on conflicting stories about the perks of sleep training. “I acknowledge that those cases may exist but Sadie, the way she is now, she is a happy, easy, friendly baby,” she explained.
During a conversation with Modern Parenting, Bianca explained how sleep training was able to help her in the first months of raising Sadie. She also mentioned that there is another side to it when she sought guidance from experts about sleep training her daughter.
“There’s the other side of it where you know, you know some people will say like sleep training is brutal for the baby [because it] traumatizes [them and] they don’t cry,” Bianca said.
“We did approaches that were appropriate for her temperament,” she added. “And it took a couple of weeks, but once it clicked, all of a sudden I just became a different mother. I became a better wife. You know, a better mother [and] more energetic, too.”
Ultimately, it’s always about the child
Although the topic of sleep training is still polarizing for many parents, in the end, the child’s best interests must be considered before sleep training him or her. Even more so the parents themselves! After all, sleep training requires discipline for it to truly work.
And that in itself isn’t something everyone can do—given the many responsibilities that parents do, which include not being at home with their children 24/7.
According to sleep coach Ria Campos Lopez in an interview with Modern Parenting, those who eventually go for sleep training will face challenges along the way because patience is so important. “Parenting on its own is overwhelming, and when throwing in sleep training to the mix, we find ourselves balancing more than just managing schedules but also routines in order to get to independent sleep—so set realistic expectations,” she explained.
“Remember that a well-rested child is a happy and healthy child and more often than not, they are in a good disposition, wherein they are ready to play, learn, and explore during the day,” she added.
And that is the ultimate goal.
More about the importance of sleep
Sleep Training Your Baby: The Importance of Sleep According to a Sleep Consultant
