The Follow-Up: How to Sleep Train

The PedsDocTalk Podcast: Child Health, Development & Parenting—From a Pediatrician Mom

Dr. Mona Amin

Medicine, Kids & Family, Health & Fitness, Parenting

4.9 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 10 November 2025

⏱️ 19 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Sleep training might be one of the most debated topics in parenting but it doesn’t have to be so polarizing. In this Follow-Up episode, I revisit my most downloaded episode, “We’re Losing Sleep Over Our Kids’ Sleep,” to talk honestly about what sleep training really means, the methods that exist, and how to decide what’s right for your family. You’ll learn: ✔️ What “sleep training” actually means (hint: it’s not one-size-fits-all) ✔️ The differences between the cry-it-out, Ferber, and gradual methods ✔️ Why crying doesn’t mean cruelty—and how boundaries are loving ✔️ How to spot when a method isn’t working for your baby ✔️ Why our generation’s obsession with baby sleep may be adding more stress than it solves Want more? Listen to the original full episode. Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠. Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠! And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the follow-up.
0:03.4	I'm Dr. Mona, one of your favorite online pediatricians, podcast host, and mom friend,
0:08.1	and this is where we revisit some of your favorite podcast episodes of the Peds Doc Talk
0:13.0	podcast in less time than it takes to go down as sleep training is harmful, rabbit hole online.
0:19.3	Lately, I've seen a lot of confusion online about baby's sleep, especially around sleep
0:23.2	training.
0:23.9	Some say it's required.
0:25.4	Others say it's harmful.
0:27.0	Both lack nuance.
0:29.0	Sleep training simply means helping a baby or toddler learn how to fall asleep independently.
0:33.7	Now, some babies do it on their own naturally, and that's awesome.
0:36.8	And some aided with their parents with check-ins or various methods called sleep training
0:41.6	can learn to independently sleep.
0:43.8	It's not one-size-fits-all, and it's not required.
0:46.8	But it's also not cruel.
0:48.5	And I often hear the it's cruel side a lot online.
0:52.7	And it got me thinking when I originally aired this episode five years
0:55.5	ago, the truth is most of our parents didn't overthink this stuff. They just let us sleep. They will not
1:01.3	talk to you about sleep training because it's something that didn't really exist. And while every
1:05.3	child's timeline is different, I do believe that independent sleep can really help the entire family, and it's possible to either
1:12.6	teach to the child through sleep training or avoid making some mistakes that can inadvertently
1:17.4	keep your kid awake. So today we're revisiting one of my favorite episodes and my most downloaded
	...

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