Three Doctor-Approved Sleep Training Methods Explained

- You have reached the time for sleep.

Now, please sleep, baby.

Everything is okay, and then leave.

(laughing) (upbeat music) So, Dr. Alok, what do you think you know about baby sleeping?

Huh?

Okay - okay All right.

- Tough guy.

What do you know?

- So we know that developing fetuses are gonna sleep about 90 to 95% of the time, new born babies-- - In the womb?

- Yeah but when they leave the womb, and they come to the real world, they're not-- - EHHHH!

So, what you're saying you know, is nothing!

Nothing about a live baby outside of the body, sleeping in the house that you are also trying to sleep in.

- I got some textbook knowledge.

(wind blowing) - This is the thing, we get all this advice, right?

Like we got the advice, you know, shut the door, let the baby cry it out, but have you ever heard your own baby shrieking at the top of its lungs?

(baby shrieking) No you haven't 'cause you don't have a baby.

But I have.

- Fair.

- I have.

You know how hard it is to just let your baby go on shrieking like that?

Isn't the whole reason they shriek is so that you can do something?

- True.

But you know what?

If you don't teach a baby how to self soothe, they're not going to, and it's going to make your life harder, and I think it's worth me at least trying to coach parents into one of the methods.

My prerogative is defending the baby's health.

And I'm like, "Listen, you do any method you want for sleep training.

Or maybe what--" - What do you mean, defending the baby's health?

- I just, I care about the baby's brain, and sleep training is important for baby's development so they sleep through the night eventually, and they have good brain development.

What I'm hearing is that it really matters on what parents can tolerate.

So did you try the cry it out method?

- No!

No!

- Why not?

- Because I can't -- - You just shut the door.

- No.

- Like ehhh (baby shrieking) - I can hear them shrieking through the door.

- Do you-- - It's like the primal shriek.

(baby crying) - What about gradual extinction?

- What is gradual extinction?

Is that like dodo birds slowly petering out instead of just, Poom!

One day no dodo birds?

(laughing) But it's gradual extinction!

- It's essentially when your baby cries in the middle of the night, and you start to slowly increase the interval before you go and check in on your baby.

It's like, maybe you let him cry for two minutes one night, then it's three minutes, four, five with the hope that they'll be able to stick it out longer.

- That's what we did.

We did that one.

- How'd it go?

- It was good.

It was fine, all right?

So we let the baby, the baby, my baby, my personal own baby - The baby.

- The baby, Nico, cry, upped it by five minute increments.

And we went in and we told him, you know, "You're fine.

It's time to sleep."

But, you know, not like in a loving tone like I speak in.

Like, "I love you so much baby" not like that - Boring, like boring interactions.

- Right.

Like, boring.

Like, "it is fine baby.

Time to sleep."

And then we turn around and walk out.

- Sounds robotic, but pediatrician approved.

- Thank you.

- Well, actually, all of these methods are pediatrician approved.

But usually not before six months because most young infants aren't developmentally ready to sleep for long periods without being fed.

Now I don't have kids.

One day, when I do have kids - I cannot wait!

(sinister laughing) - But the method I was looking at, and I was like, which one would I pick?

I was looking at the camp it out method which seems kind of fun like you lay down or sleep next to your baby's crib, and then you gradually move farther and farther away while ignoring their cries, possibly sneaking out.

Did you guys try that?

- Are you picturing like a bonfire and marshmallows?

Is that why you think that sounds like a fun method?

- No -- - What I hear is you're gonna be in that dark bedroom doing nothing for hours.

- Well, maybe I'll just ninja out of there.

Or what if I put like a mannequin, and it's not really me.

- Oh yes!

- Yeah - Side hustle!

- Yeah?

Side hustle!

- Sleep training mannequin - The camp-it-out mannequin.

- Yeah.

The camp-it-out mannequin!

- Now, in Indian-American!

- And it's like voice activated so when the baby cries, "meh, meh", the mannequin goes, "It is okay baby.

You are fine.

It's time to sleep."

- Yeah, but you could input your baby's name with your voice.

So, "It is OK, Nico.

It is time to go back to sleep, Nico."

The camp-it-out mannequin is intended for sleep training purposes only and will not respond to your baby's cries.

Side effects of using the camp-it-out mannequin may include crying, fussing, and hopefully longer periods of sleep.

So we've talked about the cry it out method.

- Not for me.

- Gradual extinction.

- Yeah!

I feel like that worked.

- Camp-it-out method.

- That's your fave 'cause you think there's s'mores involved.

- I just, it feels like a cool secret agent mission.

- OK, we'll see.

- But anyway, we've given you a bunch of tools.

Now here's the thing, if you say like, "You know what?

I don't want to sleep train my baby.

Should I be worried about anything?"

Not necessarily.

And some people say like, "Oh!

A baby who isn't sleep trained is gonna run the house when they're trying to go to bed when they're a toddler."

That might not be true either.

The most important thing is that you're doing what you can to make sure your baby or your toddler gets restful sleep 'cause it's really important for growth and brain development.

- Lou falls asleep, but then she wakes up and comes in our room like 38 times a night.

She goes, "Mamaaa, Mamaaa!

Can I get in bed with you?"

(laughing) - What's with the ghastly voice?

- But she's, I don't know!

(upbeat music)