Sleep. It’s one of those amazing things you don’t appreciate until you have children and it seems you’ll never get enough of it, ever again. Adult sleep is certainly important to your parenting experience, but this resource is more about baby sleep: how to make it more predictable, regular, and independent, so that one day, you can get a full night of shut-eye. Baby sleep is complicated; babies’ sleep cycles are different than adults’, and in the early months, they need food every few hours, so it seems like they’re always awake. But there are proven ways to train babies to expect bedtimes, soothe themselves back to sleep, understand the difference between play time and nap time, and set habits that will enable them to transition into independent sleepers fairly early in toddlerhood.

While there are many different approaches to getting kids to sleep, it’s important to remember that none of them harm children. None of them are a magic solution, either. You have to choose the approach that’s right for your family and your child, and remember that sleep issues, in any case, tend to resolve themselves after a few years.

In the baby years, and all the way through the teenage years, sleep is particularly important because it’s when children’s brains learn, grow, and develop. As a parent, if you want your child to thrive, one of the best things you can do for your child is to ensure they get enough quality sleep.