When I was pregnant, so many of my friends told me to be prepared for many sleepless nights. They told me I should sleep as much as I can before the baby comes, which worried me and my husband. We kept thinking, “we don’t sleep much anyway, what is the big deal?” Why were people making such a big deal out of this?

Once the baby came, we learned that – yes, be prepared and get the rest you need before the baby comes, but your life does not have to be so different post baby. You don’t have to become those sleepless couples. That is really only necessary for the first few weeks.

What if I told you that there are changes you can make that would allow you and your baby to sleep through the night? Tribeca Pediatrics Sleep Method improved my sleep and we all slept overnight, including our baby Siena! This was a life changing event for me and my husband. All of a sudden, it would be 7:15 pm, we would look at each other, and be like “we have our life back!”.

Like all parents, when Siena was first born, Justin and I went through weeks of sleepless nights waking up every 2-3 hours, taking turns for feeding and snuggling with the baby, and working in between. Pre-baby I was so used to scheduling everything in advance, and putting things on my calendar, and all of a sudden, I could not do that anymore. It was so hard to plan anything (including meetings, etc). We talked to a couple of doctors, and when I was doing research, I came across a controversial sleep-training method developed by Tribeca Pediatrics in New York. Most pediatricians recommend sleep training after 6 months. With the Tribeca Pediatrics Sleep Method, that is moved up to after 2 months, and I found that it is really once the baby hits 12 pounds (about 5.5 kilos) in weight. This was found by the doctors to be the healthiest and most effective time to begin sleep-training. If babies are unable to sleep through the night by 2-4 months, they will be unlikely to sleep through the night and on their own in the future. They will not be as disciplined.

Where Do You Even Begin?

Have you ever wondered why you don’t get hungry at night? We have trained our bodies to sleep through the night and not feel hungry. According to the Tribeca Pediatrics Sleep Method, babies can do the same, either after 2 months or 12 pounds. Before you sleep-train your baby, you have to first make a pact with your partner and agree that this may be difficult, but agree that ultimately it is best for you and your baby. You also need to commit to staying home for 6 nights in a row. (It will probably not even take that long.)

Without further due, I will describe the Tribeca Pediatrics Sleep Method. Yes, it may seem shocking, however read on:

• Give the baby a bath and sing her a lullaby or read her a book; not too late at night or too early in the day. For me, I usually started this routine around 6:15 pm.
• Once the baby has had as much milk/formula as she can (most likely 3-5 ounces), and is getting tired, place the baby in her crib while she is still awake, and close the door.
• Return at 7 AM the next day. (yes you read that right, return at 7 am the next day.)

For the first couple of nights, the baby may cry two or three times, for somewhere around 20-30 minutes, either at night or in the morning. This will no doubt be very difficult to bear, but it’s important not to go and get the baby or to go in the room at all. DO NOT do this.  The following night, they will cry less, and on the night after that, they will cry even less. By the fourth and fifth night, you will be relieved and amazed to hear no more crying at all! You will see that your baby has trained herself to fall and stay asleep.

My Experience With the Tribeca Pediatrics Sleep Method

When I tried out this method, I was blown away at how well it worked. I first tried this method while she was in her bassinet in our bedroom. She woke up through the night as usual and I did not feed her. Instead, I soothed her and put her back to sleep. The next morning, as soon as she woke up, I gave her formula and she only had one ounce. She wasn’t even that hungry. I was so surprised. That experiment showed me that she does not need to eat overnight anymore, and she will not even wake up so hungry afterwards. On the first night I tried the method in her own room and crib. After her daily bath, Siena slept through the night until about 6 am. Around 6 am, she started crying. It was so hard for me and Justin to not go in, but because we had made a pact, we stuck to it, and did not go in until 7 am. I thought I would be greeted by an angry baby who was upset I did not pick her up, but she was so happy. I actually think she felt happy since she slept through the night for the first time herself. The next night, she woke up around 3 and then later at 5 am. I followed the same method.

It was magic when Siena slept in her own room instead of a bassinet in our bedroom. We were able to actually plan our nights and get some work done after she sleeps. I highly recommend trying out or asking your pediatrician about the Tribeca Pediatrics Sleep Method, so that you can stop having all those sleepless nights filled with crying!

Update:

We had our second baby girl in 2023, and I tried this method again. This time, it took a bit longer for our daughter Giana to get to 12 pounds (she was lighter than Siena when she was born) so I can start sleep training her. During training week, Giana woke up 2-3 times per night and would expect snuggles and pacifier at least. It was very hard to get through those nights. My husband actually “cheated” and went in to soothe her the first couple nights and I told him if he keeps breaking our pact, he and I will continue to have sleepless nights and we will never achieve the routine that we want for us and our girls. He finally came back around and stuck with it the following days. And, as usual, it was magic! We now have our second daughter going to sleep at 7, and Siena is old enough to go to bed at/around 8 pm. After 8 pm, it’s back to the single and romantic moments as well as Netflix and chill:)