Here are the basics. When starting sleep training you want to do some things to the sleep environment first-

1. Make sure the room is darkened. Some babies do well with it pitch black, but others do fine with heavy curtains over the window. This will help baby get in the mode of sleep, and can prevent wake ups from bright light streaming into the room.

2. Introduce a "lovey", if you haven't already. Is there a small toy or small, lightweight blanket your baby would like? Many moms sleep in a tshirt for a couple of nights, and give that to the baby because her smell is very comforting to baby. It is necessary to give the baby a comfort object.

3. Introduce a white noise machine, if necessary. Some babies are waking up to noises, and a white noise machine can work wonders at providing a soothing backround sound and blocking out noise.

4. Do not put music makers, light shows, etc. in the crib. The lovey should be the only item in there. You want the baby to associate the crib with sleeping, and it needs to be a peaceful, clutter free environment. These things can overstimulate baby, and baby may even wake up to play instead of sleep, or worse yet, baby wakes to play and then cries for mom or dad.(Most sleep training methods/books are in agreement with this.)

5. An early bedtime is essential to good sleep. A baby's brain (after the age of 4 months) is ready for sleep between 6-8pm. After that timeframe, babies can be very difficult to settle into sleep.

The basics of CIO - You would do a soothing bedtime routine of whatever your baby likes best. A favorite for many babies is bath, bf/bottle and rocking. Other parents sing lullabies, or read a story. Just make sure the lights are low at the end of the routine and it's not too long-no more than 30 minutes. You would then put baby down to sleep, drowsy, but awake. Most likely, the baby will cry, protesting this new way of going to bed. You would need to leave the room and then you can handle the crying one of two ways- Weissbluth extinction, where you would not go in the room at all, or Ferber checks. Ferber method (how-to) A good overview of Ferberizing.

Some babies become more hysterical with the Ferber method versus the extinction method. The extinction method generally takes 9-14 days to work, and Ferber can take a few days longer. However, some parents find it's easier on them to do the Ferber checks and don't mind the extra few days. The crying in the first 1-3 nights of the exinction method can be very long, but, in the end, it's the fastest method of sleep training.

For naptime, you would create a short 15-20 minute wind down time for baby with a story, rocking or some other soothing activity, and then would put the baby down in his/her crib drowsy, but awake. You would not let the baby cry more than 60 minutes before getting him/her up. You would try again at the next naptime. The Ferber checks can be used during this time, if you would prefer. If baby is refusing naps, you can use the old method of getting baby to sleep after the others have failed, just so that s/he doesn't get overtired.

You can choose to train for naptime and nighttime this way, or do one at a time. Naptime and nighttime sleep are separated into different parts of the brain, so you will not confuse baby if you do them one at a time, or together.

The most important part of sleep training is CONSISTENCY! Once you make a plan, stick to it! Don't give up if it doesn't work right away. It will take time for the baby to learn a new way to fall to sleep. Learning to fall asleep and stay asleep on their own is essential to a happy,well rested baby and family. This is also a skill your baby will use for the rest of his/her life!

We are here to answer your questions.
This is only a guideline to get you started.