Q: How can I sleep train my baby when my older child is sensitive to the crying?

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Question: My 8-month-old baby can't fall asleep on his own and relies on me nursing him to sleep. This has led to us co-sleeping, which isn't a sustainable situation for our family. I'd like to sleep train him, but I have a 4-year-old who is extremely sensitive to his crying. When the baby cries, my older child gets very distressed.

Their rooms are right next to each other, and even with sound machines, she can hear everything. I successfully sleep-trained my older child, but I can't use the same methods because I'm worried about disrupting her sleep and causing her distress. Would it be a bad idea to put a twin bed in the baby's room so I can at least get him used to his own space without the crying, allowing my husband and me to sleep together again? What can I do?

Answer: I think the twin bed in the baby's room is a good idea for an intermediate step. It gets him used to his own space and gets you back in your bed. You could start there and then transition to the crib in the same room. Look into gentler sleep training methods like the "chair method" or "pick up, put down." They can take longer but usually involve a lot less crying, which might be the key for your daughter's sake.

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