4MOMS GoodNight User Manual Download

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Chapter 3:  How to Use the GoodNight Sleep Trainer

Here’s how the GoodNight Sleep Trainer works.  Rather than staying with your child 
until he or she falls asleep, the GoodNight Sleep Trainer encourages you to leave the 

room, but make brief checks at specific intervals to make sure your child is okay and 
to reassure your child that his cries are not being ignored.  Each visit should be brief.  
Remember that you do 

not

 want your baby to fall asleep with you present.  Nor do 

you want to restart your baby’s self‐soothing process by picking him up or rocking 
him.  Simply check to make sure that your baby is safe and healthy and reassure him 
with a quick “Everything is okay.  Go to sleep.” 

 
3.1  

Teaching your baby to sleep using the GoodNight Sleep Method: 

Put your child down to sleep while drowsy but awake.  All the sleep 
associations should be consistent with your goals.  (For more on establishing 

good sleep associations, see Chapter 2) 

If your baby starts crying, press the “Crying” button to switch the GoodNight 
Sleep Trainer into teaching mode.  This will start a timer.  Wait until the 

timer finishes. 

Go check on your baby to reassure both yourself and your child that 

everything is okay. 

Press the top “Done Checking” button.  This will reset the timer and alarm.  
Again, wait until the timer finishes. 

Repeat steps 3 and 4 until your baby quiets down and falls asleep.  Once that 
happens, press the “Down to Sleep” button.   

If the timer goes off just as your baby is finally settling down to sleep, feel free to 
wait a few minutes before peeking in.  

Remember that no schedule or device should replace your best judgment.  If you 
think you need to go in to check before the timer is done, please go check!  

Teaching sleep associations is easier with younger infants but, with practice and 
persistence, can be done at any age.  We assume that your child is still an infant and 

confined to a crib, but the plan can be adapted to odder toddlers as well, though you 
may need a safety gate to keep your child in his or her room. 

 
Remember that the only times you get to teach your baby how to sleep through the 
night is when he or she is actually trying to fall asleep.  Once he or she is asleep, the 

teaching opportunity is over.  The flip side to this is that every time your child falls 
asleep, he or she is learning.  Consistency is key.   

By following the GoodNight Sleep Trainer’s approach of progressive waiting, you 
can help your child to learn this important life skill while still providing the parental 

support and reassurance that your baby needs. 