How does your parenting style affect sleep coaching?

As a parent, seeing your child crying and being unable to sleep can be a nightmare. However, sleep training or sleep coaching can prove to be an effective solution for many parents. The process of sleep coaching can be challenging, and it can be influenced by the parenting style you have. A good sleep coach should be aware of your parenting style to advise you most effectively. Let's dive into the most common parenting styles and how they can potentially affect sleep coaching for children.

Authoritarian Parenting Style

An authoritarian parenting style is where the parent has strict rules and oversees their child's behaviour. This style of parenting can have positive aspects, such as children learning how to follow rules and have a structured routine. However, when it comes to sleep coaching, this style of parenting can prove to be problematic. Authoritarian parents believe that their child's crying is manipulation and, therefore, may find sleep coaching challenging since it could involve letting the child cry it out (depending on the method used). This could prolong the sleep training process and make it more challenging for both the parent and the child. Alternatively, it could shorten the sleep coaching duration if controlled crying is chosen, as the parent may not respond quickly to their child when they cry.

Permissive Parenting Style

Permissive parenting is where the parent can provide too much freedom to their child, and the child can do whatever they like. There are minimal, if any, boundaries in place for the child. This parenting style can result in a child with irregular sleep patterns, leading to sleep problems in the future. When it comes to sleep training, the permissive parenting style can prove to be quite difficult because the parent isn't used to instilling boundaries of any type their child. However, the main challenge is the lack of consistency and routine in their child's life.

Authoritative Parenting Style

The authoritative parenting style is where the parent provides a balance between enforcing rules and establishing a nurturing environment.This style of parenting can positively impact a child's sleep routine as the parent sets clear boundaries and develops a structured routine. This approach can help during the sleep training process since the child is already accustomed to structured routines, making the process of sleep coaching easy and more effective.

Attachment Parenting Style

The attachment parenting style involves creating a close bond with the child and being always available to the child’s needs. This style of parenting can improve a child's sleep by ensuring that they feel secure and safe. Attachment parenting typically incorporates a no-cry sleep coaching approach, meaning that it may take longer for a child to learn to sleep on their own. However, this approach can foster a strong bond between the parent and the child, leading to a positive sleeping environment in the long run.

In summary...

Most parents don't fit completely into one parenting box, instead displaying elements of each style in their own parenting methods. Each parent/child relationship is unique, and a good sleep coach will work with your family's individual relationships and circumstances, as well as with the dyads within your family unit..

It's really important that you know yourself and your parenting style before you start working on sleep coaching with your child. A good sleep coach will help you identify this, as it will impact not only how you approach the process, but also the most likely reaction from your child. It also helps to set expectations and will help your sleep coach be able to go through the process with you in a way that works with your parenting style.