Getting your baby to fall asleep on their own is one thing, getting them to sleep while sharing a room with you is a completely different story. Or is it? The AAP recommends room sharing with your baby for 6-12 months. Now this doesn't work for all parents, but if you are following this recommendation or if you have a small house, how do you sleep train your infant when they hear you moving around and breathing all night?

Here are a few tips:
1. If you back can handle it, spend the first few nights on the couch or in your guest room if you have one. This way baby doesn't get woken up by your snoring or moving around in the room.

2. If you don't have the space for that, then you are going to hang in the living room until bedtime and be very quiet when entering the bedroom. It might be beneficial to have a white noise machine in your room to muffle the extra movement. (Place the machine in between the crib/bassinette and you if possible and not too close to the baby's head.) When baby wakes, you are going to follow your sleep plan by lying very still for the allotted time before interacting with baby. This will give your child the chance to self-soothe before your intervene.

3. Once a few days have past, you will be able to move more freely during the night and at your own bedtime. I would be sure to make sure the white noise machine is on in the mornings especially if you want your baby to sleep a little longer than you.

4. That's about it. Babies will learn to sleep with the space they have available, sometimes you just need to be creative the first few nights.

Rebecca is a postpartum doula and sleep consultant out of Bolingbrook, IL. She services the Western suburbs of Chicago with her postpartum doula work (about an hour from Bolingbrook) and takes virtual clients for sleep help. Sleep training doesn't have to be stressful, we just need to find a plan that works for you. www.doularebeccastiglitz.com