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Nikki Bella shares that she's started sleep-training her newborn son

The "Total Bellas" star, 36, said that her six-week-old son Matteo was "all smiles" while getting used to the new regimen.
Nikki Bella
Nikki Bella attends the 9th Annual Variety - The Children's Charity Poker and Casino Night at Paramount Studios on July 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California.Photo Illustration/Getty Images
/ Source: TODAY

"Total Bellas" star and new mom Nikki Bella announced a new, ambitious project: Sleep training her six-week-old son Matteo.

The 36-year-old shared the information on Instagram, saying that she had tried the method for the first time over the weekend.

"Before the Sunday laughs, Mama introduce(d) Matteo to the first day of sleep training and I got the major Yo Ma Fuggedaboutit lol," Bella wrote, alongside a sweet picture of her son giving her an unimpressed look. "Once he realized it's not so bad he was all smiles!"

Bella said that was using the same sleep training program as her twin sister Brie, who gave birth to her second child just a day after Matteo was born.

"Here's to eventually sleeping through the night!" she wrote.

In a short video attached to the post, Bella shared some more details about the training.

"Say 'I'm starting sleep training today,'" Bella said. "'My mommy is putting me through the wringer, huh? She wakes me up, puts me down, tells me when to feed, doing activities.' But you've been doing so good, Matteo."

Sleep training is the practice of teaching a baby to fall asleep without help from parents, and usually means that the baby is put down for bed while fully awake, without being rocked, cuddled or nursed, and falls asleep on their own time. Sometimes known as the "cry it out" method, it teaches babies to "self-soothe" when falling asleep.

Many commentators were supportive of Bella's sleep training, but some criticized her as trying the regimen too early.

"Little babies don’t sleep through the night. It’s normal," wrote one user.

"Isn’t he too young for sleep training? Go with the flow at this age," said another.

There isn't really a right or wrong answer on when to start sleep training, according to parenting experts. In August, Dr. Matthew Harvison, an internist and pediatrician at NEA Baptist Clinic, told TODAY Parents that around two months old is a "great time" to start sleep training.

"This will help establish a 'bedtime,' which will help infants begin sleeping throughout the night," he said. "... Routines can be useful for kids, as it sets expectations."