Vice President Vance went on a podcast and was asked about his best parenting advice. His wife, Usha, just gave birth to their fourth child, so surely he has some sage wisdom to share.
Indeed, he did.
It's a key issue in the Sexton household!
— The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show (@clayandbuck) August 20, 2026
Vice President @JDVance shares his wife Usha's sleep training take with fellow father of a baby, @BuckSexton.
"She's like a drill instructor when it comes to sleep training and she starts immediately." pic.twitter.com/lvAAfoHudX
Our Second Lady believes in sleep training and starts right away. That's an excellent plan.
Buck Sexton shared the trouble they are having sleep training their 16-month-old. Don't wait to start that late.
I am an avowed believer in sleep training. I did it with both of my children, and by four months or so, they were sleeping through the night, and not long after, they would sleep from 7 AM–7 PM, regularly. Now, obviously, if they were sick or we traveled, that may be disrupted, but most of the time, that was the schedule. My son often wanted to be in bed by 6:30. He loved his sleep.
For some reason, sleep training has become the boogey man with this latest crop of parents. They seem to think 'sleep training' means leaving your newborn in a cold, sterile room to cry for hours. That's not sleep training. That's abandonment and no one is suggesting parents do that.
We teach our kids how to walk, eat, speak and brush their teeth. Why wouldn't we help them learn how to sleep?
Maybe we'd have much happier marriages, mothers and families if everyone was well rested. What a concept!
You have to start right away. I started at 6 weeks and my son never had an issue sleeping in his own bed. At 8 weeks he started sleeping 12 hours at night.
— Sherry (@NHLaVa) August 21, 2026
Disclaimer; he's 15 now and I can get him to go to bed before 2AM
My adult kids like to stay up late now, too, but they are fun to hang out with. Also, we all love sleeping in, so staying up late is no longer an issue.
This is cruel, actually. Newborns can't self-soothe and cluster feed.
— Annie 🇺🇲🇺🇦 (@txhighdudgeon) August 20, 2026
Of course, there has to be one in the comments. Sleep training isn't about starving newborns. First of all, it shouldn't be started until a child has regained birth weight and the pediatrician gives the go ahead for allowing them to sleep until they wake up to feed. Then, there are gradual feeds and wake windows for parents to follow. Parents are trained to listen for types of cries, allow baby to settle for a few minutes before rushing right in and lots of interaction with baby is encouraged during the wake windows.
I did too. All 3 slept through the night at 10 weeks.
— momma to 3 (@dukesmom515) August 20, 2026
Children need to sleep, and that includes babies. I hear mothers complaining of never having a good night's sleep because their 18-month-old is still not sleeping through the night. I feel very deeply for them, but that is a situation of their own making.
Obviously, this doesn't apply if a child has health reasons for being unable to sleep for long periods. For healthy children, waking up multiple times per night and waking up parents, as well, is harmful to the well being of the whole family unit.
“Sleep training” little babies is the most diabolical trend in human history.
— Vance Murphy (@vancemurphy) July 2, 2026
My generation is locking babies in a room to cry themselves to sleep every night and it makes me sick.
This is the view of the ignorant who have never researched the topic and are looking for clicks on X. How do I know that? Not one sleep training program advises allowing little babies to cry themselves to sleep every night. Please do not believe this garbage. Sleep training is healthy and kind to baby and their parents.
Anyone who things babies are “just crying”, those babies are CALLING FOR THEIR MOTHERS.
— skeptikalMe ⚜️ (@Ali_pi307) July 2, 2026
Mama of 4 here and I do not let my babies cry. I am immediately present as soon as I hear stirring.
I am met with big gummy smiles and happy wiggles 🥰🥰🥰
This kind of nonsense is designed to make Mothers feel inadequate. If you hear 'stirring', it's often a baby just working through sleep cycles, much like adults. If allowed to settle on their own without being disturbed, babies will often go right back to sleep. That's why parents are encouraged not to run right in. If the baby doesn't settle, parents do go in after a short time.
Also, yes, a baby will greet his mother with 'gummy smiles' when he sees her. A baby will also laugh if you feed him chocolate or allow her to paint the walls with their own poo. Not everything that thrills or entertains a baby is advisable. Kids don't like to sleep sometimes. They don't want the fun of the day to end.
I have a hard time putting down my phone at night for much the same reason. We can all use boundaries.
