How Do I Get a Baby to Sleep without Help?
Getting your baby to fall sleep without rocking or holding her can be tough. Babies naturally love to be close to someone, and if they're used to being held while falling asleep, they'll want that to continue. You can start teaching a baby to go to sleep on her own as early as a few months of age. The key is being consistent and only doing what you're comfortable with -- because if you're not comfortable, you won't be consistent with the bedtime routine.
Other People Are Reading
-
Bedtime Routine
-
Come up with a bedtime routine that both you and your baby enjoy. Start the routine at approximately the same time every night. This could be a warm bath, a story or song, a bottle or breastfeeding in a dark, quiet room. Do the same routine every night, in the same order. Your baby will soon learn that this routine means that it's time for him to go to sleep.
Feeding
-
If your baby is still an infant, cluster-feed her in the evening. This means offering milk at more-frequent intervals. The idea behind this is that if your baby eats more in the evening, she will be drowsier at bedtime and fall asleep more easily. She may also sleep longer because she is full. Conversely, if you still have to get up to feed your baby during the night, and you suspect that the nighttime feedings are more a want than a need, gradually reduce them. This is only applicable for older babies who are capable of sleeping through the night without eating. Once babies realize that they're getting less to eat at night, there are fewer reasons for them to wake up.
-
Put Your Baby in the Crib Awake
-
One of the most important things is to start putting your baby in his crib while he's still awake. This means keeping the bedtime routine and feeding short enough that he's not completely asleep when you lay him down. Again, he will probably start crying because he's not used to this. But it is necessary because babies expect to wake up in the same place they fell asleep. So if he falls asleep in your arms and wakes up in his crib, he will cry. He is more likely to settle himself back to sleep in his crib if he fell asleep there.
Crying It Out
-
Any change in a sleep routine will probably cause your baby to cry. But if you want her to fall asleep independently, this is a necessary step. One method to deal with the crying is to simply let your baby cry it out and fall asleep on her own. The first night, this could mean an hour or more of crying. Chances are, this will be greatly reduced the second night, and so on, lasting a few nights. If you are not prepared to deal with this amount of crying, don't try this method. Going in after a half-hour of crying simply teaches her that she has to cry that long to get you to respond.
Checking on Your Baby
-
Another method is checking on your baby at regular intervals, say every five minutes, until he falls asleep. Stay in the room for less than a minute each time, keep your voice low and don't pick him up. The next night, check on him every 10 minutes. After a few nights, he'll probably fall asleep without you going in at all. Some parents find that this method is less harsh than simply letting your baby cry. Others find that the crying escalates because you're entering the room repeatedly.
-
References
- Photo Credit baby sleeping image by Tatyana Gladskih from Fotolia.com
