We, as mothers, absolutely love rocking and swaying our babies in our laps to make them sleep. We love the bonding and the closeness with our babies in the process. However, it’s also important to teach your baby to sleep independently and without any assistance. This will make your kids learn good sleeping habits and develop a sound sleep pattern.
I started training my kids to sleep on their own as soon as I weaned them and moved them to bottle feeds. It took a little while but it was a massive relief when they finally began to sleep on their own. I could finally have a routine and could plan my day as per my babies’ schedule. I am sharing my experience and what I did for teaching my babies to soothe themselves to sleep.
How To Teach Your Kids To Sleep On Their Own
- Fix the bedtime. Put your baby to bed at the same time every day to set his internal clock. By doing this, he’s more likely to feel sleepy around that time. However, make sure it’s not too late or way past the set time – overtired babies become cranky, clingy and have a hard time calming down.
- Be consistent with the bedtime routine. Try to fix a bedtime ritual especially at night, that helps your baby calm down. Dimming the lights, drawing the curtains, giving a lukewarm bath, bedtime massage, reading a story, singing a lullaby or playing soothing music will let your baby know it’s time to go to sleep.
- Break the habit of feeding your baby to sleep. A lot of times babies demand to be breastfed or bottle-fed just to seek comfort while falling asleep. If your baby is habitual of falling asleep while breastfeeding or taking a bottle, he is not learning to fall asleep by himself. Feed your baby earlier than the bedtime or gradually shorten the time you spend feeding him. If your baby is getting distracted, stop feeding him and finish the rest of his bedtime routine.
- Are you ready for it? Before you start training your baby to sleep on his own, think whether you are ready to bring this change. If not, then unknowingly you might be getting in the way. Rocking your baby to sleep before putting in the bed or rushing to comfort him at his first cry will inhibit developing the habit of self-soothing. By doing this, you are depriving your baby to settle down on his own.
- Is your baby ready for it? If you are expecting your baby to sleep through the night when he is just not ready, then don’t push too hard. You might end up exhausting yourself emotionally, physically and mentally. Wait for few days and try again.
Always remember that patience is the key. Babies take time to learn self-soothing and some babies take a little longer than others. Until your baby becomes self-sufficient, be patient and stick to your calming bedtime routine. Every child is different and there can never be any comparison with another baby.
Don’t worry and don’t be anxious. Try again after a few days. Every day is a new day.
-XO
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