toddlersleeping.com

Is your baby having difficulty sleeping on her own? Or that your baby wakes up crying only when she has just fallen asleep. If yes, I would like to share with you some tips you can use to train your baby to sleep on her own.Tip 1: Make sure your baby is fully fedYou can tell from the satisfied look on your baby’s face after a feeding. In addition, when you try to put your baby to your breast or the bottle, she doesn’t seem interested and uses the tongue to push out your nipple/bottle teat.Tip 2: The room is airy and not stuffySometimes, babies find it hard to fall asleep when the room is stuffy and not well-ventilated. Or they are simply too warm to fall asleep especially for those in the tropical regions.Tip 3: Be ‘Firm’ not to carry your baby too early when he/she criesAt the initial stage, your baby will cry to express her frustration in not being able to sleep. You can tell your baby is frustrated for this reason when she rubs her eyes or scratch her ears. At this point, you have to be firm and not go carry her immediately when you hear the crying. In fact, you can let your baby cry for about 10 minutes and if she does not stop, pick her up and pat and rub her back like when you are burping her. Sometimes, she may burp again which is good as it will minimise her discomfort.DO NOT pat her until she falls asleep. When she calms down, put her down in her cot again. She may continue to cry so you may have to repeat this process a few times before she falls asleep. Remember you are doing this for her good and eventually she will be able to go to sleep on her own and you need not coax her at all.* There is caveat for this tip. This assumes that your baby is crying because she cannot fall asleep and not because of other reasons e.g. having fever, in pain, hungry etc. You have to learn to recognise her different cries to make the appropriate assessment.Tip 4: Pat your baby gently when she stirs in her sleepDo not carry your baby immediately when you notice her stirring or whimpering. You can assure her with your voice or gently pat her backside if she is sleeping on her stomach. If she is sleeping on her back, you could pat her gently where you think she will be comforted. Just remember, do not carry her else she will expect this whenever she stirs or whimper in her sleep.Tip 5: Have a regular sleep patternIt is important to have a regular sleep pattern e.g. for new-born, they need at least 16 hours of sleep so their feed, wake and sleep cycle is every 2.5 – 3 hours interval. The interval can increase as the intake of milk at each feeding increases.According to some books, babies on a regular feed, wake, and sleep cycle can sleep through the night by week 9. But this varies as some may only do it after week 9. My own baby was able to sleep through the night by week 11.I am sure you have your own effective ways to help your baby sleep on her. I love to hear from you at my blog, http://firstparents.blogspot.com/