Putting babies to sleep can be a frustrating and exhausting process. Fortunately, there are ways to make it easier on you and your baby so neither of you have to suffer. This article will explain the biggest mistake new parents make when teaching their baby to sleep and how to overcome it.
The biggest mistake when putting babies to sleep…
Many mothers and fathers unknowingly establish poor sleeping habits for their babies. A bad habit might be something like snuggling your baby until she falls asleep in your arms and so put them in the crib to sleep. If you do this often enough, the baby will depend on your touching to fall asleep.
This is bad because when the baby wakes up at night, he won’t be able to go back to sleep on his own, which means he won’t be able to sleep!
How to fix it:
The most effective way to get your baby to sleep well is to start a bedtime routine. This can mean anything you need to do with your baby before bed, like bathing and feeding. Just make sure that the things you do with the baby are relaxing and not overly stimulating. We want the baby to start feeling tired at this point, but not too tired. Don’t worry, you’ll get a feel for this quickly, once the baby is tired enough, put him in the crib and let him sleep on his own.
If you leave and the baby cries, wait a few minutes before reassuring yourself and the baby that everything is okay. Gradually space out the time between these checks if the crying continues. It can be hard to do, but this is the best way I’ve found to get babies to sleep through the night.
