Transitioning Your Baby To Sleep
New parents have many responsibilities. Close to the top of the
list is to develop and nurture good sleep patterns and sleeping
habits for their new baby. Newborns need to transition from
sleeping with the mother to sleeping alone, but getting your
baby to learn to sleep on his own takes some time. However,
there are many benefits for both the baby and the parents when
this takes place. There are a seemingly endless supply of tips
and helpful hints to assist parents with this tricky task.
Research and try as many as it takes to find out what works best
for your baby and you. Trust your intuition and never give up
until you have found that magic combination. The reward of your
baby and you both getting a good night of sleep on a consistent
basis is worth the effort.
Most of the advice you will find to help with your baby's sleep
deals with establishing schedules, habits and associations for
your baby just before and during bedtime. Associating bedtime
with sleeping is the goal. The sooner you can achieve that
association, the more likely the baby will go to sleep without a
struggle. Establishing the differences between daytime and
nighttime is something that most advisors seem to ignore.
Creating the understanding in your baby the change from being
awake during daytime and falling asleep at night is a very
valuable step. Here are some methods you can try.
Many times your baby has been very active throughout the day and
is too stimulated to relax and fall to sleep. Employ one of
those sling-type baby carriers that hold your baby close to your
body while allowing you to be free to go about your regular
activities around the house. Your baby will love being in close
contact with you. This will provide ample time for your baby to
calm down slowly from that hyped feeling of stimulation and
excitement.
Many times the routine of transitioning between thirty minutes
or an hour before bedtime is performed by the mother. This may
be working against you. Try this with the father. Just before
moving the baby into the bed, have Dad hold and cradle the baby
close. His voice is generally much deeper than Mom's is and
often the baby can be more soothed by it. This change in routine
can be learned as a triggering mechanism for the baby - "Dad is
holding me, it must be almost time for sleep."
Whether you find it in a listing of baby tips or discover it on
your own, one of the methods of transitioning into bedtime is to
simply take the baby for a car ride. While this idea may seem to
be a perfect "quick fix," I would advise against it. In the
beginning, it may seem like a good deal. After all who wouldn't
trade a little inconvenience for a night of peace and quite and
sleep? However, as your baby becomes accustomed to that nightly
driving ritual, dependence may develop and it will not take long
to become much more than just an inconvenience.
The idea is to begin slowly with these transition techniques.
Once you and your baby have found the magic formula and have
built an almost automatic routine, then just as slowly
transition away from them and into a much more simple bedtime
pattern. The goal here is to teach your baby to sleep on its
own.
Good Night and enjoy your baby and your rest!