teach your baby to self-soothe

How to Teach Your Baby to Self-Soothe on Their Own

The art and science of teaching your baby to fall asleep on their own with no help from you are called self-soothing. This means that your baby can go to sleep without you having to rock, sing, carry, pat or shush them to make them fall asleep. It is a natural process to generate and control emotions that even grownups face in the day-to-day routine. Most babies need a bit of help from their parents to learn this art while there are a few natural self-soothers.

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Most babies soothe between the age of 4 months to a year, while others may require more time. After rocking, singing, feeding and patting them on the back to make them sleep for months, you must wonder how long do I have to continue doing this? Isn’t there any way in which they can learn to go to sleep on their own quickly? Well, fear not! We’ve got you covered mommy.

Below are ways to teach your baby to self-soothe on their own.

1)    The best time to teach self-soothing to babies is when they reach the age of 6 months. This is because during this age a baby can sleep 8 hours with no feed. Start sooner because around 8 or 9 months it’ll get difficult to teach your baby self-soothing due to separation anxiety.

2)    Develop a nighttime routine. Establishing bedtime routines like taking a bath, massage, reading a storybook or singing a song can provide your little one’s body a signal that it’s time to relax and go to sleep. Routines provide consistency which helps babies learn how to respond in different situations. Even if they can’t understand it yet, a baby can learn from a daily routine that it’s bedtime.

3)    If your child is old enough, offer a security toy or blanket. Because of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), you can’t leave a blanket, toy or pillow in your baby’s crib during their first year of life. But if your child is older and SIDS poses no threat to them, then a soft toy or blanket they’ve grown attached to can help you in teaching them self soothing back to sleep. If your baby isn’t old enough, then you can offer them a pacifier to self-soothe.

4)    Just like their parents, babies also need a cool, calm, dark and comfortable environment to fall asleep and stay asleep longer. When a child is put to sleep in an environment specially designed for sleeping, they can go to sleep quickly without getting distracted. In this way, they’ll also stay asleep longer without getting disturbed by noises, chills, and sweats. Also, a slightly cool environment is considered better than a warm one to reduce the risk of SIDS.

5)    Like sleep routines, using consistent sleep times can teach the body to expect sleep. Body rhythms can be trained to coordinate with going to sleep at specific times. This can help your child to feel sleepy at the exact time you want them to fall asleep. There are benefits to not only having a bedtime routine but also a specific bedtime!

6)    Teach your baby to fall asleep on their own without feeding them to sleep. If your baby is falling asleep while feeding on breast or bottle, they’re not self-soothing. By pushing feeding time earlier in their sleep routine, you can teach your baby to self-soothe while still making sure that they’re eating well. Although this may sound easy, it’s difficult to achieve practically because your baby will get upset and start crying as they search for a different way to soothe themselves to sleep. Particularly, in the beginning, you must stand close to their crib and offer them verbal reassurances as they get used to falling asleep without the aid of a bottle or the breast and full human contact.

7)    Make sure that all of your baby’s basic needs are fulfilled before they get overtired. Also, put them to bed when they’re sleepy and not overtired. Pay attention to their sleep cues and respond to them accordingly. It’s very difficult to soothe an overtired baby. So, if you respond to their sleep cues early, they’ll be more likely to have a good end to their evening and be in a good mood. In this way, they’ll be able to fall and stay asleep on their own with no help from you.

8)    Try to make your baby get used to falling asleep in their crib. If your child falls asleep on you and then you transfer them into their crib, they may feel distressed because of a change in the environment in which they fell asleep. Thus, it’ll make self-soothing more difficult for the baby. Also, keep in mind that even if they are very young, babies can develop habits. If they learn the habit of falling asleep in their crib, then they’ll be able to self-soothe themselves back to sleep. So, put your child in their crib when they’re drowsy yet still awake and let them fall asleep on their own in their crib so they can get used to falling asleep with no help.

By following the 8 tips to teach your baby to self-soothe on their own above, you can teach your baby to self-soothe. Keep in mind that, even though your baby may fall asleep in an unsafe location or position, it’s not a good idea to leave them unsupervised in a sleep environment that’s less than 100 percent safe for your baby.

If you want your baby to learn self-soothing without your presence, then it’s very important to make sure they’re sleeping in a safe environment. Rockers, swings, bouncer or car seats aren’t as safe as a crib. So, don’t leave your baby alone when they’ve fallen asleep in these places. Also, before you teach your child to soothe themselves to sleep, check with your pediatrician, they can offer you some great tips to make it easier for you as well as for your baby.

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